Cardinal Fitness

No pool, no hoops, no classes but if you just want to work out this place is great. The price is right and no long term commitments.

I finally cancelled my membership after being a member for about the last 7 plus years. This place has gone downhill. Where should I begin… lets start with the staff, lazy does not even begin to describe them. Paper towel dispensers are ALWAYS empty in gym and locker room, soap dispensers are somtimes empty as well. They tout «sanitary» and «wipe down your equipment after use» with signage everywhere yet they don’t have towels or wipes to do so half the time. Free weights everywhere except where they should be (I blame this mostly on the lazy gym members that can’t replace their weights) but the staff should do their job and pick up after the other scum bags IMO, that’s what they are paid for one would assume. Aging equipment, although they have replaced some equipment a couple years ago the vast majority of the stuff is rickety and not well maintained, frayed cables on some machines and most needs outright replacing. Crampped, I used to like the «smaller gym» feel, but they just keep selling memberships while not growing the gyms capacity. Terrible parking, parking at this gym is a joke between 3:30pm and 7:00pm, I am usually forced to park at the hardware store or in the lot behind the strip mall. Last but not least is their poor billing practices. When I first became a member they would bill me on or around the 27^th of every month, little by little they inch up the billing date, this month they billed me on the 17^th or 18^th. In addition to billing earlier they usually hit my debit card with an authorazation even days earlier than that and tie up the funds in my account for sometimes a week at a time.
Stay away from this gym, there are several other nice gyms in the area which offer more for about the same price.

I travel around Chicagoland alot and try to fit my workouts in most of the time no matter where I am. This Cardinal isn’t the best, but definitely not the worst. I now live closest to this one, so it is my primary gym.
The equipment is dirtier than usual. After every workout, I wash my hands with soap and water. Out of all the Cardinals that I’ve been to, this one has pretty much the dirtiest equipment. The facility itself is clean though. Staff is always cleaning, which is a good thing.
However, staff is often absent from the front desk. They put a pen and crummy sheet of paper, expecting that you’ll know to sign in despite having no signage. I once walked in to both a sign-​in sheet and a staff member at the front desk, and the staff asked me to sign in while they did seemingly nothing. Actually it’s just one staff member that irks the hell out of me because she doesn’t really seem to do anything.
People: Like most gyms, you’ve got a mix of douchebags, old, young (anyone over 12 can workout at Cardinal), etc. Most guests at this location are 20 – 50 and white. Not a lot of diversity in terms of ethnicity. And not a lot of hotties. All of this will probably keep you more focused on your workout anyway, lard ass.
The hours are the most negative aspect of the gym. I like to workout in the evenings, so closing at 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays doesn’t exactly suit my needs. All Cardinals seem to have the same business hours, closing at 10pm on M-​Th, 9pm on F, and 5pm on Sat and Sun. I’m not an early riser, so don’t ask me about the morning hours.
This location has a decent amount of machines, dumbbells, and free weights. Two squat racks, three dip/​chin-​up racks, two flat benches, several benches (some fixed, some moveable) in the dumbbell area, about 150 sq ft of stretching space, and not too many people. Regardless of the hour that I go, I have had to wait for equipment only occasionally. With all of this equipment, you may find yourself squeezing through the gym while navigating.
With all of that said, their membership prices are ridiculously low. I don’t think twice about going back to Xsport or considering Lifetime. This is the perfect no-​frills gym. No running track, swimming pool, basketball court, or café. But they do have day care and tanning — I don’t use either service, so I can’t review it. Monthly rates are about $ 20 for an individual, $ 30 for a couple in the same household, and $ 40 for a family (up to 4… I think) in the same household. And they let you workout at any Cardinal.
Although the gym can feel cramped and lacks some amenities provided by fancier facilities, the price is what mainly keeps me a member. I highly recommend Cardinal if you are looking for a no-​frills gym and are a beginner to higher intermediate exercise enthusiast.