Number One Gym

Best gym on north side of Chicago, and I have been to damn near all of them. Never crowded, and if it is it’s not suffocating, Gerry is the man, knows every member by name. Most people working out are there to just do that, you’re in you’re out, wish I never left or was closer to this gym currently.

Ohhhhh where to begin. Here’s my deal — I’m a 120 lb., 5’7″ white girl who just moved to this neighborhood from Lincoln Park. I’ve never been a gym rat, as I’m pretty thin naturally (yeah, let the haters hate). In LP I had an in-​apartment gym that I used periodically just to get out of the apartment, but moving to a 3-​flat in Lake View left me without that luxury. Didn’t really bother me since I wasn’t born with the «I NEED to work out» gene. Since I’m naturally thin and suffer from social anxiety, joining a real gym was the opposite of anything I thought I wanted or needed.
Then I realized how exercise, even when not completely necessary to remain thin, was important. Gettin’ that heart rate up will increase your life apparently — according to reports and shit — so I figured I’d give it a try. And I quit my job so I have a ton of free time and Netflix only has so much to watch.
Number 1 gym is the most un-​pretentious place I’ve ever been. I’ve been in fast food restaurants that judge me more than this place. It’s soooooooooo low key that it makes everyone who’s there feel at ease. It’s not fancy. They don’t have fancy or new equipment. They don’t have classes. They don’t have anything to brag about. All of which makes it the best place to work out EVER. Everyone who works out there is serious about getting or staying fit, but nobody (and I mean NOBODY) is eyeballing you or judging you on your form. You could probably run around this place with arms flailing and nobody would look at you weird because hey, at least you’re here.
And don’t get me started on Gerry. The best owner ever. He knows EVERYBODY’S names. It’s crazy! He’s so friendly but not so friendly that you feel like he’s all up in your bizz. He shows just enough interest to know that he would actually notice if you died since you didn’t show up for awhile, but not creepy that you’d be like ‘dude let me do muh reps in peace brah.‘
Long story short, if you’re looking for a cheap Equinox, this is not the place for you. If you’re looking for a warm, welcoming atmosphere to get your workout on, number 1 gym is number 1.

Great gym for the price. Highly recommended to anyone who lives in the area. Only crowded during peak season (after NYE). Would stay here if I wasn’t moving to a new apartment. Has all plenty of weight racks and treadmills that are never full. First review on Unilocal so you know it was worth the post! Great work Gerry!

This gym is awesome. If you want a no-​thrills place to lift weights or do cardio… and don’t want to deal with the hidden costs, red tape, salesmanship and impersonal attitude of a large fancy gym — this is your spot. Super convenient location off the Red/​Brown line, clean, never crowded, a real old school neighborhood feel, just people serious about working out and then getting on with their lives. Other than the simplicity of this place, probably the best thing about it is the way they do business. The owner, Gerry, is a real stand-​up guy who knows everyone by name and actually cares about the members. He is extremely flexible with contracts and signups and will go to great lengths to accommodate you if something comes up or your situation changes. Dealing with someone one-​on-​one like that is so rare these days. Go to this gym.

This gym is as straightforward as you can get. Their signup process is the most painless that you will come across from a gym. When you come in, you will most likely be dealing directly with the owner. He’ll point out the equipment and offer a competitive price and let you decide; there are no sales pitches, pressure, or attempts to push you into classes or personal training.
The gym is fully stocked with free weights, machines, treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, etc. It is most crowded around 5−7pm but waiting for equipment is not an issue. The etiquette is excellent here as everyone puts their weights back when they are done so the place is always clean and no one makes an excessive amount of noise. Highly recommend.

I was a member here for 3 years before moving to a different part of the city. As other people said, it’s a fantastic no frills gym with a great membership base. On top of having pretty much all the equipment you could need (squat racks, free weights, treadmills, tons of machines, etc), Gerry the owner is the best. He’s super nice, always willing to talk to and help out his members, and he always remembers people’s names.

Great experience. Jerry cares about the customers and keeps the place orderly and clean. Wish I didn’t have to move

I love this place. It’s got everything you need, everyone is friendly, the place is clean and organized, and never too crowded. It’s a REAL gym. Gerry, the owner, is there all the time and is as cool as they get. Definitely a great spot.

I was a member of this gym for almost 8 years until I moved out of the neighborhood recently. Its like your neighborhood bar in that the owner, Gerry, knows everyone by their first name. He is really flexible on membership term and will work with what you are comfortable with.
While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of your standard mega-​gym, it had the basics I was looking for (free-​weights, cardio machines and not overcrowded). If you are like me, then this is a great option for you. If you’re looking for a sauna, a pool and a basketball court, go join East Bank Club!
The only negative I have is that the cardio machines break down every now and then but Gerry is pretty quick to have them repaired.
All in all, couldn’t have been happier at this gym the last few years. Was sad to leave but know I can always pop in when in the neighborhood to say hi to Gerry.

Can’t beat the price, Gerry will know your name within the first week and make you feel at home. A little on the small side but if you live in the area it is very convenient, with no frills or anything else to distract you. If I wasn’t moving I would stay!

have been at this gym for more than 3 years! The best thing is the rate is still the same! I think Jerry the owner wants to contribute to the community other than profit from this gym.
let me get down to the facts i have got from this gym:
Pros:
1. low price, no initiation fee
2. have good group of mostly young guys, i never had bad experience with anyone
3. plenty of cadio machines and weights, most of time no need to wait
4. Jerry is very kind and helpful.
5. no fancy stuff like swimming pool, steam room, spin class to waste time on, which makes the training very efficient.
6. there are some independent personal trainers at gym you may like to have.
7. location is great, on block to red line, in the heart of lakeview.
Cons:
1. only has one shower, and actually no one uses it. (At first i don’t like it, but then i find that this saves me a lot of time by just training at and leaving gym.)
2. lock room is small
overall, this is a well serving neighborhood gym, budget and worth every penny you pay. Do remember to talk to Jerry, you will like him, and he often offer his advice for free.

Gerry is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, and seeing his passion and dedication to his business is inspiring. Great location and a good place to buckle down and focus on your workout without distractions.

The equipment could be a little newer and the space could be a little bigger, but for the location and price, it’s still a great deal for a bare bones gym.
The owner Gerry is awesome and very welcoming. I never felt embarrassed to ask questions about how to use any of the machinery and it’s a pretty unintimidating space overall. I might not travel a long way to get to it if I move, but for now it’s well worth it! Way more personalized attention than other bare-​bones gyms like Cardinal Fitness. Here, you can count on Gerry to know your name.

I was literally on my way to my school gym when I stopped in Number One to check it out. Immediately I was greeted by a friendly trainer who showed me around and let me check out the equipment. The owner promptly came up to me as well, introduced himself and told me to go in his office after I check the place out. Talking to the owner I was able to quickly tell how much he cares about his business. I did not feel any pressure at all at any time from either the trainer or owner. He’s always in the office and available to anyone. One of the biggest plus’ about this place is the low-​key atmosphere. I never liked commercial gyms like XSport or LifeTime, I can just got in there for 30 mins and workout and not be bothered by people trying to sell me things. Another plus for me is that it’s a small business and small business’ boost the economy. ⁵⁄₅ stars.

This is the most unpretentious gym I’ve ever been to — everyone is clearly there to work out and not for a social setting. I didn’t see a single person on their phone. I went in today for a free trial and am definitely getting a membership.
While the gym is small, they maximize the space well with every machine you could want for an old-​fashioned-​get-​your-​ass-​in-​shape workout. You have to walk between machines to maneuver to different areas, but I didn’t mind. It wasn’t crowded when I was there (Saturday late morning around 11am), and everyone seemed between 23 – 30 years old.
Gerry, the owner, was very friendly and accommodating. He showed me around the gym, gave me the wifi password, and talked me through several membership packages and pricing options. There is a weekend package available for people who travel every week.
I was very impressed with the value Number One gym provides to its members. I might even look into a personal trainer here — there was an intense small group (2 – 3 guys) bootcamp going on and they were getting their ass kicked.

I looked around at several gyms in the neighborhood, and this is the gym I went for. I was living there temporarily, and Gerry, the owner, gave me a good price for the exact length of time I needed.
As far as equipment, the gym had everything I needed: squat racks, benches (flat, incline and decline), seats for presses, cable machines, dumbbells, Smith machine, dip bar, and a lat pulldown machine. This is not a complete list of everything there, but the most important equipment that I wanted. Olympic lifts and deadlifts are all allowed. There appeared to be a decent amount and variety of cardio machines, but I did not use them.
Gerry is the nicest guy and will know you by name very quickly. Very manageable even at its busiest. It’s a smaller building, but it doesn’t take long to adapt to it. For someone with similar needs, I could not recommend this place enough.

I cannot say enough good things about this gym. I have been a member now for nearly four months and could not be happier.
I bought a condo on the same block and was delighted to see that there was a gym a few doors down. I am getting married in 7 months and wanted to get into shape. Plus, working out helps my migraines, so it’s win win.
When I work out, I don’t want to worry about how I look. I am a sweaty disaster (yes, yes I am). I want to kick my ass for an hour and then move on with my day. My typical workout is to do the elliptical and then weight machines or dumbbells. This gym has just that. It’s no frills. You come in, do what you need to do and leave. At my previous gym, the music played so loud that I couldn’t hear my headphones at max volume. Here, it’s not intrusive at all. There’s music and television, but if you want to ignore it, you can. That means a lot to me. I want to privately rock out to Britney and Gaga and get my sweat on.
A few weeks after joining, Gerry (the owner) approached me and introduced himself. He wanted to welcome me to the gym and see if there was anything that I needed. He even knew my name. Ever since then, he waves when I see him (on the street, in the gym, etc). It’s nice to be recognized and acknowledged.
I feel like this gym is such a great part of my neighborhood. It’s the opposite of obnoxious, and you get the freedom (and left alone!) to do whatever you want.
And did I mention that the price is completely reasonable? I see myself as a life member, and would recommend this gym to anyone. Keep up the awesome work!!!

Great gym, great customer service, friendly atmosphere, and the full gamut of machines (cardio and weight). The price is more than reasonable for the access and the personable staff. There are people working out with trainers, those without, and people of both sexes getting their work in. It’s been great to be a customer, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking to change-​up their gym in Chicago.

Pros
–Jerry is super friendly!
–Pricing is good
Cons
–Almost too bare bones, treadmills only go up to 10.0, so you can’t really sprint

There is some strange comfort in going to a gym where the TVs are not flat screens, but are older CRT’s. Reminds you that finding comfort and luxury is not the point of going to the gym. It’s to sweat and persevere through the lifting of heavy objects.
As others have said, a no frills, no bullsh! zzle gym. And the equipment here is of fantastic quality. The owner, Gerry, definitely knows his stuff. Ivanko weight plates, which are the best of the best, none of that uncalibrated, inconsistent-​weighing CAP barbell stuff. There are two squat racks, and usually at least one is open.
Now, some qualms — like most good things in big cities, the gym is very densely packed with stuff. Navigating around with a barbell can get fairly tough, and become a workout in and of itself. There is no room for a platform, so it isn’t really possible to really practice Olympic-​style weight-​lifting here. You’re probably going to have to do the hang version of stuff. This is a pity, as the Ivanko bumper plates look mighty appealing for some bouncing.
Nonetheless, most people aren’t interested in Olympic lifting, so this is a minor qualm. Bottom-​line, if you are in Lakeview, consider supporting this gym. Gerry maintains a quality, non-​corporate facility.