Gym Review: Stokewood road

strong>Gym Name: Stokewood Road Gym

Free weights: 3/5

CV: 3/5

Resistance Machines: 2/5

Extras: 4/5

Atmosphere: 5/5

Price: 5/5

Overall: 22/30

Ah damn, I just wrote this review then saved over it under a different name! Don't you hate it when you do that??

Anyway, Stokewood Road is a place that I liken to an old coat that fits you like a glove - familiar and reassuring. I've been going there with my gym buddy Goof for over four years and in all that time not one thing has changed. In a world of uncertainty Stokewood is my rock.
The actual gym is fairly measely in terms of what's available. Here's the bad news: there's no barbell over 40kg, there's no squat rack and there are only 5 resistance machines. Okay so that sounds like a terrible gym so far and I've probably lost a few of you already but stay with me.
While it's severely lacking in many areas Stokewood has an ample supply of dumbbells and a vast array of CV machines. And the resistance machines may be few, but they are all brilliant to work with and all of the major muscle groups are catered for. The gym is also usually quiet meaning it's easy to get what you want and the lack of commotion makes it easy to focus. There are just two TVs and they invariably show music channels that play over the room. Randomly they are not playing channels with the kind of motivating stuff you'd expect but often show countdowns such as 'top 20 worst ever 80s romance songs'. Allot of people would be annoyed by this but Goof and I find it charming. We often stay longer just to see who's number one. Robson and Jerome come on allot - brilliant.
The other features are also impressive. The swimming pool is a very good size, there's lots of good classes and there's even a seperate building for boxing. Considering Stokewood is not supposed to be a 'health spa' it's strange that the extras on offer top the likes of LA Fitness.
Also the fact that it's not catering to the rich and famous means you don't have to pay monthly with ridiculous joining fees and hidden costs. You can even pay a yearly membership fee of £15 then pay £3-£5 for each visit - very handy for a town hopper like myself.
Stokewood road isn't trying to be anything it's not and does what it says on the tin. The smiles aren't false and all the staff are genuinely friendly and fun. The small number of people and fact that there's only one room for the gym also keeps things intimate without being uncomfortable. You can get in, do your workout, and get out all with minimum fuss. In short, going to Stokewood is like coming home for me. Bloody good gym.