YMCA At the Factory

Got a chance to check out the Y at the Factory in Wake Forest for the first time in many years. I can’t tell you how pleasant my workout experience was, considering I am used to the crowd at the Hillsborough St. Y in Raleigh. It’s not really the people that annoy me as much as it is the MASSES of them.
I actually got to enjoy my workout and use the equipment that I wanted to, when I wanted to. It was amazing. They don’t have quite as many options as most Y’s, but they have everything you could need nonetheless.
They do not have the extras such as a pool, rock climbing wall, racquetball, etc. but it shouldn’t be a surprise as this is basically a satellite location. They do, however have the full basketball court.

I like it… seriously though it’s well kept and friendly, something you don’t see all to often. This defiantly isn’t Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, and thank god it’s not Planet Fitness. It’s a diamond in the rough. It’s a gym that has a little bit of everything. Soccer moms, grandparents, teenagers, couples, gym rats, blah blah blah. and most of them seem to be nice people. The gym itself is on the small side, but unless you plan on running around inside, it’s fine. I generally go in around 1:00 pm and it’s pretty slow. (It’s the best time to go in my opinion.) The gym seems to peak around 10:00 am or 11:00 am and then slows down until around 4:00 pm. I only lift weights and run occasionally so I have no experience in the classes, but the people in them seem to be enjoying themselves and even more so, they seem to enjoy blaring their music. Lol.

Hubs and I joined the YMCA recently. I have visited other YMCA’s, and worked as a camp counselor in college at the Y so I am pretty familiar with the process and how they work. What intrigued us about the YMCA at The Factory is that it is so close to our home, and would limit any excuses to go regularly.
This Y is no different than others, in that they offer lots of classes, and equipment. There are lots of options for exercise, depending on your interest and level. The Factory Y does not have a pool though, but our membership includes the Y in Wakefield, which does have a pool, so if we were interested in utilizing the pool for exercise, we could.
The staff are very friendly, and are available if you need them. The membership fees are pretty comparable to other memberships, maybe a little more expense, but I feel with the services they offer, it is worth it.
Couple of issues with this Y: the parking is a nightmare because The Factory is very busy… I can’t complain too much though, since parking a mile away is actually starting the warm-​up early so I’m good to go when I get inside. Second, not unlike a lot of gyms, we tend to go at peak time so the options for equipment can be limited as all of the machines are usually full. Hubs and I had to wait about half an hour for an eliptical and the treadmill, but we opted for the bike while we waited so we were still exercising… not a huge deal.