Philippines - Noemie's Gym, Cebu

Location: Noemie's Gym, M.L. Quezon National Highway, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu

Google maps: Click here

Web: Facebook

Opening hours: Mon - Sat 7am to 8.30pm, closed Sunday.

Price: 75 pesos (Approx £1.25)

Review: Noemie's Gym was a funny little place, located on what we in the UK would refer to as the first floor of the shopping centre in which it is located. I say this, because it turns out that in the Philippines this is called the second floor, the ground floor being known as the first floor for some inexplicable reason. I blame Trump. 

The gym itself is split into three main sections, a small cardio area, a large studio space and the main gym area. It would seem that the emphasis in this gym is placed on group classes which draw in women from the local community. I saw one of these classes and it was loud, face paced and actually looked really fun. If you fancy getting your cardio on whilst in Cebu, then this might be the place to do it. 

The cardio area has a single static bike and a single treadmill. The treadmill looks out over the road from the front window, so you can people watch whilst you run if you like. 

The weights section of the gym is made up of free weights and machines. The machines are certainly not new school, but everything was in working order and there were plenty of plates to go around. I would describe Noemie's as a well stocked basic gym. They have everything you need for a decent workout. The atmosphere was a little cliquey, but everyone seemed friendly enough. 

Equipment wise, this gym has:

• Dumbbells up to 30kg
• DIY dumbbells
• Adjustable benches
• Flat barbell bench 
• Decline barbell bench 
• Squat rack 
• Cables 
• Easy bars
• Hammer curl bar
• T bar row machine 
• Pull up bars
• Lat pulldown 
• Seated low row
• Leg press 
• Leg extension machine
• Leg curl machine 
• Calf raise machine
• Punch bags x 3
• Treadmill 
• Static bike 
• Lockers 

Overall, this gym has everything you need to get a lifters workout. It might not be state of the art, but in all honesty I would rather just train with some simple weight than on some weird passive resistance cables contraption. 

The gym has a water fountain and also sells bottled water at the front desk. You can also stock up on supplements here which they sell by the dose. See the tips section below for details. The gym does have fans, but it still gets pretty hot when your training, so don't forget your sweat towel. 

The back of the gym leads onto the local football and basketball courts, so you can even watch the locals between sets and pretend your playing Fifa or NBA. What do you mean thats weird? I was joking. (Not joking). 

Who is this gym for? The dance classes here were popular with the local women and there were several local women training weights in the gym when I was in here. The atmosphere seemed pretty casual, but the gym was pretty clean. The mix of clients and general ambience of the gym leads to recommend that this gym should be suitable for everyone. As ever, lone travellers should take additional care due to the general concerns regarding safety in the Philippines. 

Tips - Helpfully, the gym sells individual doses of protein and amino acids. A scoop of Mutant formula protein powder will cost you 25 pesos and amino 1500 amino acid tablets will set you back 11 pesos each. Stock up if you are heading to the islands because you are unlikely to find anything else once you hit the beaches.

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Read about other gyms in Cebu here