The first few days of spring sunshine were enough to inspire a shedding of layers – coinciding with the start of self-consciousness that only the thought of summer wardrobes can induce in otherwise well-adjusted individuals. So, determined to fight the flab before the thermometers rise, and after taking a tour of leisure@cheltenham, the SoGlos.com team bit the bullet and joined en masse.

Initially comparing the membership prices at competing clubs in Cheltenham, it was clear that leisure@cheltenham was one of the cheaper options – costing from £310 paid up-front for the whole year – but, whether the lower fees were at the detriment of the experience was something we were only to really discover as we became regular visitors.

Situated in Pittville Park – and accessed through the St Paul’s area of town – the free car park (which we’ve found is usually pretty full) is an immediate bonus. Thanks to the floods that submerged leisure@cheltenham – and most of Gloucestershire – in 2007, a full refurbishment also means Cheltenham’s leisure centre is full of some of the brightest and shiniest facilities.

The two-floored gym is no exception – overflowing with fancy equipment, including our favourite Precor cross trainers complete with mini televisions; as well as lines of ubiquitous treadmills, bikes and rowing machines; and a myriad of fixed weight machines, compressed air exercisers, and floor mat accessories.

Surprisingly, fitness programmes and time with personal trainers are free for members; with my first programme created by the super-friendly Sash – who I discovered really took his time listening to my goals; explained why each minute on the treadmill was worth the blood, sweat and tears despite my protestations; and gave me enthusiastic encouragement throughout – ‘just one more sit-up, you can do it!’.

Thanks to the FitLinxx system – which snazzily allows you tap in your own ID number on most of the machines and remembers your programme details (time, seat position, weight amounts and number of reps for example) leisure@cheltenham’s diverse members don’t have to clutch bits of paper to remember what they should be doing. While the FitLinxx website could desperately do with an update, in-house it’s a great motivational tool, and we’ve found it has stopped us aimlessly wandering around the gym.

As at a lot of gyms, there is a distinctly masculine crowd (and smell) looming around the free weights in one corner, where the more muscular might intimidate newcomers. But elsewhere all ages and fitness levels can be found huffing and puffing alongside one another in a wonderfully non-judgemental atmosphere.

Classes, of which there are 50 a week, are also included complimentarily with full memberships – with a cowardly peek through the studio window revealing that body pump (a classroom full of grunting, barbell-wielding men and women) might be one to work up to; while the sounds of zumba – a sort of mixture between salsa and aerobics, sounds more up our Strictly-Come-Dancing-loving street.

Squash is disappointingly omitted from the membership benefits – with a discount on court bookings being something we agreed we’d all like to see. The swimming pools, however, are included for free in the long list of member benefits and are excellent for those who enjoy serious laps, or simply a bit of splashing about. The vertigo-inducing diving boards might also add to the enticement for those with a head for heights.

Post-workout, there’s also a spa accessed through a coded door which features a balmy Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna – offering a relaxing way to unwind. But the unsuspecting should watch out for the (clearly-labelled) ice cold shower!

While ‘friendly’ and ‘affordable’ might not be words you are used to hearing in the same sentence as ‘gym’, one-month in to an annual membership has so far proven that leisure@cheltenham more than meets our expectations. Scoring nine out of ten stars on the SoGlos.com review scale, we might not achieve supermodel bodies by the summer – but we’re having great fun trying at this vibrant Cheltenham Council venue.

Michelle Byrne
19 April 2010