Fitness expert visits gyms nationwide, shouts out 4 clubs for 'getting it right’

Gym rank successful the U.S. deed a grounds precocious successful 2025, according to the Health & Fitness Association, giving consumers much workout options — and much choices to benignant done erstwhile picking the close fittingness space.

Amid today's wellness renaissance, galore gyms and fittingness clubs tin outgo hundreds of dollars per month, depending connected the level of entree and amenities offered.

In an interrogation with Fox News Digital, Kenny Santucci — New York City fittingness trainer, gym proprietor and big of the "Strong New York" podcast — revealed the attributes of a large gym.

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"A batch of radical traditionally look astatine gyms [as if] they person to person each the bells and whistles," helium said. "Spa, bathrooms, each these things. For me, a gym is simply a gym. I spell determination for the equipment, I spell for the culture, I spell for the look and consciousness of the place."

He added, "You tin person an unthinkable gym [that's] a store gym, and you tin person an unthinkable gym [that] idiosyncratic could person built for $10 million."

Amid today's wellness renaissance, galore gyms and fittingness clubs tin outgo hundreds of dollars per month, depending connected the level of entree and amenities offered. A New York City fittingness trainer (not pictured) has a antithetic presumption of what makes the champion gyms.

Santucci, who visits caller gyms crossed the state and posts his experiences connected societal media, said helium looks for a equilibrium betwixt aesthetics and instrumentality quality, arsenic good arsenic "great people."

"I deliberation you could spell and get successful a sweat oregon a workout anyplace — but if the radical are great, that's what creates that large culture," helium said.

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"If you inquire the mean idiosyncratic who goes to astir big-box gyms, the things they archer you they emotion astir the gym are, ‘Oh, I emotion the showers. They person truly bully towels.’ It's thing that really pertains to the gym, and I judge that radical should spell to the gym to advancement and get better," helium added.

With these goals successful mind, Santucci revealed immoderate of his top-rated gyms successful the U.S.

Life Time Fitness

Life Time is simply a concatenation of luxury wellness clubs successful the U.S., offering amenities similar indoor courts, swimming pools, saunas and radical fittingness classes.

Santucci applauded the gym's laminitis and CEO, Bahram Akradi, for being a "very hands-on proprietor and operator," overseeing hundreds of gyms crossed the country.

The facade of an upscale Lifetime gym is shown successful Walnut Creek, California, connected April 8, 2025. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

"[Bahran’s] mentality and content strategy astir the fittingness space, I perfectly love," helium said.

"I springiness a batch of recognition to the guys who are owners and operators," Santucci added. "They’re successful the space, they're making definite things are going truly well. I deliberation if you're going to beryllium successful the gym business, you should beryllium 1 of those people."

Anatomy Gyms (Florida)

Santucci besides shouted retired Marc Megna, co-founder and co-CEO of Florida-based Anatomy Fitness for gathering a must-visit space.

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"It's an unthinkable civilization there, and I deliberation that's what they truly propulsion astatine that gym," helium said.

"The mode the gym’s acceptable up, the cleanliness of it, the aesthetics – you locomotion successful that place, and you privation to bid … and those are things you can't conscionable bargain ... You person to unrecorded it, emotion it and beryllium progressive successful the day-to-day operations."

Powerhouse (New York/New Jersey)

In a newer recommendation, Santucci said he’s enjoyed stopping into Powerhouse Gym successful New York City.

The New York- and New Jersey-based gym focuses connected value grooming and bodybuilding, including a powerlifting country and boxing rig astatine its locations.

"I conscionable started going there, erstwhile oregon doubly a week," helium said. "I truly emotion the radical and the culture."

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The Training Lab (NYC)

For much of a radical fittingness and Hyrox grooming experience, Santucci recommends The Training Lab successful New York City. (Hyrox is simply a planetary fittingness racing marque and grooming strategy with affiliated gyms and grooming clubs.)

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"The guys implicit astatine Training Lab are incredible," helium told Fox News Digital. "Another owner-operator who's progressive successful the business, who partakes successful everything. I deliberation they're different large gym."

"If you're looking for radical training, Training Lab's a large space."

Participants vie successful the burpee wide jumps lawsuit during the Hyrox fittingness contention astatine the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre successful Bangkok connected March 21, 2026. (Amaury Paul/AFP)

The terms of wellness

While immoderate premier gym memberships tin outgo upward of $300 a month, Santucci said it isn’t indispensable to walk a batch to get results, though it whitethorn effect successful much of an "experience."

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"We request to restructure the mode we deliberation astir wellness and wellness," helium said. "People aren't going retired arsenic overmuch anymore. They're not spending arsenic overmuch connected alcohol.

"It's each what you prioritize. I prioritize fitness," helium went on. "I beryllium to aggregate gyms. I person a rank to TMPL Gym present successful [New York City]. I person a rank to Renzo Gracie's. That's what I similar to bash with my money."

While immoderate premier gym memberships tin outgo upward of $300 a month, Santucci emphasized that it isn’t indispensable to walk a batch to get results. (iStock)

Santucci said what he’s paying for goes beyond the instrumentality — pointing to the staff, assemblage and wide ambiance arsenic portion of the value.

"If you privation that elevated experience, you're going to wage for that conscionable similar you would astatine a edifice oregon a edifice oregon thing else," helium said.

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The adept suggested that wellness has precocious go a "third signifier of hygiene."

"It's similar you instrumentality a shower, you brushwood your teeth and you spell to the gym," helium said. "I deliberation those are 3 non-negotiables for astir everybody connected a regular ground erstwhile it comes to your hygiene."