According to recent figures, for the first time ever, the UK now has over 7,000 gyms and 10 million members. That means that one in every seven people in the UK is a member of a gym.
Up and down the country – specifically around the capital – men and women are looking to get fit, lose weight, build muscle and improve their wellbeing. However, as with most things in life, we all have our own tastes and preferences, especially when it comes to working out. One gym doesn't fit all.
Luckily, the London fitness scene has a lot to offer.
Whether you prefer PT sessions or group classes, CrossFit, Strongman or Spin, or are simply looking for a no-frills weights room, London will have it.
That's why we've gone through and picked the best of the best gyms (and classes) in London. Want to box your way to fitness? We've found the gym for you. Want to get fit without breaking the bank? Read on. Want to work out in luxury, or you're simply starting out? It's all here.
The Best Gyms in London to Try
Best for: Weight lifting
The gym: Performance Ground
The studio description: Performance Ground has been recognised by our members for providing science-driven performance coaching and sports therapy in a supportive community environment through bespoke training and nutrition programmes crafted by our industry-leading team of expert coaches utilising proven strength and conditioning systems and nutrition protocols.
How we describe it: When it comes to shifting tin, to reap the benefits you need to nail more than just your form. This is where the team at Performance Ground step in. Using the latest sports science know-how, they’ll show you how to train, eat and recover to build your best-ever body.
How much: Online training from £30 per month, various packages available
Where can I find it: 23 Kingsway, London WC2B 6UJ
Best for: PT sessions
The gym: Six3Nine
The studio description: It is our mission to deliver empathetic and flexible guidance, based on cutting edge science, to help our clients be the best versions of themselves possible. From general lifestyle improvement and weight loss, to getting your London Marathon time down, we have the expertise and the experience to help.
How we describe it: Foolproof personal training. Workouts are created according to your medical and injury history as well as your specific goals and training experience. You’ll also follow a nutrition programme tailored to your lifestyle, and benefit from support and guidance on rest days.
How much: 8 sessions a month costs £595, various packages available
Where can I find it: 41-44 Great Queen St, London WC2B 5AD
Watch: Take on Tabata at The Foundry
Best for: Strongman
The class: City Strongman at The Foundry
The studio description: Devised by former rugby player and PT Ben Gotting, this class uses all the toys seen on TV’s World's Strongest Man for London’s most brutal fat-burning workout! Think log pressing, sled dragging, prowler pushing, and the dreaded Atlas Stones...
How we describe it: Intense physical conditioning circuits in what can only be described as a strongman’s theme park. You’ll flip tyres and carry sandbags to build strength, power, speed, agility, and endurance. They reckon it’s the toughest workout in the city, and we’re inclined to agree.
How much: £20 per class, bundle deals available
Where can I find it: The Foundry at Vauxhall, Black Prince Community Hub, 5 Beaufoy Walk, London SE11 6HU; The Foundry at Old Street, 227 City Rd, London, EC1V 1JT
Best for: CrossFit
The class: Workout of the Day (WOD) at CrossFit London
The studio description: This is the cornerstone of the schedule at CrossFit London. Each session starts with a targeted warm-up, followed by a skill and/or strength segment to isolate and practice specific element, followed by the WOD; a high-intensity, functional group workout.
How we describe it: As the most experienced box in the UK – being Europe’s first CrossFit affiliate, and the 20th in the world – it’s safe to say this Bethnal Green venue knows a thing or two about coaching CrossFit.
How much: £20 per class, various packages available
Where can I find it: Arch 30, 150 Buckhurst St, London E1 5QT
Best for: HIIT classes
The class: Hollywood at F45 Training
The studio description: F45 Training combines elements of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), circuit training, and functional training. This combination of interval, cardiovascular and strength training has been proven to be the most effective workout method for burning fat and building lean muscle.
How we describe it: A gruelling indoor bootcamp with a focus on form and technique – like enrolling in a PT training academy, but fun. Plus, you can burn up to 1,000 calories in a single session. Expect to walk in and crawl out with a head full of knowledge (and endorphins).
How much: From £20 per class, membership deals available
Where can I find it: Locations across London – find your nearest, here
Watch: Build explosive power with this Kobox upper-body session
Best for: Boxing
The class: Upper Body at Kobox
The studio description: Kobox's industry-leading trainers will guide you, step-by-step, through the fundamentals of boxing, from your footwork all the way through to your punches, on its tailor-made aqua bags, in its truly unique, discrete nightclub studio setting. Upper Body day is all about shoulders, chest, back, triceps, biceps and those all important abs.
How we describe it: You’ll learn how to throw jabs, crosses, hooks and uppercuts with proper form before tackling rounds of high-intensity bag drills and strength-training exercises in a dark, atmospheric, neon-lit room. They don’t dub it “fight club meets nightclub’ for nothing.
How much: £20 per class, bundle deals available
Where can I find it: Kobox City, 85 London Wall, London, EC2M 7AD; Kobox Chelsea, 122 Kings Rd, London, SW3 4TR; Kobox Marylebone, 16 Baker St, London, W1U 3BL
Best for: Facilities
The gym: Third Space
The studio description: Work out, rest and play under one roof and one membership. Third Space are London’s luxury health clubs; individual in style, bound by a common philosophy: to provide outstanding fitness spaces that members feel are their own.
How we describe it: If your favourite slick, industrial boutique hotel decided to open a health club, this is what it would look like. There’s more to Third Space than personal training, nutrition bars, spa treatments, sports rehabilitation and medical consultations (though they do that well, too). Think: hypoxic chambers, chemical-free pools, and some of the most well-equipped training studios in the capital. Oh, and thanks to some clever engineering, the cleanest air too.
How much: Membership starts from £100
Where can I find it: 40 Mark Lane, London, EC3R 7AT
Watch: Master the pull-up with help from BXR's top trainers
Best for: Luxury
The gym: BXR London
The studio description: Dedicated to developing a championship mindset, we offer our members the standard of training, facilities and advice expected by professional athletes, regardless of level of ability.
How we describe it: Sleek and industrial with state-of-the-art kit, BXR is London’s first boutique boxing gym. You’ll find training facilities worthy of a professional boxer – we mean this literally: Anthony Joshua has put his name to it – paired with the expertise of boxing coaches, ex-champion boxers, MMA fighters and some of the UK’s top sports therapists and osteopaths.
How much: From £150 per month
Where can I find it: 24 Paddington St, Marylebone, London W1U 5QY
Best for: Wellness
The gym: Equinox
The studio description: Equinox Personal Training reaches its peak with Tier X, the world’s most advanced health and wellness coaching. Powered by behaviour training, our holistic approach does more than redefine your workout – it transforms how you move, fuel, and recharge as a whole. Your first step is the Tier X assessment, which includes an in-depth medical and fitness questionnaire, body composition index, movement screen, postural analysis and metabolic rate measurement.
How we describe it: Put simply, Tier X is a total lifestyle overhaul. It’s personal training with bells on, a intensive tailored programme that spans sleep, mobility, recovery, nutrition and more. One ex-marine credited Tier X for helping him to make history as the first combat-wounded veteran to reach the top of Mount Everest. Plus, there are cold eucalyptus towels, Kiehl's hair and body products, and filtered water stations at each club as standard.
How much: Club membership from £205 per month
Where can I find it: Equinox St James's, 12 St James's Street, St James's, SW1A 1ER; Equinox Kensington, 5th floor, The Roof Gardens, Kensington High Street, London W8 5SA
Best for: Group classes
The gym: David Lloyd Clubs
The studio description: We have studios specifically designed for different types of exercise. The Mind & Body studios are for holistic classes like yoga and Pilates, and the Group Cycling studios are for instructor-led and virtual cycling classes. Finally, our High Impact studio covers everything from interval training to circuit training and martial arts.
How we describe it: A one-stop shop for every kind of workout you could imagine. From Tai Chi to spin, you’re covered. And if it all gets too much, you can take the sting out of the inevitable DOMs by unwinding in the spa.
How much: From £55 per month, various membership packages available
Where can I find it: Unit 24 Fulham Broadway Retail Centre, Fulham Rd, London SW6 1BW
Best for: Gym newbies
The gym: DW Fitness First
The studio description: We’re not just a gym, we’re your training partner. Whether you’re training for an event, want to improve your sport or you just want to get fit fast – whatever you’re working towards, we’re in! You set the goals, we’ll help you smash them.
How we describe it: All the gear and no idea? Every DW Fitness First is kitted out with touchscreens containing PT-approved exercises and workout suggestions, so you can fake it until you make it. Plus, members are allowed to bring a friend to train for free every Friday – even if just for moral support.
How much: From £39 per month, various membership packages available
Where can I find it: Locations across London – find your nearest, here
Best for: Gym deals
The gym: Blok
The studio description: At Blok we believe that training is about more than just breaking a sweat. All our classes focus on building skills, improving technique and achieving constant progression. We have over 350 classes a week and over 80 of London's top instructors. All our classes are run by specialists in their field.
How we describe it: So you want to ace calisthenics, de-stress with yin yoga, learn how to master a muscle-up and improve your sparring tekkers in the ring? Sounds like you need to visit Blok, which somehow offers more membership options than it does classes (and it has a lot of classes).
How much: Classes start from £15
Where can I find it: Blok Clapton, The Tram Depot 38-40 Upper Clapton Rd, London E5 8BQ; Blok Shoreditch, 2 Hearn Street, London EC2A 3BR
Best for: Cheap
The gym: Pure Gym
The studio description: The PureGym concept starts with the idea of making fitness more affordable, convenient and flexible for everybody, not just the few. We have designed our gyms around the things that matter most to our members, which allows us to provide high quality gym memberships for low prices.
How we describe it: A dumbbell is a dumbbell, right? Clean, well-equipped, brightly-lit, and more bang for buck than a round of beers in your local: Pure Gym ticks all the boxes, with the added bonus of being open 24 hours a day. No contract either, for the commitment-phobes among you.
How much: Memberships start from £12.99 per month
Where can I find it: Locations across London – find your nearest, here
Best for: Free
The gym: The Great Outdoor Gym Company
The studio description: [Our] goal is to get people more physically active – to benefit their health, wellbeing and quality of life. We also want to help Mother Nature a little where we can through the design of our equipment and the sponsorship of green initiatives.
How we describe it: Like a children’s playground, but consisting of equipment like cross trainers, leg presses and pull-up bars, so you can get stuck into cardio, calisthenics and resistance training outdoors. The company plants a tree for every bit of kit installed – and it’s trialling new tech that harnesses your energy expenditure to generate electricity.
How much: Absolutely nothing
Where can I find it: Locations across London – find your nearest, here
Daniel Davies
Daniel is Men’s Health UK’s deputy digital editor. He’s a writer and editor with a decade’s worth of experience covering health, fitness, tech and sports. In his time at Men’s Health, he’s written about everything from Black men's mental health to The Rock's cheat days and has logged training time with NFL footballers, Olympic gymnasts and the British Army. In his spare time he enjoys fitness of all kinds, from deadlifts to long runs, and is always on the lookout for his next challenge.
