The Gym Group London Elephant and Castle

Poor use of the space - the gym is going for fashion over function by having nice signs and lighting but it really needs more kit. There’s a lot of space in this gym which is nice, but it really could do with more kit - there’s room for at least 4 more benches and 3 or 4 more cable towers, the 3 there are simply not enough and are falling apart. Really needs some upgrade to the cable attachments too, PureGym does way better in that department - get some EZ bar attachments and lat attachments without the terrible rubber grip. The gym is reasonably clean (a few patches of water about…not sure why) but signs, especially the big G sign, are covered in dust. Lockers need benches by them in the corridor. This is a shame, clearly a new gym for the area and the kit that is there is decent but it really needs and could definitely fit more kit. I understand you don’t want to overfill a gym but it’s far from that. There’s potential but I wouldn’t recommend this gym right now.

Poor use of the space - the gym is going for fashion over function by having nice signs and lighting but it really needs more kit. There’s a lot of space in this gym which is nice, but it really could do with more kit - there’s room for at least 4 more benches and 3 or 4 more cable towers, the 3 there are simply not enough and are falling apart. Really needs some upgrade to the cable attachments too, PureGym does way better in that department - get some EZ bar attachments and lat attachments without the terrible rubber grip. The gym is reasonably clean (a few patches of water about…not sure why) but signs, especially the big G sign, are covered in dust. Lockers need benches by them in the corridor. This is a shame, clearly a new gym for the area and the kit that is there is decent but it really needs and could definitely fit more kit. I understand you don’t want to overfill a gym but it’s far from that. There’s potential but I wouldn’t recommend this gym right now.

Update to my last update: this gym now all works pretty smoothly. I think people have realised when peak times were and adjusted accordingly. So while there may still be queues at 6-8pm on a Monday (I stopped going at that particular day and time after taking the photo below), it’s generally just acceptably busy. From looking at the stats, I’d suggest this is still the busiest central-ish London gym operated by this brand but it’s also large and well managed, with a clientele who are serious about fitness but not dicks about it. It’s not an intimidating place. The weights areas has been rearranged a few times and now has about as safe, logical and efficient a layout as the available space will allow. There are more than enough cardio machines. I still think they’ve gone too big on the functional fitness/box fit/floor exercise area. As a result, when there’s not a hyrox class on, it looks pretty empty. You’ve got about one third of the gym housing 6-10 people doing stuff like standing on one leg or pushing a box or hitting a punchbag. And another area of roughly the same size has WAY more people jammed in to use free weights, racks and resistance machines. But clearly that’s not going to change so I’ll just have to suck it up. Compared to most gyms I’ve been to, equipment is in a good condition, well maintained, and repairs are prompt when things break down. Although since it’s only been open 6 months, that is what you’d hope/expect. Group activities are very popular and seem well run. I haven’t actually joined any of them so can’t really comment beyond that. Staff are friendly and helpful enough, no complaints there. My previous gym was the Castle Centre, where the staff largely acted like they hated you. The Gym Group’s ‘high security’ door entry system is like something from a 70s sci-fi horror movie – or, more specifically, the video for the Buggles’ hit ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’. You get shut in a sinister glass tube, to prevent double shuffling, only being allowed out after what can feel like an uncomfortably long time. But to be honest, I got used to it and I expect you will too. Entry is via a QR code, or you can manually enter a 9-digit PIN instead. I suspect the latter is adding to the numbers using the gym, thanks to the miracle of PIN sharing. Call it a hunch. At super-busy times, queues can result because neither entry method is what you’d call instantaneous, you have to do it to get out as well as to get in, and there are only two doors. Ideally, they need a third door. Maybe it’s just me though – I HATE queuing, whereas I know that for most British people, it’s basically the nation’s favourite pastime. 🤷🏼‍♂️ The changing rooms are pretty tiny but I don’t think this will be a problem as most of the clientele will be hyper local and will change/shower at home. There are some complaints about theft in other reviews but I’ve seen no evidence of that. In fact, what I find mind-blowing is that most people here seem more than happy to leave their stuff in lockers they don’t even bother to padlock. So presumably it’s not a crime hotspot by any means. Anyway, some minor nitpicking aside, this is a really excellent gym, especially if you’re able to go before 5 or after 8, or on evenings other than Monday to Wednesday. It’s both the best gym in the immediate area and also the cheapest, which is a hard combination to argue with. It’s also way nicer than the other Gym Group gym down Walworth Road.