Best Gyms with Free Weights near Virginia-beach, Virginia

If I could give this place 0 stars I would. On Tuesday January 21 2025. the black lady with the blue braids and black glasses ruined my experience at this location and I’ve been coming here for 2 years. I recently renewed my membership and was bringing my underage 18 YO sister with me as a guest. She ended up giving her a free week of working out, like she can use it anyway, because of the snow. She said if I give this to you, you better lick me on my face and my sister had too cover her face because she was scared, when the lady walked past her. She kept on harassing us saying I knew yall wasn’t in here really working out meanwhile I’m creating content for my sports brand. I’m soo upset that I have to go to another location because this was my favorite one in Hampton ROADS. ☹️ -Jasmine Stackhouse

Staff was very helpful and friendly. Gym has everything you need to get a great workout.

Did a parents night out and the staff was amazing. Erica was super positive and made us feel totally secure in leaving our kids in care. Great great great staff!

Joined nine months ago. Staff are always friendly and engaging. It is inspiring to see how well they work with people with disabilities and provide a sense of community. Not a glitzy fashion gym but well equipped. My wife has enjoyed the yoga classes and we don't use the spin cycle room or the pool but we enjoy the saunas. Crazy as it seems, I am motivated by the Activtrax T shirt awards system. Good price point for a family and the dues help the community as well as provide service.

Staff at the front desk and instructors are amazing! But .. I had one bad experience with child care. I have given child care permission to change my daughter. Before I left for the pool , I told child care that she has pants, new underwear and shoes if she has an accident, I also explained my 3 yr old can't climb an adult toilet unassisted. Instead of calling me , the child care worker had my daughter in wet pants, shoes, making her WALK through the facility in urine. Through the women's locker room and to the pool and l was left with her. " bring her back if you want ". And leaves me sopping wet trying to help my child. Literally hands me my child and darts off from the locker room with out her "accident bag" with change of pants ,etc. . I had to carry my child out of the facility ( I had back surgery, the reason im even at the YMCA), my daughter half wrapped in a wet towel , barefoot and I had to go back the next day to get her " accident bag" that should have been used to change her or given to me in the locker room.

Very friendly and experienced staff, BUT horrible LEAKING ROOF for at least 6 months that I’ve see; other gym participants say it has leaked for years! Come on VB, you can do better! We CAN NOT play PICKLEBALL when the courts inside are wet. WHY not fix our roof FIRST, than re-surface outdoor courts? Let’ get this long-standing issue fixed ASAP!

Last week, the pickleball contingent was disheartened to see that Tuesday and Thursday pickleball had been eliminated from the schedule. But we are all pleased that, after discussing our concerns with Seatack management, they added back the court time! Thank you for your prompt response.

NEVER have I encountered anyone as rude as the woman at the reception desk. She clearly did not care for her job or any sort of customer service. I intend to file a formal complaint with the city rec dept. She needs to be removed from that position & replaced with someone welcoming, competent & friendly.

I'm a visitor, just wanted to work out. The person at the reception desk: rude, blase attitude which is all somewhat forgivable. What is not forgivable is being incompetent. "Please give me your name" x 5, then "sorry, I didn't get that. I have to type it in ya know ". Really? Literally 10 minutes of my life wasted to capture my name, number and home address. Infuriating! Find another place to work out.

They kicked me out of the gym because of my size, thinking that I was 11. They are lying rats that don't care about their members. I'm 14 and they kicked me out because of my size. Horrible recreational center. Never go here ever.

Best experience with a workout! The coaches and staff are so welcoming and encouraging. As a former coach and fitness instructor it is great to have accountability with my personal fitness journey.

This is a fabulous OT studio in the VA Beach area. While on vacation in the area I took a class this past Friday. Coach Taylor is amazing, the 2G class was full but she provided individualized instruction and kept everyone moving and motivated! The front desk was very helpful, going above-and-beyond for me. The members seem great, too. So glad I decided to workout at this studio over my break, thank you!

Above all, the variation of workouts from day to day, i.e. muscle confusion, which is leading to a great workout and even greater overall fitness. All of the workouts, 2G and 3G, are working for my improvement in my fitness level. I am very pleased with my progress. I also like that the coaches are attentive to our workout motions and are quick to help us correct that motion to achieve the most out of each workout. The lobby staff is professional, friendly and are quick to respond to any inquiry either in person, by phone or by email. I like that the results of each workout is posted to my account and sent to me via email. The facility is always clean and all equipment functions perfect each time.

I love this workout - the circuit combo of rower/treadmill/weights really works for me and just when you feel like you're not gonna make it another minute in one area it's already time to switch. The staff here are very friendly and the coaches I've worked out with have been great about helping me correct my form when I need it. I definitely recommend checking it out if you're at all curious :)

Only giving it 3 starts because the instructors themselves are nice and the classes are good but the customer service sucks!!! Every time we had a question/concern that needed to get addressed it was like we were bothering the front desk and they always had a nonchalant attitude about it. Honestly very disappointed with that because it made both my parents and I cancel our memberships, having a good class doesn’t beat not having good customer service. Hope they fix that in the future as I’ve heard of other people canceling for the same thing.

The owners are very nice, the place is always clean smells good, and the machines are always in good condition.

I love workout anytime. The gym is clean and perfect for people who work weird schedules due to being open 24/7 (member key access after hours). The owners are awesome and it feels like a nice little community gym. It's neat, organized and perfect for those with busy lives 🫶🏼

I came here for a day pass while traveling. Amazing facility with every piece of equipment you could need. They also have massage chairs and a locker room with showers. Well kept gym.

This gym stands out as one of the most specialized and impeccably clean fitness centers I've experienced. Their selection of top-notch workout equipment is unparalleled, ensuring a premium fitness experience. The managers and owners are exceptional, drawing from their proven track record of excellence, even from their previous location in Charlotte. I wholeheartedly recommend this gym to anyone in the area!

I love this gym! We can go whenever we want, which works out well for our early morning gym needs. Equipment is always in working condition. We have been going here for 2 years/ no issues.

Staff is extremely helpful & accommodating, the gym is so clean and there is everything you could need for whatever workout you’re looking to accomplish. The 24 hour access is great & i love the new equipment that has been brought in since change in ownership. There are always positive changes being made. Also, might sound weird but i swear this gym is kept at the perfect temperature to break a sweat without being uncomfortable! Definitely recommend!

I am a member at AF west Hartford in CT visiting here for work. Stopped in to get my workout in today and so glad I did. This is what I wish my gym was. Clean. Organized. Quiet but not intimidating. All working equipment. Fans!? So fantastic. I can’t wait to come back!

Best gym ever. Great equipment. Clean. New gym equipment too. Highly recommend this Oceanfront location.

Gym Rat Paradise. This Anytime Fitness is heavy on Olympic lifting with a ton of drop plates of all sizes. They are outfitted with Hammer Strength machines and racks, a jungle gym with punching bag and multiple cardio machines. Other noteworthy items is the half step dumbbells like 12.5#s and 17.5#s. Max dumbbell weight is 100#s

Moved to Virginia Beach earlier in the year and decided to find an everyday gym that was the right fit. Through research I had found that any negative reviews of this place were made under previous ownership. Immediately upon arrival I was greeted by Josh, the owner, and given a proper introduction to the gym and an opportunity to workout before committing. A very welcoming, kind, and hard working individual who cares about the gym and people who come. Through several months of being a member I have had nothing short of an excellent experience. Gym amenities are great and continually upgraded. The environment is clean and atmosphere is phenomenal. This place has something for everyone and for every goal. Josh has been very accommodating and personable along the way. Very pleased with my experience thus far. 5/5

When i first moved here YMCA was my go to. Daycare, after school programs, summer program and other programs. Art was the first for my 5 yo. Then swimming for both. I visited this location to get in out of the weather. I walk Mt Trashmore. There are too many rooms that could be opened for Daycare. One room off pool area for children smelled of bleach. The new workout area reserved for government workers as a membership. I would have to pay extra or use the old ones where I saw the older members. Some struggling to use. There are mega fitness centers opening with or without training. Medicare has a program for blue shoes. YMCA should go back to children programs to stimulate exercise and dance.

I’m giving them a 1-star for the location at Mt Trashmoore in Virginia Beach. Their teachers are okay. But their admin staff and director at really bias and self serving. They have inserted themselves into personal matters of families. The YMCA changes their policy’s what seems like every other month or quarter and expect families to just jump and adjust. I find their business practices to be very unfair and their lack of communication to be terrible between corporate staff and the center staff for the childcare programs. I would not recommend going here unless you just need affordable quick childcare that’s convenient and bare minimum. Also if you can adjust to the random changing financial policies. The only one good thing I would say came from my daughter being here for 2yrs, she was potty trained with my help and family members and the lower grade teachers are really good in my opinion

We are new to town and have toured several gyms and attached kids clubs before joining the Y. We are so happy to have found both a wonderful gym, and community. We never left our kids in a gym childcare until here. Others were not clean, didn’t change diapers, or were irresponsible and rude. The stay and play staff goes above and beyond in making it clean and safe. I never have to worry about our children while we exercise or do “parents time out.” It’s such a game changer having young children! Everyone is so personable and kind to us and our children. We do swim, weekend family events, and plan to begin soccer in the Fall. If you are looking for a trusted family gym and community, it’s the Y!

Two months trying to confirm membership cancellation and my card has been charged again! Beware allowing them access to your card it’s been nothing but a run around with the front desk staff NOT knowing they were supposed to give me a form after weeks of trying to cancel, my card was charged AGAIN!!. While still WAITING for “management” apparently Ms Swoop is the ONLY person who can handle cancellations but she doesn’t respond to emails, nor requests from staff “Sam” who says he’s waiting for her reply as well. Rediculous!

We recently moved and felt the need to leave a review because we had such a “family” like and great experience! This doesn’t mean things were perfect but when we mentioned things they went ABOVE and beyond to correct anything. We primarily used the YMCA for childcare and were super happy with the care as well. I feel like they’re always trying to improve. My son Brody grew close with the counselors, and when we stopped care there briefly for other reasons, they were so happy to see him back it made his day! We also did 2 seasons of basketball. I teared up we left a piece of my little guys childhood behind.

Each time my family and myself come to this location, it’s always a pleasant experience. This evening, in particular, I wanted to take a moment to mention two particular employees that were there this evening, by the names of Kay and Alex, I believe. As my son and I were leaving after our workout, my son began to feel faint and nearly passed out. I turned him back around, went back into the gym, and immediately, Kay and Alex went into action and did everything they could to be of assistance to help. They were both compassionate and attentive and I couldn’t be more appreciative. Kudos to Kay and Alex! More people should aim to be as kind.

Very large & spacious Planet Fitness! Not busy at all on a fine Sunday evening! #PrimeWorkout Clean throughout, lines of machines and cardio equipment well-placed, enough mirrors to entertain an international beauty pageant. The Black Card costs me $24 (or so) per month, and I can bring a buddy with me to any national 🇺🇸 location! How can you beat that deal, yo?! 💥 {Thank you, Ndoro! Good work helping us gym-rats, brother. 🙏🏽🙏🙏🏿💛 God bless y’all!}

This gym is really good. It’s one of the few 24 facilities in our area. It has an abundance of cardio equipment and clean facilities. It recently got renovated. The on site showers have the new tile inside and the placement of the shower head seems a little odd for a tall person but we can work around that. The rowing machines are those water spinner kind which I’m not a fan of but everything else is amazing. If you’re a before work workout person the showers are available and clean. I would recommend this gym.

They randomly charged me a fee & when asking them about it they couldn’t explain what it was for and that they would only refund it if I showed them my bank statement even though their systems show it was paid. Who in their right mind would feel comfortable sending their bank statement to a gym? It’s inappropriate for them to even ask for this information

I come to this Planet Fitness often but tonight was the first time I've come since they remodeled it. The lady behind the counter was being rude in front of my guest saying that my guest couldn't use the hydromassage chair but she'll let it slide tonight. I told her that anytime I've come, no one has ever given me any issues... she stated that Planet Fitness has stricter rules now. Why do I pay for a black card membership to have guests if we can't enjoy the benefits? That's absurd. I will not be coming to this location again.

Great location! Friendly staff and the equipment is always clean. Very spacious also and affordable memberships.

I usually enjoy my workouts at Planet Fitness, however the Holland Road gym is undergoing major renovations . The gym right now is dusty and not fun. I went to use the bathroom and it was closed. Planet Fitness should of notified their clients in advance about these renovations . The environment is just messy and does not feel safe.

Great location! Staff is super friendly and the place is spotless! Staff was going around making sure everything was clean and up to par. Awesome!

Very nice and helpful staff, the gym is very clean with a ton of equipment!

If you’re looking for a “no judgment” zone to complete your goals, this is it. The staff is incredibly helpful and friendly, the entire facility is very clean, and the hours of operation cannot be beat. Sign up for one of their extremely affordable plans; you won’t regret it because there is something there for every exercise enthusiast!

Super friendly staff, many seniors getting personal training! Soo awesome to see! Awesome equipment from 80s/90s! Not worn out. Well kept! Old school hard weight w the old school machines you don’t come by any more. If your a meat head / gym rat. You have to get a week pass minimum to play w all the fun stuff!!

I cant say enough about this place, awesome gym, amazing environment. They dont make gyms like this anymore; real weights, old school machines (even the old school icarian pec deck!) Real iron plates and dumbells, cambered bars, squat racks. I could go on and on. If I moved to the area I would probobly join this gym before I even moved into a house!

Great gym everyone is friendly and speaks. If your looking for a great free weight gym this is the place.

I've been training at Flex for 7 years. This gym has become home, and the staff and members have become family. The team support, motivation and work ethic are unmatched. I'm grateful to be a part of it.

Absolutely amazing gym, it's clean, has about everything you need for your workout. The staff are great, if you're unsure how to use a machine they'll show you no problem at all. The only con about the place is it's not 24hrs but the vibe makes up for it.

My husband and I decided to get a personal trainer from crunch to start our fitness journey. We met with Sophie and she has been fantastic to work with. She helps keep us motivated and is always on top of things. She is also flexible with our schedule which is great. 1000% would recommend Sophie to help meet your fitness goals!

I recently joined this gym while in Spain on business because of a recommendation of a friend. The best part since joining has been my personal trainer, Sophie. She's a tough fireball who's intentional about getting results by giving accountability to each of her clients. She does daily check-ins, asks for reviews consistently to ensure that she's providing top-tier experiences, and is extremely flexible. Those things matter to me, returning to the gym after quite some time with an extremely hectic schedule. I live cities over, but feel that this gym is worth the investment because it offers too much to pass up on, including the Kids Crunch for parents to safely entrust their kids' care during workouts.

we are members of crunch at home. I'm glad they opened a huge gym in VA Beach. great gym. plenty of parking. plenty of machines. bright space. In general, the pricing can be less straightforward, as most gyms are. only reason for 4 stars. They do have a day pass if you want to try the gym out.

Be careful what you sign up for. Kickoffs are to sell you personal training sessions. And if you're going to sign up for those do it when they have paid in full options because canceling is the worst process and takes months to actually get canceled. Reoccurring charges are something that all trainers and clients have problems with. Not sure where in the corporate system it's failing but the money management system is absolute garbage. Every one seems to mean well but there's definitely alot of flaws when it comes to management and functionality. This gym is also always a mess. No one values it and you can tell because not many re rack their weights. It's a mediocre one life style gym. The equipment is nice if it's not broken and if it is, it takes months to get fixed. For a place who's investors spent a ton of money to build there's some definite corners that were cut. And for a gym that preaches to care about you, they really only care about your money and will continue to take it far past when you submit your cancelation. You're better off going somewhere else.

I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation for the excellent experience my wife and I have had as members of Crunch. We’ve been attending for about six months now and are consistently impressed. The staff is always friendly, the facility is well-maintained, and equipment repairs are handled promptly. I’m writing today to give special recognition to Jamal for his outstanding service. Recently, my daughter, who is learning to drive, accidentally left the lights on in her car while we were working out. When we returned to the car, the battery had died. We went back inside to ask for help, and Jamal immediately stepped up. He came outside, helped me push the car, and gave the battery a jumpstart. This act of kindness and willingness to go above and beyond truly made a difference to us. We’re grateful for Jamal’s assistance and believe his exceptional service deserves recognition

Great place to go to work out on a daily basis. They don't open early enough to go before work but they do stay open pretty late during the summer months. There's a nice playground outside, and park area out back to walk through, and a gym that has most of the gym equipment you could hope for at a Rec center. However there are two big downsides... 1: Their kiddy pool and main pool are connected by design for accessibility but that has a tendency to make the water in the main pool a bit nasty. I have never used the pool at this Rec center for this exact reason. Look at other reviews for confirmation. They have gotten better over the last 2 years, just be aware that this IS a continuous issue that's being actively mitigated through more pool cleanings. 2: The gym is upstairs and their A/C does not work well for that specific area. It gets really hot and humid during the summer months and it's not ok to go work out during the middle of the day during said months. They did not account for the fact that heat rises and could accumulate up there due to a multitude of factors while designing the place. There is no work around for this except better A/C or going to work out in the early mornings or late evenings. I'll just say the better A/C is not working. They say they fixed their A/C but I honestly can barely tell the difference. The architect who put the gym upstairs in this place while not considering the additional A/C and ventilation needed to keep it cool due to basic thermodynamic laws should get slapped upside the head.

Bow Creek is a very nice rec center and well equipped and maintained. It’s usually moderately used during the day during main work hours. I am 87 years old and healthy after heart bypass surgery, pacemaker implant, four eye surgeries and aches and pains from arthritis and neuropathy. I need the exercise to maintain my agility as long as possible. The only part of the facility I use is the gym/weight room. I only have one complaint. The attendants play so-called music to , as they say, to offset the noise of the exercise machines and weights. I don’t know where they get the idea that adding more noise reduces or offsets other noise. The music is nothing but constant thumping which after an hour or more becomes more annoying. I have measured the decibels of the thumping music and it ranges between 65 and 75, in the range of hearing damage. I use hearing aids and the lowest settings do not ease the noise. I have tried plugs and the banging noise still can be heard. It is interesting how many people wear wireless headphones that cancel out noises. There is obviously no thought given to the need for such amplified noise because it is the same level of thumping whether there are ten people exercising or thirty. Noise from weights last a split second but the thumping is incessant. Some quiet time without the thumping would be welcome, at least some breaks from the added noise. Usually when background noise gets louder the people get louder. With noise comes tension and exercise is supposed to help reduce tension.

We usually go to the Kempsville Rec Center, but decided to try out Bow Creek because they offered a game room for the kids. I called before we went to check and make sure all the kids could go into the game room and was told the generic info and the staff never confirmed anything. I asked several times if they would be able to play and was told yes. When we arrived, the front desk staff was no help and we were told we couldn’t use the game room until after 3:15pm because of summer camp? Why did we get passes for the rec center if most activities can’t be used until the end of the day? There should be scheduled times for other people to used these activities room throughout the day.

Last Wednesday I lost my dance shirt in the shower room.Thank you for finding the important clothes that I needed here is 5 stars.All stuffs help me a lot to find my dance shirt.

I guess it's all about what you like to do. My exercise as a semi handicap person with leg issues is the recumbent bike. It's easy for me to use this piece of equipment. I live within walking distance to the kempsville center which is over crowded and I cannot access this equipment. It's worth a 20 minute drive to always access this equipment ten out of ten times I visited. It's worth the time to drive. Someone else pointed out no indoor track at bow Creek which is correct but during the cooler time of the year they have a small circular trail outside and access to the old bow Creek golf course if you really want a workout.

I love the layout of this gym and all the equipment provided. It's ample. The pool room with the co-ed sauna is very rare. I like the glass box of emotion in the corner for the sauna. Staff walk around and make sure nobody's doing anything weird. The hot tub is also in the pool room, which makes me feel very safe. Honestly, the only downsides to this gym are: 1. The sauna boards don't get cleaned underneath them and seep disgusting ancient puddles of sweat. 2. Cleaners. The company recently fired all the cleaners and hired third party companies. They don't always communicate with the supervisors that work there. Normal problems for a commercial gym. Some locations clean their sauna every single day with bleach and pick up the wooden slats to clean under. It's a very diverse crowd, about 50-50 male female it seems. Love the layout and location.

Great gym with great staff. I started my fitness journey about two years ago and I feel now the fittest and healthiest I have ever been. My personal trainer Mat is amazing. He helped me getting from a 300lbs couch potato to a 230lbs man, who enjoys going to the gym everyday. I can highly recommend this gym.

I have worked with James for 6 months. His overall knowledge of athletic training is outstanding. His attention to detail and how he constantly observes your movements, make the training experience unique and special. Through observation he is able to recommend tweaks to your exercise that will target the muscle you want to train vs a supporting muscle. This attention to detail sets him apart from the others. I have worked with many different trainers throughout the country, James is one of the best

Clean gym and welcoming staff! I've tried training at a few locations but never felt like I had a whole team supporting my fitness goals. The fitness director met with me to talk about my goals and needs, paired me trainer and program that works for me and my budget, and has even checked in multiple times throughout my journey! Also has great merchandise options if you need gifts for a gym lover!

I’ve been a member of OneLife for about 9-10 years and have nothing bad to say about this gym! There are reputable personal trainers, especially Roland and his team. The monthly fee is reasonable, especially considering all the classes and equipment they have to offer. 10/10 would recommend to anyone looking for a home gym!