Gyms in Barcelona come in all shapes, sizes, and prices.  My goal was to find the perfect one for me.  I made a list of things that were important to me and set off on my search.  I first tried using Google maps to locate the closest ones to my flat, but realised that the results were not exhaustive.  Then I got my lazy self off the couch, put on my running shoes, and took a tour around my neighbourhood (BTW, if you’re interested check out our blog on “The Top 5 Barcelona Neighborhoods“).  This is the best way to research gyms.  After all, the chances of you actually going to gym is partly determined by it’s proximity to your place of residence.  So get out there, walk around, and make your initial list of options so you can then evaluate them!

Full disclosure: I’m sitting here in the office and my chest and triceps are so sore I’m having trouble actually typing out my thoughts.  It’s that strange sort of good gym pain though… if that makes any sense.

At one point in my life I was a gym rat.  If I wasn’t playing sports I was always in the gym.  6 days a week, rain or shine.  When I moved to Spain that all stopped.  At first it was because I was partying too much and enjoying the life of a student.  Eventually when I started my own business, I just never had the time or energy.

I’m now rapidly approaching my 30th birthday (…gulp…) and I decided over New Years (I know, so cliché) that this was the time in my life to get back into shape and be a healthier person.

I scoured the gym market to try and find the best fit for me.  My two top criteria were that it be as close as humanly possible to where I live and that they offer towels so you don’t need to bring one from home.

I settled on a gym that is only two blocks from my house (first criteria, check!).  There are three gyms in a 2 block radius of my flat (Paseo/Diagonal area).  I chose the one that seemed to have the least amount of people there during peak times.  In this post I’m withholding the name of the gym as SuiteLife has a special report planned on gyms that will be gracing our pages soon.  I will say that the one I chose was almost too ‘pijo’ (snobby, snooty, etc…) for my taste, however along with that comes free towels and a weight room where the people are more interested in staring at themselves in the mirror than working out (which for me means less waiting time and faster workouts).

So far, I’ve been to my new gym twice in 5 days.  The beginning is always the hardest as I’m in pretty bad shape and the first few workouts leave me in blinding soreness for the next couple of days.  Luckily my gym has a whole self-service spa area.  Jacuzzis galore, wet and dry saunas, water therapy, relaxation waterfalls and all kinds of cool water pressure treatments.  So after a nice long workout, you can sit back and relax your aching bones.

If you’re more of the team sports type than you should check out our article on “How to Find and Join a Barcelona Sports Club“

I’ll continue to update you on my progress at the gym.  So far, so good.

Cheers!

Benny