Hanson Fitness and Lifestyle Centre

Expérience négative: Horrible establishment that treats their paying customers poorly. Someone I know who went there got accused of “ threatening” a staff member and had their membership revoked. The staff gained up on this person and outright lied about what this person said to the staff. I will be reporting this situation because it was absolutely appalling and unacceptable. Please have your staff appropriately trained. I feel absolutely heartbroken as this person went to this gym to better their mental health just for it to be diminished by immature staff members that feel it’s okay to lie about what happened. Do better!

Expérience fantastique: I don’t want to glaze but it’s not as busy as everyone says. then again I only go before 10am… it’s 9:30 am and it looks almost empty, maybe 40 people on both floors combined. Idk maybe they should open a second gym if it continues to be over crowded but other than that there isn’t much they can do about it unless you want them to cap the amount of people allowed… which isn’t a great thing to do. Idk gym is good to me, I have a Movati membership and go here instead

Expérience négative: Hanson Fitness and Lifestyle Centre – A Complete Embarrassment to the University of Alberta For a prestigious university that claims to prioritize student well-being, the Hanson Fitness and Lifestyle Centre is an outright disgrace. Despite forcing students to pay over $100 in fees for it, the facility is embarrassingly small, severely outdated, and completely inadequate for a school of this size and prestige. Expect to spend half your workout waiting for equipment or maneuvering around overcrowded spaces. The gym offers a laughable selection of machines, just a couple of lat pulldowns, a few bench presses, and minimal other benches. There are no dedicated bicep or tricep machines, making it nothing more than a neglected 1990s high school weight room rather than a university facility. Basic functionality is also a disaster. The card entrance gates fail to work at least half the time, and one had been out of order all year. Not to mention day-use lockers are never available. Even worse, in my four years, nothing has been done to improve any of these glaring issues. There aren’t even bathrooms inside the gym, because why bother with essential amenities? Arguably worse is the hypocrisy. The University of Alberta constantly promotes mental and physical well-being, yet refuses to invest in a fitness facility that meets even basic standards. No wonder student mental health, physical well-being, and athletic performance have suffered significantly. The university’s actions make it clear that they don’t care. Prioritizing profit over student needs, they are more than happy to take your money while providing the bare minimum in return. Very disappointing. This gym is not just inadequate, it is an embarrassment. If you value your time and money, avoid it at all costs.

Expérience négative: Yeah it’s a good gym if you want to step into a hellish overstimulating nightmare. People will literally line up behind you for equipment, and that’s if you can actually get the equipment you need. It doesn’t matter what time you go it’s constantly packed

Expérience positive: Affordable gym for alumni and the community. Friendly vibe amongst members.

Expérience positive: please stop buying precor brand machines

Expérience positive: The gym isn't too bad but the problem is that they only allow small bags in the gym, nothing in a medium size. Large backpacks won't be acceptable which I can understand. I didnt know that I wasn't allowed to bring a bag into the gym... but the bag wasn't very big at all nor did it take up a ton of space ...

Expérience négative: The gym is always crazy busy. It should be twice as large in space and equipment to accommodate everyone.

Expérience fantastique: Great workout place!! All equipments

Expérience fantastique: Wicked gym! Lots of equipment and lots to do.

Expérience négative: My God, more crowded than a termite's nest. It's the size of a small commercial gym and they huddled everything together. Size wise, this is genuinely the type of facility you'd expect from a small college or in a third world country. Absolutely not appropriate for a university of 60000+ people (counting staff and students). If you go to an American college or even high school you're gonna find actual world class athletic facilities at places HALF or even a QUARTER the size of this university. If you're gonna have something so bad at least make the fees for it optional. And the worst thing is that they wanna charge students $60/month (membership for an actually good gym AND another sport/activity) for the spring/summer . Word of advice, find yourself a good gym nearby such and go there instead, this one's not even worth checking out.

Expérience fantastique: can be really busy during certain hours but otherwise it's great. not sure about how much prices vary compared to other gyms but it seems better given the perks you get for the price.

Expérience négative: don’t let you bring a bag force u to walk around carrying all ur equipment like a g00ber

Expérience positive: Mediocre gym with a good selection of equipment, albeit rushed at times. 3 stars since some of the equipment tends to be broken without being repaired for weeks to months on end. Friendly staff.

Expérience fantastique: Full of youthful enthusiasm and welcoming staff.

Expérience fantastique: Love this place, definitely you will ❤️

Expérience fantastique: Top-notch gym and fitness facility. Members know how to re-rack their weights. Large, clean space with every bit of strength training equipment you could ask for.

Expérience positive: The gym is clean and has excellent equipment and a number of free weights. It opens at 6:00 and gets quite packed because it serves students so it’s better to go early to avoid the crowd. There are a lot of lockers and showers for use.

Expérience fantastique: Love the opening hours, equipment is great. Change rooms are great and clean, same for showers.

Expérience fantastique: It gets busy, so come early if you still wanna use some equipment. Tons of showers available as well as lockers too.

Expérience fantastique: Love the opening hours, equipment is great. Change rooms are great and clean, same for showers.

Expérience fantastique: Excellent facility for students to work out

Expérience fantastique: Clean, safety and excellently equipped

Expérience fantastique: Great for students, make sure u come here after your classes

Expérience fantastique: Excellent equipment and wide range of free weights. Lots of treadmills, rowing machines and stationary bikes for cardio. Most mats and rollers have been removed because of COVID but you can bring your own.

Expérience fantastique: Very nice workout area with many new machines and equipment.

Expérience fantastique: Clean, safety and excellently equipped

Expérience fantastique: Very clean.

Expérience négative: Don’t come here unless you are affiliated with uofa. They won’t let you work out.

Expérience positive: Spacious AF. No complaints there. If you don't like crowds then avoid mid day hours.

Expérience négative: Very busy. The platform area is filled with filthy powerlifters who slam down weights that aren't even that heavy cause they're pathetic. The 2 stars go entirely to a diverse set of equipment to do what you want with including some behind the counter if you can't find it. Come midday (12ish) or late evening (8ish) if you don't want to wait around too much for everything.

Expérience positive: Really nice gym. Equipment is new, clean, and professional. However, it's just not big enough. This gym is packed at almost all hours. Keep in mind 35,000 students are sharing this space (plus 8,000 staff) on North Campus alone. There doesn't seem to be a time in the day except VERY early or VERY late that you are not waiting for a bench, squat rack, etc. U of A should be investing in a larger space, or multiple spaces around campus.

Expérience fantastique: I would say this is one of the best public gyms out in the University area. It does have a lot of equipments.

Expérience fantastique: Best gym in the city. Massive 2 floors with powerlifting stations, TREX and tons of weights. Clean, good staff and no muscleheads.

Expérience fantastique: great place for workout. The trainer was nice with us . The environment was cool . The fees was ok as per training.

Expérience fantastique: I always workout here. It's a nice gym. Has everything I need equipment wise.

Expérience fantastique: Very clean.

Expérience fantastique: Great facility! Located at a convenient spot, perfect for those driving or taking the public transit.

Expérience fantastique: Best gym ever. I hope every gym out there where like this one. They have it all and you can find machines available always.

Expérience positive: Crowded but vast facility

Expérience positive: Nice selection of equipment to use, but during peak times need to wait for equipment to be available

Expérience positive: Great place to workout with plenty of equipment and nice and friendly staff. Only downside is that it is a very busy gym and it's nearly impossible to workout during the busy times.

Expérience positive: This gym has most of the equipment you need to complete a thorough workout. If you're a University student the cost is usually covered and its typically inexpensive otherwise. The problem is the gym itself is kind of unorganized and can be very crowded during peak times. Also, the locker rooms have been under construction forever.

Expérience fantastique: The Hanson Fitness and Lifestyle Centre is fairly new, opening in November 2014. I actually took the opportunity to go to the gym in its early stages, and since them it has undergone some fine-tuning to put the equipment in more appropriate areas. While this gym a plethora of equipment, it’s generally still pretty crowded given that the University has nearly 40,000 students attending it, but that's not really in their control.

Expérience fantastique: I really love this place. It is like all at one place. You can practice many sports here and, in my opinion, it's very cheap (I'm taking as a student I don't know how it is for others) the stuff is very friendly, and they are always willing to help. I mostly use the Hanson Fitness Center but I have seen that they have remodeled the climbing Center.

Expérience fantastique: Good gym. All kinds of exercise.

Expérience fantastique: superb place for workout. The equipment are good. The people are very nice with each other the environment is friendly. Overall must recommended place if anybody wants

Expérience fantastique: Great facilities.

Expérience fantastique: Good machines for cardio. Only 30 minutes per machine but you can do more if people are not waiting already.

Expérience fantastique: Clean and modern gym. Good place to workout for students.

Expérience fantastique: Very well equipped gym with plenty of duplicate machines so wait times are little to non-existent. Also pictures are not allowed without approval.

Expérience fantastique: One of the best gyms in Edmonton! Has great drop in classes and weight selection.

Expérience fantastique: 你今天举铁了吗？

Expérience fantastique: Very complete gym

Expérience fantastique: As a uofa student, the gym is the best you can ask for.

Expérience positive: Well equipped facility for most activities

Expérience positive: Overall a good gym. Spin bikes are old. No rpm monitors. Gym etiquette is not enforced.

Expérience positive: University's own fitness center, convenient but can be crowded in the afternoon

Expérience négative: Things constantly break down in this center, whether it be running machines, cable grips or the onecard machines that you need to get through to enter the fitness area/locker rooms. It is very crowded with students from September to April, unless you come here before 9 a.m. Some of the staff members are also extremely rude and unpleasant to talk to. Would only recommend if you are a U of A student and can't afford membership anywhere else.

Expérience fantastique: I really love this place. It is like all at one place. You can practice many sports here and, in my opinion, it's very cheap (I'm taking as a student I don't know how it is for others) the stuff is very friendly, and they are always willing to help. I mostly use the Hanson Fitness Center but I have seen that they have remodeled the climbing Center.

Expérience négative: Constantly packed to unbelievable levels. There never seems to be a time of day where there isn't a line for a bench or power rack. For some reason, you need to bring your card with you into the actual gym itself (you cant leave it in the locker) which means you are carrying your keys or wallet with you in the gym. Parking also costs $6 every time you want to go there, unless you take public transit. I'm giving two stars because the equipment is really nice.

Expérience fantastique: Well equipped, clean and neat

Expérience fantastique: Clean and lots of equipment. I lovebhowbthey don't blast music and let everyone listen to their own headphones

Expérience fantastique: Great gym with lots of new equipment. The staff are helpful and friendly. This is a university gym, and as such, the busy times are around lunch hour and after class (or work). I've had no more issues finding free equipment than at any other gym. If you're machine/rack is being used, try one of the other many pieces of equipment. Get creative and stop your complaining.

Expérience fantastique: Busy in the evening but mornings are great

Expérience fantastique: Good gym but pretty busy during the school year

Expérience positive: Its not great for parking

Expérience positive: New renovated gym.

Expérience positive: Incredibly busy between 12pm and 7pm. Never had to wait in line for a squat rack before this gym

Expérience positive: facility services is extremely rude. But the staff within the centre are pretty friendly.