Fitness Connection

Pleasant staff– nice renovations, incredibly friendly membership girl. WE were able to sign up for a great price and got a great deal on group training. This gym is quite busy at 6:30 though– but then I noticed at my previous gym it was busy too– obviously they are doing something right. I love that there is not a contract and I appreciate the up front information.
Thanks!

I loved this gym in the beginning it looked nice lots of equipment, clean, not to crowded (when i came) however my second time here just doing a drop in (ive read about there billing issues) and it was beyond packed the first 7 treadmills i went on were broken and there were condom wrappers on the gym floor! i was just really disappointed how things werent as they seemed the first time:/!

The biggest shame about this review is that I can’t give FC zero stars. Everyone has said most of my gripes, so I’ll be brief. The staff is rude, the pool is DISGUSTING or closed with no warning, the locker rooms are gross, and the place is always packed. Good luck canceling memberships, too! When it was Gold’s, it was great, but Fitness Connection is a dirty scumhole that should be avoided at all costs.

Equipment especially the tv sound equipment are never working. Even after after reporting. Locks rooms and bathrooms are also very dirty and not well maintained. Management not responsive or concerned about these issues after bring to their attention many times.

If I could give this place a zero I would!!! If you’re looking to join a gym, I’d advise you to stay away from this one!!! I got sick and couldn’t use the gym any longer. I called them and asked to cancel my membership. They told me that I needed to cancel on their website… so that’s what I did. I waited a month and then I got a bill saying I skipped my payment. I cancelled with them again and waited another month. They tried charging me again! Now they sent me to collections!!! These people will do this to you as well! Don’t even bother signing up at Fitness Connection! I had to pay it so it wouldn’t go on my credit… they are trying to scam people for money or something! I will never do business with them again! I hope they go down for doing this to people! Horrible customer service! Shame on you Fitness Connection!

I teach Yoga here, so I am biased. However, this is a really nice gym. It is one of the few that has a basketball court, and is upstairs/​downstairs. The staff is always really nice, and the members seem to enjoy the classes. The membership cost is a deal with all of the extras they provide (day care, classes, pool, courts).

I’m actually shocked at how low the ratings are for this gym. The majority of the one-​star ratings seem to be because of billing issues/​staff problems which are understandable because I am HUGE on friendly staff but honestly I’ve never had a problem with either.
If you want to cancel your membership while still in a contract, you will have to pay a fee. That’s how all gyms work. If you want to cancel out of contract you have to give 30 days notice, you will be billed for the last payment coming up. That’s how all gyms work people! I’m sure the «random» charges a few people mentioned were administration fees that you agree to upon signing up for the membership. I worked at a gym for two years, it’s pretty ridiculous to say their «out to steal your money».
As far as the staff, I’ve never had a problem with the front desk nor the trainers. I pretty much keep to myself when I go to the gym (go in, work out, leave) but I was always greeted when I came in and acknowledged when I left as well. Any time I conversed with the staff while getting a smoothie they were always super nice.
Yes, I completely agree this gym is way too packed after 5 but If you want a gym with everything you need to get a good workout in, different classes to choose from and friendly staff, Fitness Connection is a good gym.

If you have a job and are joining for the swimming pool, look elsewhere. It’s impossible to find a good time to swim laps. I’ve tried going first thing in the morning when they first open, and every other working swimmer is there at the same time. It’s too crowded to get in the pool — even while splitting lanes. I even tried to get there when they open on Sunday — 6 am — and there were way too many swimmers for all of us to get in. That day they also happened to be draining the pool, so the 7 swimmers that showed up were all turned away. I tried going after work, but there is an aqua zumba class at 6pm.
The $ 9.95 membership fee may entice you to join, but keep in mind, that entices everyone. It’s a zoo most of the time.
I just put in a request to cancel — after looking online, I can see that many people have had issues with cancellation. Two days ago I sent an email to customer service about cancellation and never heard back. So I called the Fitness Connection in Sparks to get information on how to cancel, and after getting some basic information, the person on the line said she needed to put me on hold. After 1 minute of holding, the phone started ringing. I had been transferred to another extension. No one answered that extension and I hung-​up without leaving a voicemail. Luckily it seems as if the basic information I was given was enough to complete the cancellation request. Time will tell.

This club has had a major renovation however many of the treadmills are constantly out of order. I have had bad experiences in the past with the staff who all seem to be mad at the world and unkind to seniors but today I had the pleasure of interacting with Zach Wrenn and he was a total delight to speak with. He is kind and knowledgeable and doesn’t talk to me like I am 5 instead of 63. Thank you Zack for a pleasant experience. They have finally added classes specifically for seniors! I would also like to say how awesome Derek at the front desk is. Every time I come in the door he greets me with a big smile. He always has time to help or answer my questions!

First of all the gym is fairly large and has a swimming pool. The only reason I joined was for the swimming pool. When we meet with a membership specialist he hounded us on fitness goals and to sign up for a trainer. The start up fee was really over priced. The gym is nice and clean. My biggest problem was the staff. I like it because it’s close to my house in Sparks.

This is one of the worst gyms. Do not sign up. I tried them twice was stoked that they had childcare but I was so wrong. Do not trust them with your kids! I have been trying to get a hold of the GM for a month now and he won’t return calls.

It’s getting a little better lately, but it took a while. It is still crowded, but you can tell the volume of people has gone down. Just waiting for the next wave of people trying to «get ready for Summer» to show up.

the gym was a decent size. their cardio room was on the second floor, they had what appeared as arobics classes. the weight are was big, they has decent equipment but wish they had a better variety.
the T bar row machine was ok.
one of the lat pull down machine was being maintenance during peak business hours… not a great way to conduct business… overall it was $ 20. for a week pass for a single individual. meh. at least they had good hours.

So I feel like I should update my review since I’m here just about every day.
They completely renovated the gym and the kids club. I’m really happy with the changes.
They took out the women’s room to expand the kids club. They put a whole section in the back for the kids to play games. They also added a mini movie theater. The rest of the kids club remain the same. As my previous review states: call a day ahead right at 9am to get your reservation because they fill up very fast.
Downstairs they added more free weights and more machines. They added a section for turf work (ground work) and two bars with the bands that you use only your body weight. It’s like T something or rather.
Upstairs they extended the cardio area and updated the machines. Rarely have I seen any of the machines out of service and I always see a guy up there cleaning.
The classes are always full unfortunately. They pack members in there like sardines. I’d love to take a Zumba class because the instructor is awesome, but it’s so crowded that I’ve been stepped on or hit in the face. If you feel like braving the herd of women, get there 10 – 20 mins early and save your spot.
The only complaint that I still have are the trainers and the people in sales. The employees behind the from counter are really nice as well as the ladies in the kid’s club, but I can’t get over how stuck up the trainers and sales guys are. It’s not all of them, just most. I actually still have training sessions that I’ve paid for that haven’t been used. I say hi to some of the trainers I like, but typically I just avoid that section all together. I’ve made friends with other members at the gym and they totally agree with me so in not the only one!

I was looking for a gym, close to home where I could go on the weekends, mostly for classes and cardio since I was working with a trainer at another facility during the week and i’ve regretted my decision ever since. This gym is packed all day long, from the minute they open until they close and you’ll be lucky to find a machine once fight your way through the masses of «bros» taking selfies in the mirror.
During my first visit I was «greeted» by the girl at the front desk, told her what I needed and about 10 minutes later was taken back by one of the trainers to discuss membership options. I was then «grilled» for the next 15 minutes about my goals, workout plans, etc. After that was over I was informed that I would not be receiving my keycard and I would have to come back for my (HOUR LONG!) appoinment with a trainer, tour of the gym and explanations of equiptment, etc.
A few days later I returned for my appointment and met with the trainer. Once again I was grilled about my goals, workout plans, knowledge of machines, nutrition plans, and so forth as they tried to sucker me into personal training. Once I informed the trainer that I would not be needing his services, explained to him my nutrition plan, workout plan and told him who my trainer was his entire attitude towards me changed and I was immideately free from his gym tour, machine instruction and personal training nonsense.
The one and only part of this gym that I loved was the spin classes/​yoga classes, the instructors were friendly, knowledgeable and more than willing to assist and answer questions. I never had an issue getting into a class or an issue with the class being full.
A few months before I cancelled my membership with Fitness Connection I received a survey via email regarding the gym. I took the survey and was contacted by the site manager a few days later asking how he could improve my gym experince. I appreciated him reaching out but I did not respond. Also, when I called to cancel my membership I had no issues, I paid my last 30 days and have not had any issues since.

I was previously at St. Marys, which I loved, but I have recently moved to sparks so it’s no longer in my area. I miss my trainer there, but I was fortunate to find a new one right away that’s awesome!
If you’re looking for a personal trainer look no further than Jeff! He is by far one of the better trainers I’ve had in Reno; he is super knowledgable, patient, and pushes you. He has corrected my form on many exercises that past trainers have simply let me continue doing.
When I first signed up here I had a terrible experience with Dane, but Jeff redeemed this gym. It’s definitely not as great as St.
Mary’s, and the reconstruction is a pain, but I knew about the reconstruction prior to signing up, and I hope in the future the reconstruction is worth the wait.
5 stars for Jeff, minus one for Dane.

This one on disc dr is under construction. No ventilation on upstairs level, with only a few cardio machines working. Rest had «no power» at all, no floor exercise area left neither to do weights, abs, etc. poor judgment on management to close 90%of their workout facilities. This place is kinda drive for me as it is. It was a waste of my time since I haven’t received any information on when the deadline is for construction. I got email I think about 2 months ago.
I will b cancelling and dojng my workouts from home.

First of all, I should mention that this review is about the Sparks Fitness Connection and not the Reno Fitness Connection. I’ve visited both and the two locations are like night and day.
Around my second or third week at this gym I saw a poster on the wall offering a chance to win an iPad in exchange for a positive Unilocal review. Pardon the pun but offering members with a chance to win an iPad was the writing on the wall. At that point I was already annoyed by how busy the gym was, but I didn’t see the underlying problems yet.
I was what I considered a loyal customer/​gym member for about 6 months. I bought my protein supplements there, pre and post workout drinks and used a trainer. I spent a small fortune at that gym. Then one day I lost my tag for checking in. Knowing I dropped 5 – 10 $ every time I visited the gym they still charged me $ 10 for a new card. I figured they could have just given me a card since I typically spent 80 plus dollars a month there plus membership fees and training fees. What was really happening: it’s just another corporate gym that doesn’t care about you.
Something that really irritated me were the rude trainers. Once while working out with a friend, a group of male trainers were chatting close by and using foul and misogynistic language that shocked my friend and made her angry enough to grab her things and leave. That was it for my time at that gym and tried to end my membership. I called and left messages for the manager, and sent two letters asking to end my membership. This went on for 4 or 5 months after my last visit to the gym. I paid them for 4 or 5 more months. Finally I put a stop payment at the bank. Their reason for not quickly ending my membership, I didn’t send my letter certified mail, so no one actually saw it. That was never mentioned in the sales pitch. They just said tell them when you need to quit.
One positive thing about this gym is that the pool was always clean and the hot tub which saw a lot of action, was also clean. Kudos to the maintenance staff, who honestly were the only people who seemed to be actually working at this gym. There were a couple of nice people who worked the front counter too, but they came and went very quickly.
Honestly, if the gym didn’t push its training so hard and expanded its free weight area, it might not suck so bad.

I signed up in January of 2014 and also purchased a training package. I like going to this gym, and I like my training. However, the sales person that signed me up was not upfront with me about hidden fees. Also, I wanted to put my training on hold at one point and was given incorrect information over the phone that upset me greatly until I got it cleared up with someone else.
I found out 3 months after signing up (through my bank statement) that I have a $ 29.99 annual fee that was not made clear to me at the beginning. I think the people who sign you up should be obligated to make that clear… not have you read through fine print after receiving a seemingly random charge to your credit card.
The gym is nice and I enjoy working out here (it is clean, the staff is pretty friendly and it’s not too crazy busy when I work out) — but I could do without the issues above. Just some plain honesty and better communication could have made this 3 star review a 5.

These people keep pissing me off. I probably should calm down before I write this review but I think I’ve given them enough time to stop getting on my nerves.
My husband and I used to be memebers here. I left after the classes got to crowded and a personal trainer told me that the reason I wasnt losing enough weight was because I dont eat enough. I’m 5 foot 6 and was eating 1200 cal a day. He told me I need to up that to 3500 per day and pound the protien (I’m not training for Mrs. Universe dude, I dont want muscle mass.)
The staff is vacant and don’t want to be there. My 14 year old son wanted a membership here because his friends got memberships and he wants to go work out with them. After I left this place I went to Fitness for 10 and have zero complaints so far but I saw the promotion for $ 2.50 per week and called to talk to them about it. Andrew was very excited and told me to come in today or tomorrow and tried really hard to get me to pin down an exact time. I work full time and told him I’d come in as soon as I can. I called again today to make sure thier were not any hidden fees in this deal. Andrew wasnt there so I spoke with some other guy. I cant remember his name but he had a bad accent.
He told me there were hidden fees. $ 175.00 Enrollment Fee. WHAT!!! I told him that doesnt sound like a very good deal anymore. He said «depend on how long you keep your membership…(dead silence follows».
Lets pretend we keep it for 12 months. $ ¹⁷⁵⁄₁₂ months = $ 14.58 per month. Plus the $ 2.50 per week = $ 25.41 per month for a membership. That’s more expensive than many gyms in town.
This place SUCKS. Dont even go in. They are evil money hungry people who don’t want to be there unless you are going to give them your credit card.