Where are the best gyms in the military"?

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 01:58:14 -0400

Some of us are about "that life." The gym is a place get stronger or sometimes to relieve some stress. I can say that I have been to many bases and not all of them are created the same. By far I think the best gyms are on AF bases. Back when it was Pope AFB had the best gym in the Fort Bragg area. Another great one is at Fort Dix, or the AFB that is adjacent to Fort Dix really.

The gym at the base I am at currently feels a bit too cramped and some the equipment seems a bit odd. Mainly non-standard free weight stuff.

Where is the best gym you have been too? This way I can have at least a heads up were to hit up if I stop by.

Response by SrA Matthew Knight made Aug 7 at 2015 3:14 AM

SrA Matthew Knight — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 03:14:18 -0400

I haven't been to enough different bases or gyms to personally know much but of the ones I have been to I would go with the HAWC at Scott AFB. 24 hour access with plenty of nice equipment and a half decent indoor running track for crappy weather days. Was especially nice while on mids when very few people were in there, usually mid shifters from either Security Forces or my weather unit so you could do what you wanted without fighting crowds. I kind of miss it some days, and that's coming from someone who personally hates gym settings.

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Aug 7 at 2015 4:41 AM

CSM Michael J. Uhlig — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 04:41:43 -0400

The gym in Wiesbaden, Germany is one of the best in Europe. There is an awesome combatives area, the crossfit area includes a fixed rope and multiple pull up areas (fixed and non-fixed), drop weights, you can set up classes, you can get rooms for specialized training, three full court basketball courts (indoors), a two-story outdoors rock wall. Our Graf gym is fit for a rockstar as well, the thing we have that is better that Wiesbaden is we have many more outdoor options to include a new track, multiple fields, a massive hill to use for stairs!

Here's a link: http://wiesbaden.armymwr.com/index.php/europe/wiesbaden/programs/clay-kaserne-fitness-center/

US Army MWR :: Clay Kaserne Fitness Center

This state of the art Fitness Center opened in June of 2006. The newly built center boasts 2 Fitness rooms, 1 Cycle room, a family room, Cardio area with over 50 elliptical and treadmills. We offer over 20 pieces of Nautilus equipment, an extensive free weight area with Hammer Strength and Life Fitness equipment. A contact room for boxing and combative 2 Racquetball courts, main Gym Floor that accommodates Basketball and Volleyball. For...

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 7 at 2015 9:28 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 09:28:08 -0400

The new one at Fort Carson was pretty stellar. I felt like I was at an AF gym.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 7 at 2015 10:50 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 10:50:54 -0400

Fort Carson has a great variety of gyms. From crossfit to standardized gym setups, Carson has them.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 7 at 2015 11:36 AM

MSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 11:36:05 -0400

I was stationed at McGuire years ago. Don't recall the gym being that impressive, but it probably has gone thru some significant changes since I was last there. I would vote for Kadena AB having one of the best gyms in the AF. That was my first duty station and where I first started working out. They did a major upgrade on it while I was there and I loved the fact that it was 24hrs!

Response by SGT Kristin Wiley made Aug 7 at 2015 2:36 PM

SGT Kristin Wiley — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 14:36:49 -0400

Nellis AFB has a nice gym if you can keep those airmen from doing curls in the squat rack.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 7 at 2015 4:12 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 16:12:36 -0400

I can't agree with you more, during my time in services, all the good gyms are located in AFB based

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 7 at 2015 9:32 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 21:32:45 -0400

The renovated Casey gym in Camp Casey Korea! Looks great. State of the art!

Response by SGT Rik Thibodeau made Aug 7 at 2015 9:35 PM

SGT Rik Thibodeau — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 21:35:39 -0400

The one at Del Din Caserma in Vicenza, Italy is pretty impressive as it's brand new. Indoor running track, combatives room, pool, even a rock climbing wall.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 7 at 2015 10:05 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 07 Aug 2015 22:05:04 -0400

FT Benning near the Rangers area can't remember the name of it had a smoothie bar and a wide variety of equipment with pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room. The gym's in Iraq/ Afghanistan/ Kuwait were very nice too.

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 8 at 2015 9:57 AM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 09:57:53 -0400

The Soto gym at Fort Bliss is really nice.

Response by SPC(P) Jay Heenan made Aug 8 at 2015 11:25 AM

SPC(P) Jay Heenan — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 11:25:26 -0400

The nicest military gym I have ever seen in my life was at West Point. It was like 5 stories and only the cadets were allowed to use it. That big beautiful place was empty ALL the time...so sad. The next nicest gym was the brand new one that was built on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, built on the Navy side.

Response by SFC Stephen King made Aug 8 at 2015 12:14 PM

SFC Stephen King — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 12:14:56 -0400

All the Military Gym's I have been to each have positives and negatives. Just to caveat I lime popes gym also Callahan and Tucker on Fort Bragg are nice. The Gym in Yokosuka Japan was one I also enjoyed.

Response by SrA Edward Vong made Aug 8 at 2015 6:08 PM

SrA Edward Vong — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 18:08:23 -0400

I was really a fan of the Warrior Fitness Gym at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, NV.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 9 at 2015 12:06 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 00:06:18 -0400

The best gyms are the gyms during deployments

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 9 at 2015 7:09 PM

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 19:09:50 -0400

Iraq, they had the best gyms I have seen. Reason for this is because they aren't pretty. They had everything that was needed to get the best workout for every part of the body. I suggest as long as the gym has bench press, dumbbells, squat rack. those are basically what is all to a monster workout. Everything else is a plus.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 9 at 2015 8:19 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 20:19:39 -0400

I really enjoy the gym at Kaneohe Bay, but I actually like the smaller gyms better typically because of less of a crowd.

Response by SFC Joseph James made Aug 10 at 2015 7:54 AM

SFC Joseph James — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 07:54:49 -0400

Gym? What's that? Running 5 miles in the snow... Welcome to the Army! lol

Response by COL Thomas Ficarra made Aug 10 at 2015 11:35 AM

COL Thomas Ficarra — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 11:35:21 -0400

I haven't been in a few years, but the gym at McQuire AFB was pretty nice. The gym at the North Fort on Lewis was nice too. The pentagon has a real nice facility but it's members only.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 11 at 2015 10:04 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 22:04:36 -0400

Best weight Gym I have seen in 19 years was the Rak gym at Campbell after COL Steele fixed it.

Response by Maj Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 25 at 2015 2:43 PM

Maj Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 25 Sep 2015 14:43:30 -0400

When I was stationed at Kadena I would typically go to Camp Foster's gym. Offutt has a pretty awesome one as long as air conditioning isn't a big deal to you!

Response by A1C Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 2 at 2015 2:45 AM

A1C Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 02:45:49 -0400

Hill AFB has a super nice gym with a rock climbing wall but it's always full of people. I like how they have an Olympic size swimming pool I can use at the Hess

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2016 9:24 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 09:24:14 -0500

Bragg has a few nice gyms imo. Fort Stewart has one of the nicest gyms I've been in, on the 4BCT side. Fort Campbell's BCT gyms have everything you need - but tend to get crowded during certain times. My favorite gym though was on the USS Peleliu (LHA-5). The gym was all the way forward and looked like an old school iron gym that you would pay to be a member of - except you got the added benefit of the motion of the ocean in your workouts.

Response by Capt Brandon Charters made Feb 12 at 2016 1:20 PM

Capt Brandon Charters — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 13:20:38 -0500

Agree with you here. The Air Force has to have this category on lockdown. One of my favorites was always Travis AFB. It had absolutely everything.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 7 at 2016 6:42 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 18:42:29 -0400

My personal favorite is the one on Eielson AFB. The one I'll remember most was the makeshift one we had going on in Azraq Jordan. We nicknamed it the prison gym

Response by SrA Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 7 at 2016 11:22 PM

SrA Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 23:22:06 -0400

Eielson AFB has a really solid gym.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 7 at 2016 11:31 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 23:31:33 -0400

Price Fitness Center at Presidio of Monterey was nice. I enjoyed the weight room a little too much. The cardio rooms were Ina different floor, so I was never even tempted to run! Lol

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 15 at 2016 8:43 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 15 Oct 2016 08:43:36 -0400

any gym with less machines and more room to pick up and move, swing or throw heavy things.

Response by CPO Eleanor Wilson made Jan 23 at 2019 2:41 PM

CPO Eleanor Wilson — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 14:41:48 -0500

First military gym was at Parris Island, 1959 to 1962. Nothing like the gyms of today. Basic York barbell weights and solid iron York dumbbells to a 100 pounds. Only gym machine was a basic universal machine. No cardio machines. The best cardio back then was a 10 mile beach run, two or three times a week. The gym instructor was Buddy Basil, 1960 New Jersey. At 80 years of age I now use the John Chafee gym in Newport,R. I. After 60 years I've used many gyms, both military and civilian. When I look back, that first gym prepared me for the military and life.