Muscle House Fitness Centre, Melaka
37-1 Jalan Kota Laksamana 3/8, Melaka, 75200.
Opening Hours: 9:00 – midnight, 7 days a week
Cost: RM 7 per day or RM 75 per month or RM 180 for 3 months, or RM 300 for 6 months.
Location
Muscle House Fitness Centre is located around 1km west of the main action on Jonker St, in the centre of Melaka. If you’re looking for it, you’ll see a sign outside. Go up the stairs to the first floor and you’ll see prices clearly displayed on the door. Enter and go to the attractive reception area on your left.
Facilities
After being very spoilt at top chains in KL, I was prepared for Melaka to be a step back in gym facilities, mostly as I couldn’t see any big names I recognised in my initial research. Coming here is my first gym stop and I was pleasantly surprised. This medium-large modern gym pretty much has it all in terms of equipment; the only thing missing here is aircon. However, the windows were open and the numerous overhead fans certainly did a lot to make the room a comfortable temperature. Some parts were naturally cooler than others, but the gym was sufficiently empty late Sunday morning to be able to choose where to train (both in terms of cardio machines and weights). So, I was able to remain a comfortable temperature throughout. Whilst there’s no substitute for aircon, this is definitely one of the coolest clubs I’ve found without it.
The gym is well lit with natural daylight and windows all around. You’ll also find a nice seating area by reception.
Take your own towel and plenty of water. Bear in mind you can also use one of their towels for 3 ringgit.
The main gym is broadly divided into cardio, resistance equipment, free weights and a small functional training area. Upstairs you’ll find a studio and much bigger functional area. The studio was not in use when I attended and this floor was significantly warmer than the main gym, but still workable.
The gym was clean and tidy and staff were sweeping the floor as I trained.
Weights
The weights section at Muscle House Fitness Centre is very well equipped with duplicates of both dumbbells and popular machines.
You’ll find dumbbells up to 50kg here. This includes two separate racks of different brands of dumbbells. One goes up to 40kg and one up to 50kg and the weights were tidily racked on both. There are ample benches in both areas (near each other) for working on.
You’ll also a find a full rack of straight barbells from 7.kg to 30kg here.
I also found two Smith machines, a squat rack and three bench presses (flat, inclined and declined).
There’s a large cable cross over station here with overhead pull up bars. For overarm pull-ups you’ll simply find a horizontal bar (with stools by it if you need), whereas the underarm pull up bars are the more standard ones. There’s an additional “free motion” cable crossover station too. Elsewhere in the corner by reception, you’ll find a more standard set of pull up bars.
I found both a plate-loadable leg press, chest press and shoulder press machine, in addition to a good range of pin-operated resistance machines. You’ll find two lat pulldowns in different parts of the gym, and a multi leg station (both leg extension and curl) in addition to the separate machines. All the equipment is fairly modern and in very good condition.
You’ll also find a hip extension bench and adjustable declined abs bench.
Cardio
You’ll see an impressive number and fair range of modern cardio machines here, with several overhead fans – pick your machine wisely so you’re under one of them!
I found seven treadmills, six Spin bikes, five crosstrainers, two steppers and three upright bikes here – no rowing machines.
Functional Equipment and Studio
Functional Equipment
The main functional area is up one floor, next to the studio, but you’ll also find a small area next to reception in the main gym. Here I found a couple of step boards, a small declined abs bench and two kettlebells of around 6 and 12kg. I also saw a set of bars for push ups, an abs roller and several yoga mats. However, there was no obvious space to put the mats, though there are certainly options around the gym floor.
Head on upstairs and you’ll see WAAAY more stuff! Here I found a large rig along with two sets of battleropes, Swiss balls, a bench, two TRXs, a couple of step boards, a trampet, a hanging boxing bag and a few sets of gloves and pads.
I also spotted medicine balls from 1 – 5kg, kettlebells up to 32kg, an old Smith machine and a hip extension bench.
Studio
The medium-sized studio hosts a modest class timetable with classes on Mon – Fri. Zumba is on several mornings per week at 9am and several evenings a week at 20:30. I also saw mention of Crossfit classes, although no clear timetable – check with the club directly or message their Facebook page.
The studio itself was medium-sized and looked up to date and inviting. I saw yoga mats by it, along with some very lightweight dumbbells, steps and a skipping rope.
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Summary
Muscle House Fitness Centre is a total bargain at RM 7 a go. Its size and amount of modern equipment and decor makes it a pleasure to work out in. The addition of aircon would be the obvious suggestion for improvement, but this would significantly bump up the cost. For me the temperature wasn’t much of an issue and I’d rather pay the bargain rate of RM 7! Though I’d certainly recommend training earlier in the day and choosing a well-fanned area to train in.
The gym caters well for most clientele with a good range of weights, cardio and functional training equipment. The duplicates of dumbbells and popular machinery make it a very attractive option here. You might even find a class you like in their upstairs studio.
Want an Overview of all Gyms in Melaka?
I went to four different gyms here and I’ve summarised, compared and recommended my favourites for each budget level. Check out Gyms in Melaka.
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