There is perhaps no city in the world where you have fewer excuses for not reaching your fitness goals than New York City. Across the Big Apple, you have your pick of all sorts of gyms with countless options for those seeking luxury, convenience or operating on a budget.

In fact, the problem actually arises from the sheer volume of choices that you have at your disposal here in New York. With so many well-equipped gyms at your doorstep, the task of selecting one that best suits your needs becomes all the more head-scratching.

That’s where we come in! In this article, we have compiled a list of the Best Gyms in NYC so that you can begin taking steps towards a more fit and healthier you. It also gives you the comfort of knowing exactly what to expect before signing yourself up for a membership at your preferred gym!

  • Equinox
  • Chelsea Piers Fitness
  • CompleteBody
  • CrossFit NYC
  • Fort NYC
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5 (19 reviews)
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$40
/$/h
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1st lesson free!
Gabe
5
5 (12 reviews)
Gabe
$100
/$/h
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1st lesson free!
Beccalynn
5
5 (6 reviews)
Beccalynn
$50
/$/h
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1st lesson free!
Tara
5
5 (6 reviews)
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$85
/$/h
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1st lesson free!
Eftychia
5
5 (5 reviews)
Eftychia
$77
/$/h
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1st lesson free!
Christiaan
4.9
4.9 (4 reviews)
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$30
/$/h
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1st lesson free!
Craig
5
5 (17 reviews)
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$60
/$/h
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1st lesson free!
Daniela
5
5 (22 reviews)
Daniela
$50
/$/h
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1st lesson free!
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Equinox

💸 Membership Fees: From $215 / month

🌎 Locations in NYC: 35

You’ll have a tough time finding any list of the top gyms across New York that doesn’t mention Equinox. Its members have come to expect nothing less than the excellent and luxurious experience it brings to the fitness journey.

In a city that feels jam-packed and overcrowded on many of its main streets, Equinox provides spacious workout areas to retreat to, often spanning multiple floors! 

There’s nothing more frustrating than having to put up with a creaking cable machine or a dumbbell that appears to be on its last legs. Thankfully, these are things that are easily forgotten at a gym like Equinox, which exclusively provides its members with state-of-the-art equipment.

A man running on a treadmill.
Discipline and commitment are the backbone of every successful fitness journey. Stay focused and driven to reach your fitness goals today. Photo from WillPictureThis

For many of us, the biggest hurdle holding us back in our fitness journeys is the idea of not knowing exactly what we are doing in the gym or the lack of accountability for training alone.

Equinox serves to fix this, offering a range of signature classes that are designed to maximize your fitness transformation. These science-backed workouts are led by expert instructors who push you to your limits. 

Hearing from an Equinox gym member.

So, you could say that you’re not only paying for a membership to facilitate your progress but also a stamp of assurance that you’ll accomplish whatever fitness goals you have tasked yourself with achieving.

When it comes to your membership, you can opt for the Select Membership, which would grant you access to a single club, or if you are someone who travels frequently or just fancy a change of scenery, the All-Access Membership might be an ideal option, allowing you entry to over 80 clubs across the US and Canada!

A gym member using the dumbbells and the bench at his gym
Photo from Bemistermister

There are a few welcome packages that will light a fire under you quite like the free personal training session and a one-on-one studio Pilates session that new members get after signing up with Equinox.

While this luxury experience will set you back more than most gyms in the city, the expense is certainly justified if it aligns with your wallet and goals!

From state-of-the-art equipment to unparalleled ambiance, the best gyms in LA showcase the pinnacle of what fitness havens can offer.

Chelsea Piers Fitness

💸 Membership Fees: From $220 / month

🌎 Locations in NYC: 1

Another gym that offers plenty of space for its members to engage in just about any fitness activity imaginable is Chelsea Piers Fitness, which has a facility sprawling over 150,000 square feet.

For many of us, the thought of walking on a treadmill for what, at the moment, can seem like an endless amount of time or doing bicep curls until we lose track of how many we’ve done soon becomes stale.

One of the reasons Chelsea Piers Fitness is considered one of the leading gyms in NYC is because of the various outlets it provides for its members to engage with fitness. The thought of dragging yourself to the gym becomes an awful lot easier when you’ve got a new activity to try your hand at each day or eventually find one that you become obsessed with.

The first thing that might grab your attention the moment you step onto the gym floor is the 11,000 sqft rock climbing wall that’ll be towering over you, and if you're not too intimidated to give it a try, it invites you to harness up and start climbing!

Once you get past the elephant in the room, you’ll also find a full-sized boxing ring and a ¼ mile indoor Mondo track. 

A tour of Chelsea Piers Fitness Club.

If you like the idea of working out with others or as part of a team, then the sports facilities, such as their basketball court and Manhattan's only indoor sand volleyball court, will surely have you eager to get back to the reception to fill out your application forms.

Of course, you’ll also find the equipment you’d expect from a gym in their strength deck, which provides various options for weightlifting and a cardio area stacked with top-of-the-line equipment.

Once the hard work is out of the way and you’ve worked up a sweat, you’ll also have luxury locker rooms to retreat to that are equipped with saunas, steam rooms, and massage studios for all your recovery needs.

add
Membership Perks

As a member, you'll have access to over 100 group fitness classes weekly, led by experienced instructors. The diverse range includes Evolve yoga, hot yoga, Pilates, and barre classes for mind-body balance. 

Upon signing up for the gym, you’ll have a complimentary fitness session with a personal trainer who will provide you with a chance to learn about any equipment that you might be unfamiliar with and make sure that you’re on the right course with your training.

It can be tough to know where to begin your search when on the hunt for the best gyms in America.

The best Personal coaching tutors available
Ludo
5
5 (19 reviews)
Ludo
$40
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Gabe
5
5 (12 reviews)
Gabe
$100
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Beccalynn
5
5 (6 reviews)
Beccalynn
$50
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Tara
5
5 (6 reviews)
Tara
$85
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Eftychia
5
5 (5 reviews)
Eftychia
$77
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Christiaan
4.9
4.9 (4 reviews)
Christiaan
$30
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Craig
5
5 (17 reviews)
Craig
$60
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Daniela
5
5 (22 reviews)
Daniela
$50
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Ludo
5
5 (19 reviews)
Ludo
$40
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Gabe
5
5 (12 reviews)
Gabe
$100
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Beccalynn
5
5 (6 reviews)
Beccalynn
$50
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Tara
5
5 (6 reviews)
Tara
$85
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Eftychia
5
5 (5 reviews)
Eftychia
$77
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Christiaan
4.9
4.9 (4 reviews)
Christiaan
$30
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Craig
5
5 (17 reviews)
Craig
$60
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Daniela
5
5 (22 reviews)
Daniela
$50
/$/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Let's go

CompleteBody

💸 Membership Fees: From $190 / month

🌎 Locations in NYC: 4

If you’re looking for a specialized gym that is equipped with everything you could ever need when it comes to weightlifting, then CompleteBody is most likely going to be the option that speaks to you most.

Located in the heart of NYC, the gym provides a spacious strength floor with pro-style equipment that is perfect for serious lifters and fitness enthusiasts alike.

Environment is everything when it comes to fitness, and there's something about being surrounded by those working towards similar goals to yourself that only encourages you to take things up a gear in your workouts.

You could be led to believe that the front entrance of the gym is a portal that takes you back to the 80s garage gym era, something that anyone in pursuit of an authentic bodybuilding journey will be more than drawn to.

While it’s certainly at the top of anyone’s list who has bodybuilding or strength training at the forefront of their fitness goals, it’s also a popular option for your everyday gym goer!

CompleteBody offers members access to a variety of classes, from HIIT sessions like CBXT to relaxing yoga classes. On top of their list of offers are classes like Booty Pump and Barbell Strength, which invite members to participate an uncapped number of times with their memberships.

Fitness Classes
740 kcal

These workouts can help you burn up to 740 calories in one session and are considered some of the choices for exercising in NYC. 

When it comes to signing up, you’re also spoiled for choice with plans catering for those who might be looking for plans that don’t require any commitment all the way up to 12-month packages. 

For many, community is one of the biggest aspects of fitness, and CompleteBody presents a great opportunity to meet others who share similar fitness goals to yourself!

CrossFit NYC

💸 Membership Fees: From $285 / month

🌎 Locations in NYC: 18

The beautiful thing about fitness is that there really is something for everyone. This sentence is more true in New York than in most locations, not just in the US but across the world.

If you find yourself in the city and looking for a gym to join that presents a results-based, community-driven approach to functional training, then your search will likely end with CrossFit NYC!

One reason that the gym is considered by many to be the best in NYC is the welcoming atmosphere that invites top-level athletes and those who have never picked up a weight before to work out and improve together.

The gym's approach is centered around enhancing strength and promoting long-term health goals with the effective mix of cross-training exercises that they practice in their classes. 

Of course, if you are new to training or have never dabbled in CrossFit, you shouldn’t let that deter you from taking a stab at it, as the trainers will, of course, adjust exercises based on your fitness level and aspirations. 

A CrossFit athlete taking steps closer to his fitness goals
Photo from Wikicommon

If this sounds like a gym that you might be interested in joining, then you’re likely already curious about the membership options that would be available to you.

Given that the class structure differs from the open gym memberships that you might be more familiar with, you’ll still have your fair share of options with three-times-a-week workouts along with punch card plans that allow you to get a session in whenever you are available.

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Fort NYC

💸 Membership Fees: From $200 / month

🌎 Locations in NYC: 3

Don’t worry if, at this point in your reading, you feel like you haven’t come across what you would deem to be the best gym in New York; well, because we haven’t touched on Fort NYC.

This is a gym that brings a unique approach to fitness, which is tough to do when you consider the variance in the options that we’ve covered so far. 

It does this by focusing on small group training sessions, where you’ll work out in groups of up to four people under the guidance of one of their expert coaches. 

Two men working together on their fitness goals
With a fitness instructor by your side, you'll not only personalize and crush your fitness goals but also gain a sense of community that motivates you every step of the way. Photo from Shkraba Anthony.

One of the reasons this model has been so successful here in New York is that the personalized attention you get from one-on-one training isn’t lost, but you still get your sessions at a more affordable price.

The training that you drag yourself through will work on a number of facets of fitness, improving your movement quality, strength capabilities, energy systems, and body composition improvement. So, you won’t just look fit but will feel healthy both inside and out!

Fort NYC also provides a supportive community and the accountability that comes with working in groups and with experienced instructors, making it the go-to option for those looking to meet others in the city who share healthy habits and goals!

The top gyms in Chicago serve as a masterclass in what your next fitness membership should offer.

Using Superprof to Find a Trainer

If, after your reading, you find yourself feeling like you need to spend a little bit of time getting your fitness level up before participating in classes or you’d like to ensure that you’re getting value out of your gym membership, then working with a personal trainer might be the way forward.

Superprof is where your search will start and end when it comes to finding qualified personal trainers across New York. You’ll be spoiled for choice with a host of trainers across a range of disciplines.

The platform will even allow you to filter your search and arrive at a shortlist of trainers that are best suited to your respective fitness goals and budget.

To get started, head over to the homepage, enter ‘personal training’ alongside New York and off you go!

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Samuel

University teaching Assistant in Business Strategy, Statistics, Economics and Project management. My interests include reading, live music, chess and travel.