Target Fitness offers four different membership packages with the most expensive being about 35…read morepounds a month. It offers a pretty good selection of classes, and has two swimming pools, a large and a small. The gym itself is upstairs cardio machines and weight machines and mats with freeweights, with a more hardcore weights room next door. Most of the machines are pretty new and in good working order. A few of the exercise bikes need some TLC and a couple of the seats dont adjust anymore on the weight machines. The cross trainers are excellent and have some really challenging interval settings on them. Don't expect all the heart rate monitoring plates on the machines to work either. The free weights area has a good range of weights benches and balance boards, including those irritating vibration plate things. As for classes they do all the usual Body Pump/Vive etc as well as yoga, tabata training and Spinning and many others; all are available on the website for you to look at. I attend the Spinning most frequently and you can pretty much go every day of the week if you are a sadist, though you have to book early but can get the odd last minute appointment if you're lucky. The instructors are friendly and make the classes fun and I would really recommend them. I haven't used the pool but I mean it's a pool it looks ok. Blue and splashy. The female members changing has three showers, two cubicles and a lot of lockers. All good here. Opening hours are pretty good, 6:30 till 10pm in the week, 9-5 on saturdays and open till nine pm on sundays SO hard to find excuses not to go. So if you are looking for a midprice gym that is there when you want it I would recommend Target, but if you can afford more, you can probably get better machines at a posher gym.

There is a comprehensive range of aerobic classes including, circuits, spinning, aerobics,…read morebox-ercise, chair based exercise classes and tai-chi. There are also aqua-fit classes in the swimming pool. Aqua Fit is £4 Per sessions and currenly two evenings per week, Monday 8 til 9 & Fri 7 til 8, the instructor is great fun, using spagehtti floats, ages range from 17 to 65 it is mostly women and there have been a few men join the class. Its great fun to get in shape meet new people and have a laugh.

I come to Sugden fairly often, mainly to play badminton with my friends. I must say that prices for…read morebadminton courts are very reasonable, but I don't find the service much good. Once all the fields were taken, even if we had booked one and we were there on time, yet no one was there to check that players were respecting their times. Lockers are provided to drop your stuff, but you have to pay 20p to use one. I considered signing to Sugden just after moving to Manchester because it's very close to uni. Therefore I took their gym induction to give a look at the place and at the machines. The gym is ok, not very big to tell the truth. I was actually rather disappointed with the induction itself, cause it lasted only five minutes, the instructor just hastily showed us the rooms, we didn't even have time to try any machines. Also, we were more than ten people taking the induction, and I was expecting something more serious and personalized since I was paying for it.

I'm not a student at Manchester University, but one of my best friends is and that means that I get…read moreto in to Sugden Sports Centre every week to play a bit of badminton. There are loads of sports halls and courts and stuff here, so lots of space to do whatever sport you're into - be that squash, badminton, basketball, circuit training, etc. If you're playing badminton like we do, then it costs just over a fiver to hire a court for an hour once you're a member. This isn't too expensive, especially when it's split between the two of us. The one thing that annoys me here just a tiny bit is the fact that you have to pay 20p for a locker and you don't get it back. It's quite cheeky to get you to pay for the privilege of having your stuff safe whilst you're exercising. Surely, after membership and court hire, that should just be a given.

This is the best gym I have been too for getting everyone included and making friends. Everyone…read morehere is also really fit, although many say they didn't start off that way. The training here is based around a functional approach, and I have had really impressive results with both weigh loss and fat loss. There is also brilliant yoga and they also have monthly nights out and have events for everyone to join into with. It really is the best gym I have come across in Northwich.

BPP, which few know stands for Brierley Price Prior, is one of the two best colleges to study…read morepostgraduate Law in Manchester, along with the more simply named College of Law. Certain law firms have links with BPP and insist that their future workers attend the college, as they influence what goes onto the syllabus. Fees are high, as with any law firm, at around £8500 for the one-year course, but around half of students have these paid by law firms with whom they have pre-contracts. If you do go there without a training contract the college have excellent services for securing their students places, so it will probably end up being a worthwhile investment in the long run. They host networking events and termly parties to assist students in getting contracts and making connections, and alumni events for previous students. BPP also have several sports teams including football, hockey and netball. A new womens football team has just been started. They also do a lot of pro bono work and care in the community work such as presentations to the homeless and to prisoners. BBP is located in St James' Bulding on Oxford Street, and has a library and a canteen and common room. They do have some temperature issues, and studenst are often bemoaning the randomly high temperatures in the classrooms and the freezing library. They also don't have an exam room so students have to travel elsewhere for them. In all, if you're looking to study Law, you certainly should look into BPP.

I'd been a traditional gym member for years after getting into the habit of going whilst at…read moreuniversity, but I became aware that I wasn't really pushing myself and had seriously plateaued fitness-wise. It was a trip to see some friends down in London which changed all this. Walking past Clapham Common I saw a large group of people wearing coloured bibs running and doing different exercises whilst under the instruction of three blokes in camouflage trousers. Making out that their t-shirts had 'BMF' on them I was intrigued so did an internet search (http://www.britmilfit.com/) when I got back home. Fast forward three-and-a-half years and I've not been in a gym since. The great outdoors has become my cross trainer, treadmill and step machine (cheesy yet true). The BMF philosophy is simple: outdoor fitness with like-minded folk by qualified and passionate former military instructors. Though some people might think this sounds intimidating it's not at all, everyone is welcoming and encouraging regardless of your fitness level. Personally, I love going to Heaton Park in particular. Not only because it's a huge park with different terrains and parts of it are stunning, but the people who attend every week are one of the main reasons you keep going back. Everyone motivates you and you can have a laugh during the sessions, all whilst getting the heart pumping and fat burned away. The aforementioned bib colours correspond to your fitness level with beginners (blue), intermediate (red) and advanced (green). Classes start with a warm up followed by at least 50 minutes of individual, paired and team exercises, ending with a cool down and stretches. The beauty of the classes is that no two are the same, each one differs in park location and exercise choices, that's what keeps it interesting compared to a standard gym session. Tip: Your first class is free and there is no obligation to join. Just fill out the online form to enroll before you go. Tip: A decent pair of outdoor running shoes is all you really need. Other than that, an old t-shirt on top and shorts, tracksuit bottoms or running leggings are ideal. In winter, base layer top and bottoms are recommended as well. Tip: Some parks also hold a dedicated 'Running Club' session which is at the same time as a normal class.

Great little place, good snooker hall with 6 tables, I've never booked and always got a table. Has…read morea small bar which is good and friendly. 10 pin bowling is here as well, so if you want to get rid of/ entertain the kids for an hour, you can.

What on Earth is Crossfit, you might ask. Well I certainly did when my friend, who's an avid fan,…read morefirst mentioned this to me. To quote their website, it's "a strength and conditioning programme built on constantly varied, functional movements executed at high intensity." I still wasn't totally sure what this meant so decided to join them for a free introductory session before Christmas. Based in a former garage building in the grounds of the imposing Pear Mill in Bredbury near Stockport, this has none of the sleekness and modernism of the gyms that are popping up all over the place. The large, single space inside is equipped with rowing machines, a metal frame for manual pull ups and areas for weights and floor exercises. Thankfully this is definitely not a 'muscle head' / Rocky Balboa gym environment and there are no floor-to-ceiling mirrors on the walls. No mirrors at all, in fact. After an hour's induction where the centre manager (who's a lovely chap) provides you with a one-on-one session, introducing you to the various exercises involved, you can choose to stay for a Crossfit class - which I did. Fast forward an hour and the human formerly known as Michael was completely exhausted and just about alive. In that time I'd rowed, done pull ups, sit ups, press ups, box jumps and squats (with barbells), lifted kettle bells and lunged my way across the centre. Every class is different and the exercises for the day are written on the whiteboard before you arrive so you know what you need to do. You're provided with your own record sheet to keep notes on your personal bests so you can see how you're progressing week-to-week. It's certainly different to what I've experienced before in a gym; plus the friendliness of the staff and fellow 'Crossfitters' makes you feel welcome. Though I'll probably stick to BMF (http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/bmf-prestwich), this is worth a try if you want to concentrate more on strength and conditioning.