Pawtucket YMCA

I got to know this place after searching for personal training sessions. My personal training goals were very specific and I found Bryan Francis through his website (
) — more on this later.
To train with him, I had to become a member of the YMCA. The facility is nice with ample fitness areas. The top floor has all the treadmills/​ellipiticals/​stairclimbers with numerous tvs (though not machine mounted personal screens). The bottom floor contains all the weights/​machines/​heavy bag. All the areas are well kept and maintained. There’s usually music playing downstairs via the radio, so bring your own headphones if you want your own workout mix. The locker rooms are spacious, but don’t come with any frills. Also, bring your own lock. Upstairs there’s an indoor basketball court (full-​sized with smaller hoops on the side) and an indoors racquetball court. A kid’s day care/​playroom also is on premises. The reception staff are friendly. The members vary from families with young kids to teens to older adults.
Basically, it’s a solid well-​rounded place devoid of any pretentiousness. There’s plenty of parking (street and lot). If you want fancy frills (like eucalyptus scented towels and cappuccinos, go pay the exorbitant rates at Synergy and BSC).
As I said, I joined with the intention of training to work on my core fitness, strength, and stability. I found Bryan Francis through a google search and communicated with him via email to setup a program that works for me. He was very receptive and accommodating to my schedule (I’m a busy medical professional). Prices were reasonable and you get a great discount if you buy a larger number of sessions.
Bryan’s approach incorporates elements of pilates, weight training, TRX, stretching, core, kettlebells, and resistance bands to customize programs. As a novice with very little prior training experience, Bryan started slowly with basic exercises so I could gain the necessary foundation to progress. He was very patient, but doesn’t shy away from pushing you. He has excellent knowledge of muscle physiology, body movement, and nutrition. He will never try to hawk any items and always is contactable via texts/​cell. I wish I found him ealier and was sad to leave as I had to move for a new job out of state. He’s a hidden secret of RI and is getting full of clients, so hurry up and contact him
Overall the Pawtucket YMCA is a solid gym/​fitness/​community center with enough offerings. Great for people of all ages with a friendly staff. Don’t expect fancy expensive frills, just a good neighborhood center.

The best part of being a member of the YMCA in New England is that you can utilize any branch. This YMCA is in an older building in downtown Pawtucket; it can be a bit tricky to find your way around. For example, the women’s locker room is in the bottom floor, the main workout area is split into two floors– the lower level is strength training and weights, the upper level is cardio machines. It’s not fancy, not brand new and shiny, but it gets the job done. There are small lockers in the upper workout area to store your jacket or purse.
There are only two (2) things that really bother me about this particular Y.
— There are only four (4) elliptical machines. That’s it. So there’s a wait sometimes.
–The front desk attendants aren’t particularly friendly. I’ve gotten some comments about the fact that I don’t belong to this particular Y, never gotten a smile or a «hello» upon entering the building, and when I’ve asked for help finding places within the building, the attendant acted as though I was stupid and that helping me was not her job. A nicer front desk would go far to making this a Y that I would recommend to others.
But right now, go if you have to, if it’s convenient, and only if you don’t mind mediocre customer service at best.