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GoodLife Fitness
Categories: Active Life Fitness & Instruction Trainers Active Life Fitness & Instruction Gyms Trainers, Gyms [Edit]
21 McCaul StToronto, ON M5T 1V7
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
(416) 979-1422
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 6 am - 10 pm
Sat-Sun 9 am - 5 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
9 reviews for GoodLife Fitness
9 reviews in English
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Review from En L.
2/10/2012 4 Check-ins Here
Back to the gym after a year break. My first class was tough! I almost black out! Man...I'm out of shape.
Definitely not the best looking gym. The building is almost ugly....ok, its ugly. The location and the group exercise class is the reason that I joined. An hour of hard cardio goes by fast. My favorite is BodyCombat. Perfect workout for someone with short attention span. I used to do BodyStep, but I fell and twisted my ankle once. I'm too uncoordinated for the class. But, that's a good one too... I might give it another try. -
Review from Vivek S.
Now that the "honeymoon phase is over" (what a ridiculous expression), I am able to to regard my local gym with a touch more objectivity. It seems in my last review I was agog over the fact that they have facilities, but having used those facilities I must wax a little critical about this gym.
For starters, the change room smells cheesy. There is no other way to put this, and I'm sorry if it's off-putting but it's true. I'm not sure if this is because they don't ever clean the carpets in there (and why they didn't lay vinyl is beyond me) or if it's because they literally store cheese in there but I don't like it. Another smell I don't like is the toxic sewer gas emanating from (only half) of the shower drains. I feel like this is a highly fixable trap issue. And speaking of fixable, how about repairing the light bulb in the sauna which has been out for about a month now? It's become a bit of a running joke amongst sauna dwellers. Seriously, how many Goodlife staff DOES it take to change a lightbulb?
All this is to say: it seems they are a little bit careless about details here. The equipment and service are still great, and I never have a bad workout experience these so my notes aren't _quite_ enough for me to drop this place a whole star. (Am I too feeling the half-star longing...? DON'T BE RIDICULOUS.) But the bloom is definitely off the rose.Listed in: Where to burn fat in Toronto
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/21/2010
I marched in here prepared for battle royale the day I decided to get a gym membership. Gym sales… Read more »
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Review from Lindsay S.
Toronto, ON
9/20/2010 16 Check-ins Here
This is my home gym. And I love it.
This is the gym I visit daily, and actually train in.
I'm not here to chat, or socialize.
The stuff that's semi-important:
- change rooms are amble.
- there's toilet paper in the washrooms.
- towels are available.
- the water fountain works.
- the free weight area is well lit.
- lots of treadmills & 2 stepmills (that are basically never used)
- lots of gay guys, so it's great for girls who get intimidated by the apes at other facilities.
I'm one of the members who do lunges across the facility, or finds a small spot to shadow skip -- But, Who cares?
We're all sharing the same space to do the same thing: work on our fitnesses, so stop complaining.
The more important stuff to those who are actually going to the gym to lift heavy things:
- lots of hammerstrength equipment. Most of which just sits there, as no one wants to attempt trying them.
- Great db selection - everything from 2lbs, 5lbs, 7.5lbs, 10lbs, 12.5lbs ... 17.5lbs ... 22.5lbs .. great choices for us weak folk who can't skip from 20lbs to 25lbs for bicep curls.
My catty closing remark:
Most people at this gym don't know what they're doing (my favourite being the guy who does the 2hr chest & bicep session) so if you have any bit of common sense when working out, you'll look like you're training for an ironman. -
Review from Geoff F.
Toronto, ON
10/4/2010
What can I say? It's an inner-city gym. If you're looking for the Adelaide Club on a budget, don't come to GoodLife McCaul looking for the steal of the century (though GoodLife Liberty Village might satisfy your high-brow hankering).
McCaul gives you the feeling that they (probably the original owners, as GoodLife tends to buy up clubs) found a great deal on b-level real estate and crammed a bunch of machines in there. Space is definitely at a premium. Of particular note is the weights section at the east end of the first floor. Just TRY getting in or out of the chest press section while someone's ripping reps. Not going to happen and has created more than one awkward moment.
Also, it annoys me that I have to walk through the (only OK) change rooms in order to get from the first level to the third.
That said, the third floor of GoodLife McCaul seems to be their best kept secret. I spend lots of time up there because of my squash habit, but why does no one else work out up top? Maybe it's because us squash folks are elitist a-holes and no one else dares cross us on our turf. I'm OK with people thinking of us this way as long as I can carry on having my own personal gym.
By elitist, a-hole, squash player standards, the courts are pretty rubbish, but again, this isn't your grandfather's squash and social club. 4 walls and a wood floor set up to approximately the right dimensions are more or less all I need, so I won't complain too much here. I'm mostly just happy they have squash courts at all. A membership at GoodLife McCaul seems to be the most affordable way to support a squash habit if you live in downtown Toronto.
The staff I've spoken to are all very nice and the members don't seem creepy, intimidating or pretentious, which obviously differentiates this club from most. The no-frills nature of GoodLife McCaul makes it feel like people are just there to get healthy, and I really appreciate that kind of vibe in a gym.
Overall, GoodLife McCaul passes muster because of what it offers and not because it looks pretty doing it. Go there, get sweaty, shower at home (or bring your flip flops), and get your frills elsewhere. -
Review from Kevin F.
Toronto, ON
3/7/2011
I've been going to the Goodlife at St Clair but have recently switched to the McCaul location because of it's convenient location near my work. The location is convenient, but nothing else about this gym is convenient. This place is a broom closet poorly disguised as a gym. To say there's no room to work out is an understatement. The building is chopped into different rooms with machines overly packed into each one. The lay out of the gym is poorly planned; the most popular machines are packed into one room therefore overcrowding those rooms while other rooms lay practically empty with the less popular machines. I am aware that part of the problem is the time I go to the gym; after work with everyone else so that plays a big part in the overcrowding.
Leaving behind my issues with the gym, the staff are friendly and the music is great (they played Robyn 3 times within 1 hour!). If you have the availability to go at less-popular times then I'm sure it'd be a better experience. -
Review from Mel D.
Toronto, ON
12/8/2009
Why I go to this Gym:
If I didn't work across the street, I would never go to this Goodlife. It feels like I'm forced to go here since it's the only place where I'll be able to catch the 5:30PM classes and get a decent spot (they fill up quickly, so no luck going to the Eaton's North location). Also, with a gazillion locations across Canada, it's easy to find a location near you if you ever move.
Compared to the other Goodlife Fitness Clubs:
The other gyms have free hand towels, hair products that you can use and decent hairdryers, I don't understand why supplies like these aren't consistent in all Goodlife Gyms.
Oh, and the headphone jacks on the machines stay broken for MONTHS.
If you pay the extra $20/month for the locker, they will STILL empty the contents of your locker in a big garbage bag at last twice a year because they do NOT keep a list of member with a locker.
If you can, go to the St.Clair Location instead.
HONORABLE MENTION
But, with all of this, I just want to give "OMG, that class was so good". I'm a fan of their BodyFlow/Pump/Step/Combat and Attack classes, and yesterday, my ass was KICKED!
His name is Daniel, and his home gym is the Liberty Village Goodlife, but he was assigned to teach Body Combat on Mondays at the McCaul location. YESTERDAY WAS HIS FIRST TIME TEACHING THE CLASS! I tell ya, this guy is a natural, and I can't wait to go to his class next week. I was hesitant at first since I was a fan of the previous instructor (also named Daniel), but I am now happy that this kid is taking over the class. -
Review from Grainne M.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 6/25/2011 28 Check-ins Here
I've waited ages to update-just in case things changed. Unfortunately they haven't.
I think the same Cardio Theater sets (that allow users to listen to the TV) on the cardio machines have been broken since i joined 10 months ago. This is despite emails and tweets to @GoodLifeListens on Twitter with promises to fix them. It means making a beeline for the same few functional machines each time or being unable to watch TV. I'm still getting over the fact that there are communal TVs too. It's like I've gone back in time. Sometimes it's just not worth trying to change to something watchable-some of the clientele have a mad stare. I reported a broken shower in the changing room last September (10 months ago) and it too is still broken.
There has been a turnover of front desk staff since I joined so it's a mixture of a few extremely nice people and some just OK. Sam in the mornings is a ray of sunshine though. I just wish I didn't have to go to work at that time-I never get to see her anymore! I'm always happy to see Mason who is absolutely lovely and Janessa who is really smiley and cheers me up when I go in. I cross my fingers that they're working.
The trainers have changed around a bit too. I can't afford to hire one anyway but it's interesting to see the differences in personalities and techniques. Some never ever say hello, others are friendly and make me happy to be there. Adam is always smiling, says hello and puts his clients through challenging but well thought-out sessions. He teaches them well and is completely focused on them at all times. It's obvious that his clients trust and like him. Dean gave me a complimentary introductory session which was fantastic fun and I left with new ideas after just an hour. He was the first I saw using a TRX there. Rey is always friendly and I had a very interesting chat with Ingrid one night. Alex is a welcome addition and also really friendly and chatty. They've made me feel a better about the place. I perk up when I see them and feel like it really is my "home" gym. I actually miss them when I go somewhere else for a workout.
The layout is still poor. They've installed a multimount rack for TRX training in one of the rooms. The TRX is great fun to use so that's good....but it adds to the space issue. I think they needed to think more about where they were going to put everything else. They have too many machines cluttering the place that barely get any use and then others that people practically have to fight over.
All the dumbbells were replaced recently. On the upside, they don't leave black marks or wobble like some of the previous ones. The downside is that they look and feel cheap and are really bulky. They should really have bought some hex ones when they were buying them too. I like the graduated barbells though.
The place feels grubby and dirty. I'm not sure how much of it is purely the decor which is firmly lodged in the 70s. The carpet is disgusting and I've come across sticky patches-shudder. They recently refloored the showers but didn't bother to change the stalls or curtains which could have completely lifted the look. They could also have fixed the stupid broken shower too. For future reference (if you are really stuck for a gym and have to go there)-it's the first one on the left. Another peeve is that there is only one water fountain for the whole main floor and the tap to fill bottles doesn't work.
Overall, when somebody asks where I go I say "GoodLife-but because it's just around the corner". I'm not proud of it and I wouldn't bring a guest here. Suppose it's not really a resounding endorsement, is it? If it wasn't for the members of staff who are really friendly there I'd probably be somewhere else. GoodLife are lucky that they've managed to find a group of talented and genuinely pleasant and enthusiastic people. If they just improved the superficial stuff and maintained the facility better it could really be a joy.Listed in: Health and fitness (TO)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/26/2010
I had to ponder my star rating for a while, wishing for that 0.5 star option I've whined about… Read more »
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Review from Jesse H.
Toronto, ON
4/7/2010
The main reason I love this good-life location is the squash courts. It ups the value of this particular good-life location immensely.... if you are a squash player that is. The second reason I like going here is because the front desk staff are all nice and make you feel at home.
The other good-life locations that I've gone to, Eatons center north and especially Liberty village are, to put simply, nicer. Cleaner showers, bigger windows, more space and significantly bigger group class spaces. They have more machines and they are newer and, like the other reviewer said, the earphone jacks actually work.
One complaint I do have about Mccaul is that the trainers seem to think they, and their clients are the only ones in the gym... just this morning I witnessed a woman doing lunges up and down the narrow hallway on the main floor while all other members waited patiently or took their opportunity to weave around her. A bit mental I must say. Oh, and one last thing, either they don't cut off locks that aren't on rented lockers or they rent almost every locker, can be very difficult to find an empty locker in the busy times of the day. -
Review from Roy A.
Toronto, ON
7/19/2009
The location is good, but this location is tiny!
