The Quad Cities is no stranger to have a wide variety of gyms and fitness centers to go to. This is a great problem to have, because it means that our community has lots of options at our disposal to improve overall health and fitness through these different facilities. Well what is the problem with this? The problem is knowing which one of these gyms you should try out for yourself! Today, we will be looking at the Bettendorf Family YMCA, part of the YMCA of the Iowa Mississippi Valley and seeing if it would be a good place for you to visit!

A few key areas we will look at is:

• Price of membership
• Cardio and walking track area
• Weight room
• Swimming pool and sauna
• Group fitness classes
• Basketball courts
• Daycare access for children

Price of membership:

• Price of membership is very reasonable at only $37 a month for adults. There is an additional $37 joining fee that accompanies any first time YMCA member. The price itself is already reasonable simply due to the fact that the facility is well worth $37 (as we will look at briefly. In addition to this, the $37 actually allows you to go to all of the other YMCA’s across the country that participate in the nationwide program. Shown below is a picture taken off of their website showing the options for other age categories as well.

Cardio and walking track area:

• The cardio area is well fitted with numerous treadmills, recumbent bicycles, and stationary bicycles. The equipment is fairly new, and offers a great chance to break a sweat. In addition there are a few stair steppers, and nu-step machines which are not something you may typically see in a cardio area in a gym. The walking track is built on the second level of gym, offering walkers or runners an area to move in in free space. This is one of my favorite aspects of the gym itself, besides the weight room area. The track itself is 1/8 of a mile. I will say the only downside to the track is that it curves around quite a bit versus a normal track that is shaped like an oval, making it difficult to gain significant speed if you are running.

Swimming pool and sauna

• One of the most forgotten about areas of this YMCA is the pool and sauna area. In the Bettendorf YMCA, there is a large pool area for both lap swimming and water aerobic classes. In addition to this, there is also a zero depth kiddie pool right next to the lap pool that includes many kids fountains and even a water slide. Last but not least is access to the hot tub and sauna. I haven’t been in either of these for a while, but know many who use the facility frequently. This is a go-to option to relax after a tough workout!

Weight Room

• My favorite area in the gym! The weight room has been slowly redone over the last few years. There is new gym flooring on the weight room, which gives a good grip to the floor and a nice look to the area. When it comes to equipment, there are two racks of dumbbells. One rack of dumbbells goes up from 5-100 lbs. while the other goes from 5-120 lbs. There are multiple benches to complete these types of exercises on. In addition to this, there is a wide variety of updated weight machine equipment to target any muscle group you would like! Lastly, there are three squat racks, three lifting platforms with bumper plates, and a variety of different bench press benches. As you can see, whether it comes to free weights, or machines, the Bettendorf Family YMCA has you covered!

Group fitness classes

• If you don’t like working out alone, the Bettendorf Family YMCA has you covered! Here, numerous different group fitness classes are offered for your expertise level and interest. Whether it is bodypump, cycling class, yoga, or a silver sneakers class for seniors, there is always an option that you can enjoy!

Basketball courts

• The Bettendorf Family YMCA has four different basketball courts for you to choose from. Two of the courts are full size. The other two courts are dated, and have old rims that are not the best, but still are fine for pickup games. These courts also host pickleball, exercise classes, and other community events for kids and the YMCA.

Daycare access for children

• Do you have a kid that always bothers you during your workout? That won’t be a problem at the Bettendorf Family YMCA. The child watch area here is actually a giant indoor playground that kids can go and play while you get your own sweat on! This is completely free with membership, and the kids are monitored by child watch members throughout the time they are with you. Something else to note, is that YMCA members get discounted rates towards YMCA sports and events for children, such as soccer, basketball, and many more.

That’s a wrap! What do you think? I have always enjoyed using this facility and recommend it to anyone in the Quad Cites looking for a gym. As I mentioned, the membership here gets you to all of the other gyms in the surrounding area as well! For more information about the Bettendorf Family YMCA, you can visit their website.

We are here to help you not just survive in your life, but THRIVE!

#inclusivefitness #weareallstrong #dontjustsurvivethrive #allstrongfitnessllc #individualswithdisabilities #specialneedsfitness #seniorfitness