Best Gyms with Functional Training Equipment near Chicago, Illinois

Great full service Y with classes and weights and sauna and steam! Old converted school with character. Cardio and other machines are like new and clean. Amazing and friendly staff.

Only hit the weight room this morning. Well maintained facility with a good variety of machines and quite a few squat racks. Dumbbells up to 100 pounds. They call it the "Bears Den" and it's full of Bear's memorabilia.

The schedules and services are constantly changing with no update to members in the app or online specifically the open swim schedule. The pool was closed for training and no contact was sent to members or signage posted in the facility. The second time I called to confirm the pool schedule and was given the wrong hours. The communication is very inconsistent across departments. As a long time member I’m constantly disappointed by the misinformation I receive by the front desk staff regarding scheduling for family programming at this ymca and it has been this way for several years through any leadership changes.

I enjoy this YMCA... Great staff and facilities! The equipment is decent and I can usually get in and out quick. The men’s fitness center needs a TV or at least one close by so I can watch the game while I relax after working out.

So impressed with our experience joining the Y, Leilanie at the front desk was so sweet and accommodating. She gave us a great tour and answered all our questions. The facility is super clean, has nicer equipment than most “high end” gyms, and isn’t overcrowded at all.

Fantastic first experience climbing. Daughter is on climbing team in NC, visiting from out of town had to check it out. Very impressed! From Bouldering to Auto Belay to Lead…there is a little something for everyone! All levels! Clean bathrooms and very friendly staff! Overall great experience thank you.

Great first experience with my little girls. The space is clean, calming, and thoughtfully built-out. The staff were really friendly over the phone answering questions about my girls’ apprehensions. They were even more friendly in person. Em and a fellow female staff member working with her this morning were awesome! Em walked us up to the second floor, explained everything to us after answering all our questions, and then we proceeded to boulder. The girls loved it, and the next time I look forward to bringing my son to join in on the action. Lovely facilities with a laid back atmosphere. They offer plenty of areas to sit down and rest between climbs 🧗‍♂️, have a ping pong 🏓 table on the first floor, and a cute gift shop that has a few light snacks to power-up if you need a little pick me up. Fresh food and drinks would be a nice amenity or addition in the future for those looking to make a day of their experience without leaving the gym to eat. We can’t wait to come back!

SUCH A NICE GYM! I typically go to Movement gyms in Colorado but I stopped by here a couple of times on my trip to Chicago and I’ve got to say - it’s so nice! A very large 3-story facility with a good number of top rope and bouldering routes and challenges. They have lead climbing too but I didn’t try that out. The facility is new and has great new equipment. The ratings are a bit more vague (e.g. uses +/- instead of letters such as 5.10-). There’s a nice sign up white board where you can look for partners. The yoga studio is very clean and calming and has the equipment you would need to practice yoga. The gym on the top floor is very spacious with a lot of equipment. People are friendly and I feel like I wouldn’t have a problem finding some climbing partners and meeting new people if I were to stay in Chicago. I’ve got to say this seems nicer than the Baker gym in Colorado and I’m a little jealous.

Never bouldered before- still felt like home and had great interactions with people. They also gave a class for free to me and my friend. I love the vibes of the place, much different than a regular gym and staff is so nice. I also spent a long time on Ping Pong table 😂

Another excellent climbing gym here in the city. I didn’t get lead certified so this review is just for bouldering. The bouldering routes are excellent, the long 45° roof area is such a fun challenge. I’m not the biggest fan of the color coded vague rating system. Really excellent facility, the top floor is a standard gym that is pretty large for a climbing gym. Staff was super friendly even though they were busy opening day.

I love this place! The group classes are excellent, the staff is incredibly friendly and helpful, and the gym is always clean and never too crowded. I highly recommend it.

Best gym ever! I went here for 2.5 years and loved it every time I set foot in here. With Ramie, Bob, and Michael running the place you’ll always be greeted with a friendly smile. The gym has great energy but isn’t overly busy. Great equipment and the group classes are awesome. Highly recommend this gym to anyone in Chicago.

Has almost everything you could want in a gym, with some great extra perks (hot towels, pool, smoothie bar, snack station, free samples). It's a little pricier but worth the cost because their group classes are actually very good here. People from other FFC locations have come to be my guest here because of the instructors. Only downside is parking can be difficult (there is a parking garage but it's always very full) and it needs more free weight/open space for workouts. Otherwise, very highly recommend!

I did 2 private Pilates sessions with Grace and she was 10/10 wonderful! She was very supportive and a great teacher during these beginner sessions.

Ramie Reed, the Membership Director, was absolutely wonderful to work with. She has always been exceptionally pleasant, supportive, and understanding. I also loved working with Michael for personal training. He supported me with very thoughtful, beneficial, and fun workouts. The facilities were always in great condition. Thank you FFC! The only downside I have to report, which is mostly out of FFC's control, was repeatedly encountering people in the sauna who seemed to have a cold or some other transmissible respiratory illness. I just think it's inconsiderate to potentially get other people sick by using such a small, unventilated space while ill.

My best friend referred me to Silencer Athletics years ago; I worked out with Paul, saw results, but wasn’t fully committed. A few years went by, gained the weight back, and decided to be consistent and disciplined; signed up again and was able to fit into my birthday dress this year. I intentionally ordered it a size smaller and was so excited that I was able to zip it up without any issues. He’s a great trainer and I’m looking forward to see how my body will continue to transform! Fully recommend!!

I have been going to Silencer Athletics for over a year now and I feel the best I have felt in years! My experience has been amazing due to the different classes offered because I don’t particularly love exercising. I enjoy the well planned workouts catered to me and my body type and what I feel comfortable performing! Paul is a professional and outstanding master trainer. I look forward to telling more of my friends and family about his work.

Coach Paul is truly passionate about what he does. It is clear from the beginning that he is knowledgeable and an expert in his field. He genuinely cares for his clients and helping them reach their goals. I highly recommend Coach Paul for anyone looking to elevate their fitness journey.

Paul seems like hes worked out before, but probably not with very much weight, which is ok. His muscles were kind of small which was a bit of a surprise for a gym guy. Most of the people working out were kind of scrawny too. I like Meaty Gyms. I usually order double meat at subway. So yeah just try to add some meat to the place, maybe a poster of some cured meats on the wall...

Coach Paul is the very best trainer i ever worked with. Highly recommend.

Got to planet fitness! The owner’s of the locations in this area are extremely cheap. Equipment is old and always broken and they have the nerve to only have one of each machine. Don’t waste your time or money please go to planet fitness instead. Anytime Fitness is garbage!

I’ve been in the process of switching gyms due to moving out of the neighborhood soon. Anytime fitness kept popping up and I decided to reach out. Brandon & Jose have been great with contacting me and their hospitality when I finally arrived in. The facility is not only clean but smells clean as well. Small but enough to get the job done and meet goals! Thank you!

I thought this was a great gym! I was visiting the area and thought I would give this gym a try. It seemed pretty clean and spacious. The equipment had good variety and was in good shape. Staff was really friendly. Would definitely recommend!

1) Great service. Brandon is incredibly welcoming and clearly knows the members of the gym. This is a great place for regulars. 2) Good range of equipment: machines, free weights, cables, and general space are all there. You might have to wait to work in on a spot, but the other people there are considerate. The only negative is that some equipment needs some TLC. A bench press rack had a bent weight rack, and a cable machine was broken. That said, even while I was there, the staff were fixing the cable machine!

I started in the gym recently. But I request the information to join about 6 month prior. Due to knee surgery I couldn’t start right away. Brandon helped me and provided all the information. Very friendly service.. 6 months later he still remember me when I join again. All the facilities are what I need it and the flexibility.

7/7/24 - I travel for work and I use Gympass when I travel to find a gym nearby. This one didn’t have good reviews but it was close to my hotel so I went to check it out anyway. I’m glad I did and here is my review. Erik was at the front desk and when I told him it was my first time there, he asked if I wanted a tour. The tour went good, they have the equipment I enjoy using so I stayed. When I first arrived the gym smelled nice, but I did notice the weights were out of the racks as mentioned in other reviews, there was white powder on the floor in different areas. The cleaning solution is located at the entrance with towels and I noticed patrons keeping there bottles and towels with them as they used different equipment, which seems like they should use a clean towel for each machine. The gym should provide paper towels vs regular towels because that is not very hygenic. I did notice Erik around the gym picking up weights and cleaning up as I was working out. He did a great job as everything was in its place when I left. People that are complaining about the weights not being reracked, I think this has more to do with the customers than the staff as we are all grown and should clean up behind ourselves, but the staff should enforce this rule when they notice patrons doing so. Without consequences the same thing happens all the time. Overall, I enjoyed the gym and will use it while I’m here in this area. Photos posted below. 4 stars is because the white powder should have been cleaned off the floor by night shift. I arrived at 8am and Erik had to do all the cleaning.

Showed up to use a free trial at 7:45pm on 9/25/24. Couldn’t use the free trial because “it takes days to show in the system” after signing up. Okay, understandable. Can I buy a day pass then? No “because I’m shutting the computer down soon so I can’t sell you a day pass right now… come back tomorrow”. I’m good.

Not a bad gym if you find the right time to go, when its not crowded. The equipment is very old but i guess it will do.

I go to the gym almost every day and whenever I see Erik he’s always so nice and open to answer any questions I have, he’s always on the move and making sure the gym is clean as I have not once been disappointed with the cleanliness of this establishment and can see why. Overall above and beyond care from the Erik.

Gym has been on a sharp decline since its rebrand. Equipment is constantly breaking and takes weeks to get repaired. Staff stays at the front desk on their phones or the computer instead of walking around cleaning, organizing and providing towels. Even their trainers don’t teach their clients to re-rack their weights. Only reason I haven’t left is because it’s 24 hrs and the family plan/ member add-on deals keep my monthly cost low.

Overall this is a really good intermediate gym if you aren’t looking for anything specialty. What I like is everything always works, it’s clean, well staffed, and has just about everything possible to get a decent workout in a short time. It’s a little crowded and sardined canned which is expected in Chicago and it’s January at a gym. Still the best value for any gym around. One only significant downside is there isn’t much of a “community” feel there but it’s a sign of the times not representative of the gym. Good people just not the camaraderie of a smaller private gym.

Staff here is great. Super friendly and always makes me feel welcome. Most know me by name. Being greeted with a smile every time I walk in, is one of the highlights of my day. Equipment is always clean. Love the new machines. The only 2 complaints i have is there are not nearly enough stairmasters, and the non-enforcement of members putting equipment away.

I love how friendly and helpful the staff is. Kudos to Vanessa at the Foster/Irving Park gym for keeping the facility tidy and for being so helpful. The facility is always clean as I see the staff constantly cleaning machines, lockers, and the floors. The fees are very reasonable. Highly recommended!

Definitely not as good as ZIP fitness though for as little as $10 a month with what do you expect. They simply do not have as much free weights as Zip Fitness once had which has me looking at other options for a gym membership. The parking lot is huge and you can always find parking. Hours have improved from Zip Fitness. A good gym for someone who is a beginner to an intermediate.

Clean, all the machines work not overcrowded quite atmosphere. Everyone is very nice. I've been going here for three years, almost everyday.

I dont know why some ratings are low but it was my second day and I absolutely love it. I go super early and it does stay busy, but there’s always room for weight and cardio. Bathroom is super clean and the sauna is in great shape. Good lobby to get some work done as well. I am not a gym brat so I cannot go into super details but as someone who occasionally visits the gym to get some exercise done, this is worth all the money.

I will have a lot of the same things as other people. 1. Shower heads for over half the showers either didn't shut off or have enough pressure to do anything for about 5 months. 2. Men's locker room smells like mold. 3. When the AC goes out in the weight room, no one cares even if the temperature hits 80 and can take a week to do anything. 4. Cable machines need general maintenance, even just a little bit of grease, oil or something but many of the weights don't slide up and down glides easily. 5. You'll never find a staff member picking up anything. Garbage and weights can be left untouched for days. 6. There is no way to contact management. No business cards or contact info on websites 7. Steam and dry sauna doors are disgusting and haven't been cleaned in 8 months now. I wiped the dry sauna door once as it got so bad and I can tell they still haven't cleaned it.

I Walked in to get a tour not to work out was told that the membership person is not there until nine. I need to make an appointment. I asked if I could just be shown around so we don’t waste each other’s time she said that would be a $30 fee as a guest pass I told her I don’t wanna work out she said well it’s $30 and I said thank you but no thanks I think they need to realise that there are only reason that they are there is because we are there, and if we’re not there, there’s no reason for any of that staff to show up for work. Dec30 8:25 am David Jenson

Very hard to cancel your membership. They will bill you an extra month and either send to collections or hold your CC info hostage. See the 50 other reviews that say the same thing

I've been a member since the opening, great amenities including indoor pool (also a summer rooftop smaller pool), nice setup u have also a terrace for training outside, tons of fun classes (included in the membership fee) and friendly and super-professional instructors - totally recommend!

Unfortunately, this was my least-friendly interaction I’ve had since moving to Chicago a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been looking for a new gym since I got here, and realized there was a gym within walking distance which was perfect. After trying to call repeatedly to get no answer or ability to leave a message, I decided to just walk down to the gym. When we got to the doors, they were both locked. There were people standing just inside the door, and we saw that there was a buzzer, so we pressed it. The person that answered the door stood in the doorway and with the snarkiest tone possible said “can I help you guys?” When I said we had just come by to check out the gym, we got another sour-faced response “do you have an appointment?” No. We didn’t. Mainly, because no one answered the phone when we called. It’s ok, there are plenty of gyms in Chicago. This one apparently doesn’t need my money, so I’ll take it elsewhere.

Great staff, clean facility. It’s on the smaller side but there’s plenty of equipment that can be modified for a more dynamic workout. They provide a very friendly atmosphere as well. My only gripe is the music. It’s really unbearable at times. Typically at a gym you have something upbeat and motivating, but they be playing the most random and weird stuff. Not an issue with headphones of course, but if you don’t have any or want to workout with someone else the music is really distracting, when you’re trying to lock into the zone and maximize your workout. That play folk, country, and just music you don’t expect at a gym because it doesn’t push you. Maybe not a big deal for others but it’s noticeable to me every visit.

This gym is one of the best I've been to in Chicago -> Dan and the rest of the team keep this place spotless, and it is never too crowded which is a nice change from some of the other gyms in the area. As an added perk, you can pop to the Anytime on Broadway (or other locations around the city!). Absolutely recommend for those looking to join a friendly, clean and convenient gym.

The temperature inside was great today, not too cold nor too warm, perfect and natural (2pm - August 19th) the gym’s clean and well equipped with modern machines too

Been going here for almost eight years. Small with no frills, but very clean and efficient. Customer service is first rate.