Mackay’s top five gyms as voted by readers | 2023

With hundreds of votes, Mackay’s best gym claimed the title by a narrow margin, but the other top four also have a story to tell. WINNERS NAMED

With hundreds of votes, Mackay’s best gym claimed the title by a narrow margin, but the other top four also have a story to tell.

In a surprising turn of events, Mackay’s best gym flew ahead during the final days of voting.

By the poll’s midpoint, Muscle Garden Health & Fitness Centre were comfortably leading the race, followed by Believe in Health and Fitness, and City Fitness Mackay.

With more than 200 votes cast, Believe in Health and Fitness pulled ahead of Muscle Garden Health & Fitness Centre and took the lead, wrapping up the poll with just a 1 per cent difference between them.

Meaghan Scanlon slammed as housing summit faces hard facts

With the unprecedented interest in voting for Mackay’s best gym, we have decided to feature the five gyms that garnered the most votes, starting with the gym that came in fifth. Congratulations to everyone.

5. World Gym Mackay

#5 Some of the team from World Gym Mackay

Branching from a 47 year old franchise, spanning across more than 225 locations world wide, World Gym Mackay, on Greenfields Blvd, Mount Pleasant has secured in fifth place with 7 per cent of the votes.

According to the business’s website, they are committed to “always remaining a true gym, not a resort.”

“A place where fitness is an authentic passion, here you belong among friends and where everyone is a star finding the power to lift themselves to greatness.”

4. City Fitness Mackay

#4 Some of the team from City Fitness Mackay at the City Fitness Harpertastic Burpee Challenge 2023.

Coming in fourth place with 9 per cent of the votes, family-owned gym City Fitness has proudly served the Mackay community for more than 40 years.

With more than 24 staff members and more than 120 years of collective industry experience, the team at City Fitness Mackay prides itself in providing the cleanest, maintained and up-to-date training facilities as possible.

“Everybody’s health and fitness journey is different, so we endeavour to provide something for everybody, from HIIT training systems to yoga & everything in between, for all ages, from the young to the more mature,” the gym’s owner, Steve Eden said.

The gym has been a fitness hub for its many of its members over the years.

“We have one member that has been a part of the club for over 35 continuous years and a lot of others who have been with us 22 years plus years,” Mr Eden said.

“ Our members, friends & team make our club.”

3. F45 Training Mackay City

#4 The team from City Fitness Mackay

In third place with 9 per cent of the votes, F45 training Mackay City will be celebrating its sixth year running this September.

Owned by English couple Lee and Kim Renshaw, the F45 Mackay franchise consists of the Mackay City gym and the North Mackay centre which recently opened in December last year.

Mr Renshaw shared that out of the 3600 F45 studios across the world, the Mackay gym has claimed the number one title across the 10 year old franchise.

Moving from England to Australia 12 years ago, Mr Renshaw worked in the coal mines near Mackay for seven years.

It was when he was working in the mines, Mr Renshaw’s passion for fitness bloomed.

“On my days off I would do personal training at different gyms around Mackay and at my own boot camps,” Mr Renshaw said.

“A friend of mine than introduced me to the F45 in brisbane and I loved it.

I thought it was right up my alley, so me and the wife, we went for it and started the gym in Mackay.”

With 15 fully qualified staff members and more than 700 members across both gyms, Mr Renshaw prides himself and his team in knowing the names of all his members and nurturing client and trainer relationships.

What do people in North Queensland look like according to AI

2. Muscle Garden Health & Fitness Centre

#2 Andrew and Kay Nyenuh (Owner) from Muscle Garden Health & Fitness Centre.

With a steady lead for most of the poll, Muscle Garden Health & Fitness missed the title of the region’s best gym by only 1 per cent of the votes.

Born in Liberia, West Africa, the gym’s founding owner and director, Kay Nyenuh migrated to Australia in 2009 and has been a Mackay local ever since.

Initially starting Muscle Garden as a personal training business in April 2012, Mr Nyenuh opened his first studio on Wood street, Mackay in August 2014 and has since expanded his business to four 24/7 gym locations across Mackay, Marian, Andergrove and Bucasia.

Mr Nyenuh decided to open the gym to create a space where everyday people can feel comfortable going to the gym without feeling judged or intimidated.

“Catering to the health and fitness needs of these everyday people and making it convenient for them to exercise in an environment where they’re treated like human beings and not numbers is why we are in business,” Mr Nyenuh said.

Mr Nyenuh and the Muscle garden team of more than 20 members pride themselves in that being community focused is one of their core values.

“From supporting local charity events to fundraising through our own charity events and sponsoring local sporting organisations, I believe we do a lot more in our local community than anyone in our industry and that’s because being community focused is one of our core values,” he said.

1. Believe in Health and Fitness

#1 Believe in Health and Fitness owner Hayley Warner holding two babies at the Mackay studio.

Narrowly claiming the title with only 1 per cent difference from runner up, Muscle Garden, Believe in Health and Fitness, Believe in Health and Fitness came in hot with 16 per cent of votes.

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.

For Hayley Warner, Believe in Health and Fitness is so much more than a gym.

Before opening the business, Ms Warner spent 10 years working as a high school teacher before having children.

A mum of two, Ms Warner noticed that she was putting on a lot more weight and started getting into fitness and going to boot camps.

“I really loved it and started studying towards a cert 3 and 4 in fitness, as well as studies in nutrition, and sports and conditioning,” Ms Warner.

“I love helping other women that are going through what I went through to reach their goals and find themselves again.

At Believe, we are here to support not only mums, but all women. We look at issues that all women are all going through.”