What you see - For fitness aficionados and professionals, Gold’s gym needs no introduction. It started in 1965 in California and rose to fame when renowned fitness exponent and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger became its role model for the film Pumping Iron. Since then, there has been no looking back. Now they have a presence across around 700 locations with Pune being one of them. This franchise boasts of being the largest gym in the country, spread across 27,000 square feet and was even in news for being promoted by film star Salman Khan as a haven for fitness.

 

Located in Kalyani Nagar, this gym looks like it is still under construction, courtesy its rugged exteriors. But then that’s a unique export cement concrete look that they have adopted to give it a sturdy look. As we entered we noticed a huge waiting area which was bustling with enquiries about the gym. Adjacent to it is the swimming pool and café Refuel which appealed to us with its peaceful ambience.

 

What you get - The gym has about sixteen instructors catering to every section. The regular trainers are dressed in blue while the personal trainers are dressed in red. They have a huge cardio section covered in glass that is visible from the road as well. It consists of state-of-the-art machines comprising treadmills, recumbent cycles, elliptical machines, steppers and rowers from renowned companies like Star Trac, Cybex and Precor. Each type of equipment has a TV mounted with it for your entertainment. For strength training, they have latest machines from Cybex, Precor and Icarian. They have a separate free weights area which is supposedly the favorite for aspiring body builders and comprises dumbbells and barbells with weights that can go up to 140 pounds.

 

Other than body building, which is their USP, they also have group exercise, held in the Groupex studio. It includes aerobics, salsa dancing, Bollywood dancing, Power yoga, cross training, taekwondo and body toning. This aims to improve muscle co-ordination by increasing flexibility, balance, strength and in addition adds grace to the posture and movement.

 

You can even avail their swimming pool facilities or try aqua aerobics in a lap pool. They have trained coaches for swimming. If you love biking, they have Spinning studio. For wannabe brides who are fanatic about losing weight before the D-day, Gold’s Gym has a specially designed package called “Bridal Boot Camp Theory”. From US trainer Cynthia Conde, this assures weight loss in two months by rigorous circuit training.

 

For therapeutic problems they have Iyengar yoga aptly named as Healing yoga which involves using of props. They even have spa facilities from Spaayals for which they have six rooms and rejuvenating therapies and facials. They have a physiotherapist and a dietitian as well to understand your body’s composition and requirements.

 

They have come up with various themes to make workouts interesting; like Fitness Tuesdays where members are treated to complimentary energy drinks from their in-house café called Refuel. Open to non-members as well, Refuel serves only health food and has a DJ counter where music is played on request. Members can also bring in their friends or relatives along for a workout and play fun games like Tug-o-war or arm wrestling.  You can also get a free month of membership if you bring in new members.

 

The facilities mentioned above can be clubbed together or even be used individually. As it is spread across the world, their members are offered a travel card with which they can use the gym’s facilities at all centers. If a member is unable to utilize his term, his membership can be transferred to a non-member via transfer certificate.  

Our verdict - Earlier the gym was confined to body building but now it has evolved into a wholesome fitness center. Besides, since it has a global presence, any new concept that is introduced internationally, gets introduced here soon as well. You can avail their memberships in quarterly, half yearly and yearly basis. They also have long term memberships of three and five years. Parking is not a problem here.