Every college student tries to do a little exercise every now and again. With the Irish weather, this can make anything outdoors a challenge. This is where a gym can come in handy. Here we will take a closer look at some of the more affordable local gyms for the Griffith student and other University students.
1.Raw Condition Gym 7 South Richmond Street, Portobello. 01-478-9204. See Google Maps
They do a rate for students of €289 per year. You can join for one month, six months, and one year. This includes all 30 gym classes per week. The classes currently available are:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |
| 7am to 7:45am | Bootcamp | Rip 60 & KB | Spin | Pump & KB | Spin | |
| 11am to 12pm | Power Hour | |||||
| 1:15pm to 1:45pm | Spin & Bootcamp | Rip:60 | Kettlebell | Bootcamp | Spin & Bootcamp | |
| 6:30pm to 7:15pm | Body Blitz | Spin | Boxercise Tone | Spin | Bodyburn | |
| 7:15pm to 7:45pm | Spin |
Opening hours are Monday – Friday, 6am-10pm; and weekends, 9am-6pm.
Rob , a personal trainer at Raw, says, “Raw is great for students, and we have a free trial available and have had many professional athletes using the gym.” “This is known as the hardcore gym with great atmosphere for all,” Tim Horstmann, a student at Griffith College and a member of Raw says. “The feeling is good there: good music, good image, and young people. The price is affordable, good equipment, and it’s close to Griffith College.”
2. Herberton Leisure – James’s Walk, Dublin 8. 01-454-7963. See Google Maps.
This leisure centre has a 12-metre swimming pool, complete with swim jets, and a spa area with jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, and plunge pool. A fully-equipped free weights area, resistance, and cardiovascular exercise equipment. For students, they do a price of three months for €100 and twelve months for €300, all classes included.
Personal trainer, Richard, says, “What makes Herberton Gym different is it’s a leisure centre with a great atmosphere, classes, and price.” Francine , also a student and a member of the gym, says, “I love the gym as I live in Dublin 8, and as a student, it’s clean and cheap. What more could someone ask for?”
The classes available are:
3 Swan Leisure – Lower Rathmines Road, Rathmines. 01-496-7908. See Google Maps.
Gavin Finn, manager at Swan, says, “We are happy to offer you the option of a full membership or pay as you go. We are a not-for-profit organization, and this is what makes us really different. Our mission statement is just to get the community active.”
Membership includes full access to swimming and gym facilities, as well as aqua aerobics classes every day. For September only, they have a 9-month student special for €269. In addition, they also have the pay-as-you-go membership, which the other gyms do not have. This makes it easier to try before you commit, as well as being perfect for that non-committal student (shorten or cross out). The price for this is €6.50 per gym visit, €6.00 for just swim, or €7.50 for both pool and gym.
Example of their Monday class list
This is a sample of Monday’s classes
| Monday | Class | Duration of class | Location | Included with Membership | ||
| 07:15 | HiiT Spin | 30mins | S2 | yes | ||
| 07:15 | Triathlon Coaching | 60mins | Pool | yes | ||
| 07:50 | Abs Blast | 15mins | S1 | yes | ||
| 10:00 | Pilates | 45mins | S1 | yes | ||
| 10:30 | Aqua | 40mins | Pool | yes | ||
| 11:00 | TBC | 30mins | hall | yes | ||
| 11:40 | HiiT Spin | 30mins | S2 | yes | ||
| 13:15 | HiiT Spin | 30mins | S2 | yes | ||
| 16:00 | Teen Gym | 120mins | gym | yes | ||
| 18:15 | Kettlebell Challenge | 45mins | hall | yes | ||
| 18:15 | Full Body Pump | 45mins | hall | yes | ||
| 18:15 | Pilates | 45mins | S1 | yes | ||
| 18:15 | HiiT Spin | 30mins | S2 | yes | ||
| 19:00 | EnduraSpin | 60mins | S2 | yes | ||
| 19:00 | Abs Blast | 15mins | hall | yes | ||
| 19:15 | TRX | 45mins | Hall | yes | ||
| 19:15 | Hiit Strength | 45mins | Hall | yes | ||
| 19:15 | Zumba | 45mins | S1 | yes | ||
| 20:05 | Aqua Aerobics | 35mins | Pool | yes | ||
| 20:15 | HiiT Spin | 45mins | S2 | yes | ||
| 20:15 | Pilates | 45mins |
So there is now no excuse not to exercise when the weather is bad.