Best gym in Qld: Vote from 120 nominations across the state

Battling the bulge or busting for bulk – whatever your aim, Queensland’s gyms have you covered. But which one is the best of the best? SEE THE RANKINGS

Battling the bulge or busting for bulk – whatever your aim, Queensland’s gyms have you covered.

News Corp compiled the ultimate list of fitness centres from across the state, all with one ambition: To be crowned the best of the best.

From Gold Coast in the south to Cairns in the north, you have voted for the best gyms around each region of Queensland.

Now we know who truly is the best of the best.

Strand Fitness in Townsville led the way with 267 votes, adding to its regional title.

Wattfit Brisbane (165 votes) was second ahead of Growth Gyms, Avoca (102), Fitness Compound (40) and BFT Robina (25).

See the final voting below >>>

GOLD COAST

An Ormeau business owner was left “blown away” and “in disbelief” after taking out the title of Gold Coast’s best gym for the fifth year.

Genfit Training Centre smashed the field of 70 finalists to take out the top gong, with

owner Michael Kassouh crediting the “family” environment of his gym for helping secure the win.

“We’re a family, really – that’s what I put it down to,” he said.

“If you need to cry when you come in here, you can do that.

“You don’t have to come in and train. If you just want to come in and sit down with one of my staff or myself and just talk, people can do that.”

Gold Coast’s 10 nominees (ranked in order of regional voting)

1. Genfit

2. Fitness Compound

3. BFT Robina

4. Never Quit

5. EMF Nerang

6. Gold Coast Performance Centre

7. EMF Robina

8. Empire Fitness Centre

9. Goodlife Health Clubs Bundall

10. Fitstop Bundall

Cast your vote below >>>

BRISBANE

“Nothing special”.

The modesty was to be admired but Fitstop Aspley clearly has secrets to success when it comes to running a gym in Brisbane.

“We honestly don’t do anything special. Everyone who is a part of our gym is a valued member of our community,” owners, Keegan McCann, Tayla McCann and Matt Kregenbrink said.

“Knowing everyone’s names and making them feel welcomed every single time they train is very important to the Team at Fitstop Aspley. We want the hour the members spend with us the best hour of their day.”

Brisbane’s 10 nominees

1. Fitstop Aspley

2. Fitstop Milton

3. UBX Graceville

4. Fitstop Nundah

5. Perform 360

6. Rumble West End

7. Facilities Fitness

8. Rebuild Health and Fitness

9. Fortitude Barbell

10. F45 Training Kallangur

Cast your vote below >>>

The race is on to be named Queensland's best gym in 2023.

SUNSHINE COAST

A “community” gym that offers over-50s group classes was voted by readers as the Sunshine Coast’s best gym.

More than 500 votes were tallied in the Sunshine Coast Daily’s search for the region’s best gym, with Wattfit in Little Mountain coming out on top.

Wattfit received 33 per cent of the votes, closely followed by BFT Caloundra with 27 per cent.

Sunshine Coast’s 10 nominees

1. Wattfit

2. BFT Caloundra

3. Body Rock Female Transformation

4. F45 Training Sippy Downs

5. O2 Performance

5. Jetts Bli Bli

5. Strong Pilates Maroochydore

8. Fitness Cartel Maroochydore

9. Invigr8 Health Club 24/7

10. F45 Training Nambour

Cast your vote below >>>

BUNDABERG

By a landslide, Raw Awakening took out the top spot for Bundaberg’s best gym of 2023 with 37 per cent of the votes, almost double the votes for the runners-up.

Owner Tataina Quinn said she opened the Quay St gym in 2019 after she noticed a gap in the region’s fitness industry, deciding that Raw Awakening’s main focus was to be accessible for everyone.

“We are very community focused so we keep our memberships very low, which also includes unlimited classes and 24-hour access,” she said.

Bundaberg’s 10 nominees

1. Raw Awakening 24/7 Gym

2. Growth Gyms, Avoca

3. World Gym

4. Jetts Bundaberg

5. YMCA Bundaberg

6. Fitstop (Bundaberg)

7. Total Fitness- The home of “Crossfit United Bundaberg”

8. City Fit Bundaberg

9. F45 Training Bundaberg

10. 3b’z Fitness Bundaberg

Cast your vote below >>>

GYMPIE

Iron Palace easily secured its position as Gympie’s best gym of 2023.

Brad Morris and Mimi Rogers, the power couple behind Iron Palace, bought the gym in February 2021, — “smack bang in the middle of covid” — and have since gained an astounding following across the Gympie community.

Mr Morris shared that the gym’s logo — a grizzly bear wearing a crown – was inspired by his late rottweiler, Bear, who sadly died earlier in 2023.

“I was devastated; he has been my best mate for 12 years (his whole life),” Brad said.

“But little did I know, two days after he passed away I found out that the gym had got together and pulled enough money to buy me a new rottweiler puppy.”

Gympie’s 10 nominees

1. Iron Palace

2. The Real Body Movement

3. Irontherapy

4. F45 Training Gympie

5. Jetts Gympie

6. Cooloola Fitness Centre

7. CrossFit Virtuous

8. Genesis Health and Fitness Gympie

9. CrossFit Release

10. Snap Fitness Gympie

Cast your vote below >>>

IPSWICH

Putting the community first paid off in a big way for BFT Ipswich, claiming the crown as the city’s best gym in 2023.

“Honestly, it feels great of course. We aren’t ones to look for publicity, we just like to do our thing and focus on our members. But one of our members nominated us, and we can’t help but feel a bit feel warm and fuzzy that all our hard work in the community is being noticed,” owner Aryan Taefi said.

Ipswich’s 10 nominees

1. BFT Ipswich

2. The Workout Redbank Plains

3. Fitstop Springfield

4. World Gym

5. BodySwitch Health and Fitness

6. Powered by the Lab

7. UBX Springfield Central

8. Bundamba Swim and Gym Centre

9. The People’s Gym Crossfit

10. Fullers Fitness

Cast your vote below >>>

MACKAY

Narrowly claiming Mackay’s best gym title, Believe in Health and Fitness came in hot.

A business focused on nurturing women’s health and fitness, especially for mothers, Believe in Health and Fitness has become a fitness hub for women to have the freedom to have their kids join them or to play in the kids area.

Hayley Warner started the ‘women and kids only’ in 2015 as a boot camp located in Moranbah two hours out from Mackay.

Just before Covid hit — at the end of 2019 — Ms Warner opened a studio in Moranbah and has since expanded to Mackay, opening a studio in North Mackay at the start of this year.

Mackay’s 10 nominees

1. Believe in Health and Fitness

2. Muscle Garden Health & Fitness Centre

3. F45 Training Mackay City

4. City Fitness Mackay

5. World Gym Mackay

6. Warrior ‘the Centre’

7. Fitstop (Rural View)

8. F45 Training Mackay North

9. Athletica Fitness Centre

10. Snap Fitness Mackay

Cast your vote below >>>

ROCKHAMPTON

A decade on from opening its doors in 2013, Vidafit was crowned Rockhampton’s best gym.

The gym’s owner Dan Withers found his passion for personal training in 2010 while helping his friends with their fitness journeys and became a qualified personal trainer three years later.

“Vida fit was born in my rumpus room with 3 other people,” Mr Withers said.

“It started out of love to improve my friend’s health, and then a lot of people started booking in.”

Rockhampton’s 10 nominees

1. VidaFit

2. ETS Compound

3. Ambitionz Rockhampton

4. VIBE Fitness Studios Rockhampton

5. Fitstop (Yeppoon)

6. Ready 24 Gym

7. Crossfit CQ

8. SPG – Snake Pit Gym

9. UBX Australia (Parkhurst)

10. Scrutiny Strength and Conditioning

Cast your vote below >>>

TOOWOOMBA

When it comes to The Fit Lab Health and Fitness Centre, the success of the popular business stretches far beyond muscle building, protein shakes and leg day.

Whether the team is helping others reach their ultimate fitness goals or making a difference in the community, it’s no wonder readers voted the venture as Toowoomba’s best gym.

Brothers Chris and Steven Hillman purchased the gym, which was formerly known as Breathe Health Club in 2016, rebranded and completely transformed the region’s sport, health and fitness sector.

In addition to the main gym, the pair also run an allied health centre, complete with physios and dietitians, as well as a high performance unit, specialising in athlete development.

Toowoomba’s 10 nominees

1. The Fit Lab Health and Fitness Centre

2. The Bar Toowoomba

3. Willows Health and Lifestyle Centre

4. World Gym Toowoomba

5. Fernwood Toowoomba

6. CrossFit Confront

7. F45 Training Toowoomba West

8. The Cave Gym

9. Sculpt and Soul

10. Smithy’s TGW Gym

Cast your vote below >>>

FAR NORTH

Cairns Post readers declared DF Gym to be the best in the Far North, with owner Patrick Doherty crediting its supportive family culture and dedicated staff for the win.

The Manunda-based Muay Thai and CrossFit gym, which opened 14 years ago, is known for its group fitness classes for kids and adults and its professional Muay Thai coaching.

“There’s a real community right from the young ones all the way through to the professional fighters,” Mr Doherty said.

“The fighters help the kids, the kids go to the shows to support the fighters and then we’ve got a big crew of people just doing it for fun and fitness in between all of that.”

Far North’s 10 nominees

1. DF Gym – Manunda

2. Genesis Westcourt Sportsworld

3. The Ground – Cairns

4. World Gym Cairns

5. ZeroW – Cairns

6. Iron Strength Power and Performance – Portsmith

7. Furious Fitness – Atherton

8. 360 Fitness Group – Gordonvale

9. 1 Million Strong Gym – Smithfield

10. CHALK Cairns – Bentley Park

Cast your vote below >>>

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FRASER COAST

Maryborough Fitness Health and Bodyworks was voted the Fraser Coast‘s best gym for 2023.

The local, family-owned business dominated the polls gaining 28 per cent of the votes, 14 per cent more than runner-up Hervey Bay 24 Hr Gym.

To owners Chris and Tina Black, the win is recognition for the “awesome” customer service the gym has consistently provided since first opening in 2008.

The duo aspires to make every customer feel “important” and want to create an environment where people of “all shapes and sizes” feel welcomed.

Fraser Coast’s 10 nominees

1. Maryborough Fitness Health and Bodyworks

2. Hervey Bay 24 Hr Gym

3. Allied Fitness

4. Snap Fitness Maryborough 24/7

5. F45 Training Hervey Bay

6. Hervey Bay Health Club!

7. Curves Maryborough

8. Anytime Fitness Hervey Bay

9. Lyfestyle 24 Hervey Bay

10. WF CrossFit and Jetts Hervey Bay

Cast your vote below >>>

TOWNSVILLE

A $3m renovation, state of the art facilities and strong focus on recovery and wellness.

Strand Fitness has expanded and strengthened during their takeover of the Townsville gym industry.

The gym was named Townsville’s best, securing 33 per cent of the vote.

They were ahead of One Million Strong and F45 in the city.

Dean Bodle, owner of the Strand Fitness group, visited Townsville on a holiday from Melbourne in the early 2000s and decided to make the move after falling in love with the weather and community.

After discovering that the gyms were not up to date like they were in Melbourne he set out to build his dream gym with all the newest bells and whistles.

In 2022 he opened up his third Strand Fitness gym in Townsville after spending $3m in three years on the renovation and equipment.

Townsville’s 10 nominees

1. Strand Fitness

2. One Million Strong

3. F45 Training

4. First Base Gym

5. Crossfit Townsville

6. Optimal Body Fitness for Women

7. Hammer Athletic

8. World Gym Townsville

9. Genesis Health

10. Fitness and Fitness with Zoe

Cast your vote below >>>