Gold's Gym - White Rock

I tried using a friends 5 day guest pass. Basically the guy took and and tore it up and said we could work out today. I guess the deal had expired or something. Who knows, so this take is based off of only one day of working out here.

This place caters to a lot of different people, but I notice a lot more bodybuilders/powerlifters in this joint. If you're a dude and want to wear a string tank top, you won't feel out of place. Not that there are enough of them here to intimidate us lesser mortals, like I said this is a mixed group. This gym is just the first gym I've been to where I've seen a couple of body builders.

Layout/Facilities

This is a really big gym, they have pretty much everything. Even a pool. They have the traditional gym with the free weights and machines and cardio equipment. They also have a nice indoor track. In order to compete with the crossfit craze, they basically have built a box in a section of the gym as well. By this I mean that they have a room with a rubber floor and the rouge cage on the side, barbells and bumper plates for all. So while they don't have Oly platforms for the purist, one can do the Olympic lifts on the rubberized floor.

I was actually disappointed at the number of squat racks this place has. This second floor, where all the free weights/machines are, only has one really shitty squat rack. I call it shitty because the guards are so high you can't squat to depth, and you can't adjust them either. You can go down to the crossfit section in a pinch but it just seems strange to me that as bodybuilder friendly a place this is that they don't cater to more squatting (could always use more squatting).

Surfability

This place is the first I've been to that tries the high-pressure sale tactic. I didn't like it at all, felt like I was trying to buy a car. They use the ol' "have to sign up today and you'll save buttloads of $$$" to time pressure you, but I have the feeling that if you were to try to sign up later they would offer up something else for you.

Every other gym I've been to has tried to let the gym/experience speak for itself. Here they sit you down and try to get you to sign up on the spot. I really didn't appreciate that and to be honest if I was seriously interested in joining before the sales pitch I would be seriously not interested after.

Days in: 28
Amount paid: $0