Best Gyms with Free Weights near Tucson, Arizona

I have been coming to the Lohse Y for lap swimming since 1995. I have never in all of these years experienced what is happening now with the pool. It is a fabulous pool and many people want to use it. All the Y's across the city have adopted a new policy of closing all the pools at 11am M-F with no hours for the swimmers who used to come on their lunch hour between 11am and 1pm. This results in forcing a large amount of daily swimmers to cram their usual 45 min to one hour workout swims into the five hours in the morning when the pool is open. In addition to the limited hours five months out of the year, the new policy is have 4 people circle swimming in each lane. They also have water aerobics classes five days a week for one hour of the five they are open, so during that time there are only four lanes available for lap swimming. This is not enjoyable. I cannot recommend joining this y for the purpose of using the pool. My husband and I, who are both long-time lap swimmers at Lohse Y, are looking into swimming at other facilities We may possibly quit going to this Y entirely because the cost of the monthly parking may be too much when we can't use the pool. This decision is with a heavy heart after 30 years loving this Y. They recently remodeled the pool and in our opinion it has been one of the best lap swimming pools in Tucson. It is truly a shame that the citywide pool director has chosen to turn it into a treadmill of a water workout room.

I'm a Y member visiting from Virginia. My family & I do zumba back home and wanted to keep our fitness activity going here. We attended Diana's zumba class. She was terrific! She was high energy and the routines were fairly easy to follow and fun to do. We very much enjoyed her class, and will try to attend another of her classes before we leave.

I don't go to the Y, but my parents faithfully go to the one in Virginia for Zumba. They are visiting here in town, and we decided to try a Wednesday Zumba night. The instructor, Deanna, is new. Really? Well, she's very good. I picked up really fast from how she led the dance class. Yes, it was that impactful for me to write this review, considering how happy my parents, really my Mom, were. 1st timers, too!

My boys wanted to join the Y for the basketball court and the staff is super warm to them even when I'm not around. Belina signed us up and has been super gracious to us ever since. She treats you like family and makes sure you are taken care of. The staff culture is by design and not by default, great job management!

The Lohse Family YMCA is hands down the best in the city. The staff there is absolutely incredible - they go above and beyond to make you feel welcome. The new equipment - it's top-notch. You won't find a friendlier bunch of people anywhere else. l've been a member for 19 years and would never even consider going anywhere else. Seriously, I love this place. Trust me, you need to check it out. R.Garcia

Honestly, I drive on Grant Rd daily so I passed this place for over 3 years and I never knew how cool this place is for kids of all ages. Indoor hoops and pool tables and arts and crafts. Not to mention they host AA which I will be attending in the future. A hidden gem for kids and adults/seniors, and looking forward to their upcoming events and summer programs for the kids. Also the same great staff from the Marty Birdman Center, whom my kids know so just a great friendly environment!

I have been going to this gym for years to play team basketball or just shoot around. It's only $1.50 to get in. The courts are very nice. Sometimes there's no wait at all to get on the court. The folks that work there are great folks and very friendly. Outside are nice fields and a covered outdoor court in case there was a wait. It's a great place for a jog as well. The parking is easy. The only thing to be aware of is that they do have groups who are scheduled to use the courts or game rooms at times. Check their website for the calendar of events. Really, there's nothing negative to say about this center.

The Donna liggins center it's where I call home I grew up in this park my grandmother's house is right at the bottom of the park where the alley is when we were kids we used to say the park is our backyard my cousin Bryce cotton if you want to look him up he's a legend in the NBL he has four championships 4 MVP awards and the gym and the basketball court on the outside is where he learned how to play his game growing up I think one day they need to name the court after him he is a product of the north side and Mansfield Park

I am in the seniors division. It is well-maintained. Staff does the little extra.

This is an amazing facility. Clean, with great interior, and the exterior park areas are well kept!

Couldn’t have had a better experience. Walked into Undisputed with an interest in BJJ and Brandon and Cassie gave me a tour and signed me up for a trial class later that week. I joined immediately after. I’ve now trained at several gyms since moving away and can confidently say this gym is top tier when it comes to their coaches, friendliness, and safety. They take time to get to know their students and are welcoming of all skill levels. Their women’s BJJ program is especially fantastic and I have yet to find anything like it. The gym environment is fun and laid back, but takes training seriously. It’s such an approachable environment for beginners and helped me stay consistent in my training. The opportunity to train with several brown black belts was an invaluable experience. David, Stephen, Yvonne, Tara, Ginny, Gerald, Natalie, Brandon, Cassie, and John were life changing connections and teachers! Thanks for everything, y’all!

I am glad found this gym and I love it. I wanted to find a BJJ gym but a friend had invited me to a Muay Thai class so I tagged along. And I have to say the rain I joined was John Bassford the instructor. He really seemed to know what he was teaching, very knowledgeable, and technical. I didn’t realize how knowledgeable he was until my recent trip to Thailand to train at Bangtao Muay Thai. They have many pro fighters coming out of this gym. And I feel like John’s program is very on par with the training in Bangtao. Our group of 15 seemed to perform very well in the Bangtao Muay Thai classes. Very happy John showed us the clinch and the importance of it. Of course I also picked up BJJ. The reason I was looking for a gym in the first place and the instructors are great as well. Stephen and David have really been great to me in helping me compete in local tournaments. I’ve done 5 so far and have gotten nothing but a ton of support here.

This place is awesome. I started coming a few weeks ago. Great instruction and the people here make you feel extremely welcome. Even my 5yr old daughter started kinder jiu jitsu and she loved her first class! I'm excited to see where this journey takes us! I highly recommend this gym.

I’ve trained martial arts and played sports since a little kid, I’ve never had a coach like John. His Muay Thai program is authentic Muay Thai, Thailand style. He’s the only coach who has had an impact on my life outside of the gym. Going to Thailand and training with the best of the best was an eye opening experience of how good and authentic the Muay Thai John teaches really is. The programs are essentially identical besides the resources that the Thailand gyms have in comparison to John. Also clinch is Alpha….John is the only striking coach I’ve met that teaches it.

I love this gym/training facility. I've been going for about a month. Good vibes. All of the weight lifting equipment you can ask for, Jiujitsu, Muy Thai and boxing. For a tatted up dude that's tired having an alarm go off when I walk into a gym, it's my new home.

Very clean gym with a great friendly staff. The gym can be very busy, but it's so big and well equipped I've never had a problem finding a space or equipment I wanted to use. I take advantage of the free senior classes. Cristine is the facilitator and does a wonderful job. She pushes us (in a good way) to be our best fit self. She plans classes that works on cardio, muscle and balance.

One of my favorites gym in Tucson. It’s been busier than usual if you want a good workout you have to be there at opening otherwise it’s packed. There’s no GHD machine and the college kids like to hang out. For these reasons alone I’m considering looking into another gym. But I will always love VASA.

Very amazing gym. The staff are always friendly and out going. Trainers are always available to help. Have had issues before and front desk was quick to fix or provide numbers to call, or the General manager was very friendly and quick to call and fix issues if needed. The revive section is always filled and easy to find the drinks or snacks you need. Gym is clean if things break maintenance tech is always quick at fixing the problem. Just wish they’d open a new gym in Vail, Az for all us that make the drive our towns growing please consider a new gym out there would help in crowd this gym in the afternoons. Would highly recommend this gym.

Love this gym, probably the best for the price in Tucson. But this little machine and anyone who is shorter than 5’4” might as well have zero ribs… I’ve been to plenty of gyms and never had a problem with the shortest setting… here, I leave with bruises on my stomach every time. If it’s one thing they could invest in was this hyperextension machine

We have two great senior fit instructors Christina and Emily. Dynamic, knowledgeable, fun, and good music! Workout is adaptable for all fitness levels. 💪 i am working out harder now than I did in regular classes when I was in my fifties. My planks are awesome!

Been to just about every other gym in Tucson and I can confidently say world gym is the best. The best part about this gym to me personally is how genuine and personable the staff is. Especially the night crew I love talking to them. Rene, Ashley and Camila are always so friendly and welcoming and make going to the gym an overall better experience

For the most part, this is a great gym. It's shiny and new, the locker rooms are spotless, the trainers are super nice, and it's busy but rarely too busy. However there are several machines that have been out of order for weeks now, which is a concern - it's making me start to wonder if they even have a maintenance person?

Cannot rave about this gym enough! If you're a bodybuilder or just someone who is looking for a higher level of fitness you won't find a better location in Tucson, Ask for Victoria at the front desk and mentioned Makayla sent you for a Fit-astic deal 💪🏋️‍♀️

This gym is absolutely fire! Come check it out and hit a good workout! Best gym in Tucson by far! Best equipment I’ve ever used. The atmosphere is completely different than any gym. Very well driven people here to work hard!

I have been a member for about 6 months or so. The gym overall is very nice. Good equipment and it’s always clean. The locker room area is always well-maintained and smells clean. The only problem I'd say is the staff. The early morning staff are always nice and welcoming, the evening to night time staff not so much. The night doesn't even acknowledge that you are walking in even if they make eye contact with you.

The changes being made are clearly from faculty who don't lift weights. Most recent changes are new plates replacing perfectly clean/fine plates. The new ones are cheap, don't have rubber coating, have sharp edges that can cut you, and lack large enough holes for grip. There are far to many ellipticals. This space could be used for specialized equipment like a belt squat, jammer, squat rack, etc. Things that need replacing don't yet we get new weight racks that are bulky and not improving the experience of the gym. People do whatever they want in the squat racks, preventing you from using them. The hours need to change. The gym closes for every holiday even uncommon ones. Often closed during football games and random employee training days. Overall a month is removed from your membership without you knowing. Parking is pretty horrible. You either pay for special parking with a an expensive semester pass or pay road parking if you're lucky enough to find it. Most of the surroundings lacks shade so when it's over 100 your car will just bake. The neighborhood is shotty too so don't leave things in your car. Overall the gym is pleasant on the eyes and has the basics. The management is clueless in charge of equipment is clueless. The gym is over packed most of the year so equipment is hard to come by. People constantly break the "rules" and nothing is enforced. It's closed too often and the list goes on.

The U of A Rec Center is a nice setup for NYS volleyball games. Note that you always need to check if it is a game day for football or not. If so, parking is a nightmare. There are two hour spaces around the center on the street, but no one seems to follow that on game days.

Great wheelchair basketball game but what about the blatant sexism? The men get to play in the main court but the women’s has to play in the Rec?! How is that fair and balanced ?! Shame on you for this

Unbelievable! We called them TWO days in advance and asked if the field would be available to reserve on Friday. They said it was not possible but that they would still be open. They neglected the fact that the field was CLOSED only on Friday. Online it said it was open aswell. We drove all the way down to south rec just to discover it was closed. EVENING RUINED and an hour of our time waisted.

Disclaimer-Non UofA student review-I toured the rec center when I was visiting campus with a younger sibling, so I can't vouch for how it is during the semester. However, I do attend a Power 5 school in the Midwest and the this rec offers far more amenities and equipment than my campus rec center does. It was also clean and modern, but had some renovations going on in the student entrance when we were there. A lot of the feedback other student reviewers have (ie too many cardio machines and not enough weights) is very similar to my complaints about our rec center. Apparently there's now a rec center in the honors dorms (at UofA), so that might alleviate some of the foot traffic. I'd say though if I showed my university friends this rec center and asked them which one they'd prefer, almost all would pick Arizona's. That's my two cents! -RCJH