Sheffield's premier sports complex (Pond's Forge (Sheffield))

Member Name: Kevin_C

Product:	Pond's Forge (Sheffield)
Date:	14/05/09 (83 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Olympic standard swimming pool, large gym, not too expensive

Disadvantages: Main pool often unavailable at weekends

I joined Sheffield's premier sports centre about one month ago now and I have to say that I still find the place amazing as the facilities are just fantastic.

Firstly I'll mention the Olympic standard swimming pool that the centre has, which is 50m X 25m and 2m (ends)-3m (middle) deep. It is one of the few Olympic standard swimming pools in the UK and if you're into your swimming you'll love it. At first I found it was a little unnerving not being able to stand up in the shallow end though, but I got used to it.
Tuesday/ Thursday 4pm -10pm it's the full 50m lengths, but Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday it's just 25 metre widths.
One disadvantage is because of the number of swimming galas and competitions that take place here then the pool is very rarely open at weekends. I must also add there are diving boards, but I don't know much about them since I have never used them.

I'll also say that if you're new to swimming as well as lessons on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:30pm until 9:30pm they offer 25 metre shallow water lane swimming in the leisure pool.

During the day the leisure pool is perfect for everyone who just wants a bit of fun or families to go swimming together. The pool consists of a main max. 1.5 metre deep main pool a "river" around the outside with floating rings, a wave generator and 2x slides. Depending on the time you go, will depend what is in use, e.g. for the after school period they generally have the pool at it's roughest. During the morning they have family sessions.

Other than the swimming they have a very large, modern gymnasium with plenty of equipment for both weight training and cardio fitness. You have a 'key' to insert into the machine which records your performance.
Whilst the equipment is very good, is was disappointed that more of the machines didn't have in built heart rate monitors and also the profile it gives you of your training regime is good, but it would be good if it could compare it to your average group e.g. 18-24 male, 18-24 female, 25-49 male, 25-49 female, etc. to see how you compare. These are minor gripes however.

The centre also boasts a variety of group exercise classes ranging from aerobics to weight training, normally taking place in the air conditioned studios on the first floor. When I first went I found the instructors very friendly and encouraging and started going on a weekly basis. This is also a great way of getting to know new people.

The centre has a large sports hall which can be split up into separate courts or used as one and is available for hire some of the time, though I'm not sure of the cost. They also do diving and life guard courses as well as swimming and trampolining lesson, but again I don't know how much they cost.

I joined the gym for a 3 month period working out at £31 per month for use at any time. If you're a morning person you'd be better off with off-peak membership for only £24 per month. This seems like excellent value to me, especially as a gym induction normally costs £15 (free when you're a member) and then £5.40 (peak time) every time you want to use it afterwards.

Lane swimming is £4.40 for an adult at peak time (after 3:30pm) and £4.90 for a leisure swim.
The centre opens at 6:30am and closes at 10:00pm so it's pretty easy to find a convenient time to go in my opinion. Times for the pool vary though depending on the day, so it's best to check if you're not too familiar yet.

There are a few other centres nearby where your membership is also valid including Hillsborough Leisure Centre and the Don Valley Stadium, the largest athletics stadium in the UK and also currently home to Rotherham united FC.

I've now used the centre for a few months and it really is very good, I'd just like to add that the group class timetable is fantastic, with classes 7 days a week and often 4-5 classes on a weekday evening. The instructors are very welcoming and some are also very astute and will tell you if you've not quite got the excercise right to make sure you get maximum benefit out of it.

They're suitable for people who are already fit, but for those of you who are just wanting to start regular excercise I would check out one of these. The group fitness classes cost £3.70 - £4.80 depending on their length, which I'd say is worth the money, or a free for members.


To find out more or to see the full price list or timetables for the pools/ exercise classes then visit the website at www.ponds-forge.co.uk

Summary: The place to get fit/ keep fit in sheffield