I’m going to be spending six weeks in Sydney in Jan/Feb (great escape from the English winter), staying in North Ryde, near Macquarie Uni.
Can anyone recommend:
(a) a good gym nearby: no need for anything fancy, just lots of free weights and good attitude
(b) where to buy supplements, and good brands to choose. I don’t think that carrying six weeks of protein powder will help my baggage allowance. I’d buy Biotest like a shot, but I have the impression that retail prices are as crazily high in Oz as they are in the UK. Or is Biotest by mail order from the US a feasible option? If so, are there products which are going to cause problems at Customs?.
It feels rather like a squash club with a gym attached … but that’s not so bad. The gym isn’t super well-equipped but is pretty adequate: there’s only one olympic barbell, but loads of others; there are loads of benches; and all the “nice to have” stuff - standing and seated calf machine, hack squat, cable cross-over, cable pull-down, chin/dip station. There’s a basic squat rack (and a Sm*th machine, if that’s your thing). The dumbells are a bit limited, with the heaviest being about 35kgs. There’s also a room downstairs full of cardio equipment, and loads of universal machines, but I kept clear of that. The downstairs stuff is pretty new; the upstairs “proper” weights and equipment show plenty of wear and tear.
There’s no air-con; plenty of fans. Very relaxed place (you know a place is going to be good when you don’t get a list of rules thrust in your face when you arrive). It’s certainly unlike a big chain gym.
The one-month price is a bit steep at A$120, but I’m sure that comes down if you sign up for longer. I think they’re offering a year for A$499, which compared to UK prices would be pretty reasonable: I’ve no idea how it rates around here.
I’m only in Australia for a month; this place is going to suit me really well. If I was here longer would I make it my regular place? Probably.
Don’t know about gyms in that area but you seem to have that fairly sorted, if the one you mentioned isn’t doing it for you, you might be able to get into the uni gym (if they have one).
As far as supplements go, the most common stores would probably be GNC and WorkoutWorld. GNC has a store in most major shopping centres, WW is not as common but carries some different stuff for (if I remember correctly) reasonable prices. There is probably, although not definately as I don’t live near there, a GNC in the Maquarie Centre, which is very close to the Uni.
Thanks mate. Macquarie Uni wanted a fortune to use their gym on a short-term basis. I found a health food shop at Macquarie Centre, which had some protein and stuff. Not great choice, not great prices, but hey, it’ll do for a month.
hey mate, not many gms in area that are cheap, et alone only using it for a couple of months. there is a cheap vitamin shop in gladesville, bout 5 mins from north ryde, the cheapest in sydney, its called discount vitamin world.
283 victoria road gladesville, check it out, owner is a nutritionist and her partner trains athletes, so he knows bout stregth training a fair bit.
cheers simonm