YMCA – Burnsville

I love the Burnsville YMCA! The location is so convenient– it’s on my way to/​from work, close to Target, and I-​35/​Hwy 13. My favorite things are:
–it’s very family friendly. There’s always families playing bball or on the track. They have FREE childcare while you work out! The childcare area has really fun play set in and outdoors in their own separate playroom.
–the group fitness classes are great and offered ALL the time, so perfect no matter your lifestyle. My favs are OULA, yoga, and Zumba on Saturday mornings!
–the people! The staff is so nice, friendly, and helpful. Also the demographic of membership– there is every age group, body type, race/​ethnicity, ability level, etc. who comes to this Y. Very inclusive and comfortable.
Plus you can have a weeklong free to try it out before committing to membership. Love it and so glad I joined!

Was a member for a few months after moving to MN. Always had a Y membership so of course I wanted to stay with them. Unfortunately the gym is VERY dirty and after explaining this to countless people we decided to move on. Its a bummer because all the other YMCA’s we have been too have been nothing but great.

Had membership for 3 months. Rude staff and heaven forbid you cancel, Jennifer calls and harasses you. BEWARE! I expected better from a Christian organization.

I spent a grotesque amount of time researching gyms because I’ve been really spoiled in the past. My last job was at a university and they had state of the art facilities. My main goals in joining a gym were that they would have good equipment (and plenty of it) and above all, they wouldn’t call and harass me or lock me in a room until I signed my name in blood. High pressure sales are an absolute deal killer for me.
After a bought of exhaustingly hot weather I decided that you know, Minnesota outdoors is rarely conducive to regular outdoor workouts so in an act of desperation, I was forced to actually engage a membership services representative.
What a WONDERFUL surprise when I visited this YMCA!!! The first thing after «I would like a tour» was «I’m happy to give you my contact information so long as I’m not harassed.» He smiled, laughed and said, ‘No no no… we don’t do that. We’re a non profit and the only reason we would contact you is for a promotion.” I could live with that. As «non profit» danced in my ears, I was brought up to main cardio/​weights floor and squealed in delight at the multitude of machines. There will be no waiting for machines here I thought, and having gone for about a month now, I can verify this is true even at peak after work hours. There are tons of cardio machines, free weights, weight machines AND free movement machines that are kind of a hybrid between the previous two. Plus they have a cache of medicine, stability and kettle balls that you can use in a space big enough to use them! They also have a track.
He showed me the full page list of FREE exercise classes (tons of options and times) as well as explaining their low priced packages for personal trainers and free assessments/​intro session. He also explain some detail of what the membership fees go to, including scholarships within the community. By the end of the tour, I was completely sold and have walked away from each session at the gym so happy with my decision.
Oh! Also, this gym was teeming with seniors. I don’t know about you but when I saw grandma and grandpa ambling around I thought, ‘This is my speed.’ I don’t exactly wake up hoping to wear spandex and I certainly don’t enjoy gyms where I feel like I’m the only person who isn’t a professional triathlete. I like to look around and see people like myself – and I like to be completely ignored while I get on with my workout.
And not that it’s one of my requirements, but they have a bunch of stuff for kids including a paddling pool: yay! No kids peeing in the lap pool!
I made use of the free intro training session and that was immensely helpful. Here’s a tip: get a heart monitor and ask them to explain the zone training. It will make your workout productive and free of frustration. Overall I can’t say enough about this gym. The place is clean and spacious, the equipment is plentiful and the experience continues to exceed my expectations. Plus, it’s an organization to support rather than aggressive, for-​profit gyms.