Free Gym Passes & How to Get Them (for Dec 2024)
Want to join the gym but not sure where to start? Or maybe you don't fancy the commitment or the hefty price tag?
Well, you're in the right place! Discover how to score completely free gym membership passes at locations all over the UK.
Whether you're looking to improve your health and fitness, lose some weight or tone up, free gym passes are a great place to start. With gyms across the country offering free trial passes, it would be silly to not take advantage of them.
Take a look at all the Free Gym Passes currently available on the Magic Freebies UK website.
Let's skip ahead!
- Why do free gym passes exist?
- Where can I get a free gym pass right now?
- Free alternatives to the gym
- Free apps to help you exercise
- Free gym passes for students
Credit: Anytime Fitness
Why do free gym passes exist?
Free gym passes have lots of benefits and there are good reasons why gyms offer them. Free passes allow customers to get a feel for their gym:
- See how long it takes to travel from home or work
- Check out the facilities
- Get a taster for the environment
Different gyms cater for different clients and their needs, so it's important before signing a contract you know that the gym you're signing up for is right for you. If you're a keen gym bunny, your needs and expectations will be different to an exercise novice, who will want space to be able to get into exercise in their own time.
Free gym passes are available all year round, but there is often a spike around New Year or the beginning of Summer, so keep your eyes peeled for these.
Where can I get a free gym pass?
Without further ado, here's a round up of all the places where you can get a free gym pass in the UK:
Anytime Fitness currently offers a 7-day free trial pass for all new users. They have hundreds of locations across the UK (the world, even), so there's bound to be one near you.
Locate your nearest (or most convenient) on their website and complete the online form with your contact details. Someone from Anytime Fitness will then be in touch to organise your free trial.
Get the full-membership experience for free with a fab day pass for Better gyms. Enjoy access to the swimming pool, fitness facilities or gym for free!
Énergie Fitness offers a free 1-day gym pass for all new members at any of their locations across the UK and Europe. They've got over 100 gyms dotted around and if you decide that this is the gym for you, memberships start from just £17.99 per month.
Fitness First are another one that offer a 3-day free pass to their gyms. These ones are the best, because you can get a taster for how joining a Fitness First gym would actually fit into your lifestyle.
Select your chosen gym (there are loads across the whole of the UK), enter your details and someone will be in touch to arrange your free trial.
Enjoy swimming, fitness classes or the good ol'fashioned gym for free at a Fusion-Lifestyle gym with a free one day pass.
Get a free 3-day trial at any Jetts gym. If you decide to become a fully-fledged member, you'll gain 24/7 access to over 250 gyms across the world.
Not technically free, but this is a great opportunity not to be sniffed at. Enjoy unlimited fitness activities for just £1 a week with a MoveGB Discovery membership, with no contractural obligations!
Not to be left out, Nuffield Health also offer a free 1-day pass at all their gyms. Locate your nearest one on their website and someone will be in touch to arrange your free day pass.
Nuffield Health have 111 gyms and each one have experts that are dedicated to help you achieve your fitness goals. If you decide to stick with Nuffield after your trial, you'll receive a free Health MOT every 3 weeks helping you set targets and achieve the fitness levels that you want.
If there's a QHotel near you, it's time to get excited because you can score yourself a free one-day gym membership for you and a friend. This pass costs £30, so it's definitely worth registering for yours if there's one nearby.
QHotels have 23 health clubs throughout the UK, each with fantastic facilities and top-of-the-range equipment. QHotel health clubs are part of the hotel, set in grand buildings over the country, making this free day pass double as a great day out for you and a friend!
Xercise4Less are part a great new breed of low-budget, high-quality gyms. Primarily based in the North of England, they offer a free day pass at all of their locations.
Despite being low-cost (just £9.99 a month!), Xercise4Less gyms have top-quality pieces of equipment, free classes and even ladies-only areas.
Credit: ParkLives
Free alternatives to gym passes
If gyms really aren't your thing, there are still ways to exercise in a communal setting without paying a penny.
Big name gyms charge anywhere from £700 to £1,000 a year for membership, so by cutting this out you'll save yourself a whopping amount.
Make use of the great outdoors with these great free alternatives to gym passes!
British Military Fitness Classes
If you're after an exercise group that's going to challenge, inspire and keep you on track, make sure you sign up for a free British Military Fitness Class (worth £15).
While the phrase 'military bootcamp' is enough to make the majority of us break into a cold sweat, BMF classes aren't to be feared.
Split into three ability groups, there's a BMF class for everyone, even complete exercise beginners. On your first free session, you'll be put in the group that best suits you and you'll enjoy an effective workout with people of a similar ability, for absolutely free.
Then, if you enjoy the session and feel it's something you'd like to continue you can sign up for a membership or pay for each session as you go along.
Get involved in your local parkrun, a 5km race that takes place every Saturday morning at locations all over the UK.
parkrun is open to everyone, no matter your running ability, offering free, timed 5km runs all over the world. It's hosted at parkland locations all over the UK, so make sure you check out where your nearest is.
Run at your own pace and see for yourself the progress you make week on week.
ParkLives is a great organisation that helps you make the most of your local park. It's not just about running, as ParkLives offers fun activities like tai-chi, badminton and football!
Best of all, all the activities are completely free to take part in. Just sign up online, pick a location and activity that works for you and start your free workouts.
ParkLives is a great way to make new friends, get some exercise and make the most of your local outdoor green spaces.
Pack a punch with fun, fab and free workout classes courtesy of Sweaty Betty. Get a full body workout in the comfort of your own home - just make sure you clear some space before you get going!
There's a workout video for all fitness levels and abilities, from Yoga and Ballet to a Bum-Sculpting Super Workout.
This NHS programme takes running beginners all the way through to a 5km run. Over 9 weeks, with 3 runs each week, you'll slowly build up your running stamina and will be able to complete a 5k run.
Download the weekly podcasts, or get the entire programme as a smartphone app from iTunes or Google Play.
Free apps to help you exercise
With thousands of new apps being created every day, it's hardly surprising there's an abundance of exercise apps just waiting to help you achieve your exercise goals. Here's our pick of the best ones out there.
Perfect for runners, MapMyRun offers accurate GPS tracking and timing. It’s a great free alternative to an expensive fitness watch.
Tabata timer is a really handy tool for those of you who already know what exercises you like to do, but just need a little push to keep going.
Choose the number of sets you want to complete, how long you want each set to be and how long you want to rest. The timer takes it from there: announcing when to start, rest up and stop. It's like having a personal trainer with you in the room.
Strava can turn any iPhone or Android into a high-tech running or cycling computer. It bids itself as the number 1 app for runners and cyclists, tracking and analysing every aspect of your activity.
It’s compatible with loads of GPS fitness devices (such as Fitbit, TomTom etc) and records just about any performance metric you can imagine. It’s a serious app, made by athletes for athletes, so you know you’re in safe hands if you’re training for something big.
Not just about exercise, MyFitnessPal helps you track your food by totalling your daily intake. You can also sync up a Fitbit/exercise watch to the app to help record your physical activity.
Its primary aim is to help you lose weight, and while it might take some willpower to get into, you’ll certainly see the results. Plus, it’s free!
Nike's very own running app is a great place to start if you're new to running. It allows you to track your speed, distance and progress and can even be used indoors (on a treadmill for example).
Aaptiv (free 7-day trial)
Aaptiv is perfect for those of you who have fitness goals and are determined to see them through. You'll gain unlimited access to structured programmes curated by world-class trainers, who you take along with you during your workout.
Sometimes you need a bit of motivation to exercise. What better motivation than money?!
BetterPoints is a reward programme app - earn points by logging your activity, then redeem for high street reward vouchers or donate to a charity of your choice. There's good motivation to get moving if we've ever seen it.
Free gym memberships for students
Starting University and want to get into shape?
Some UK universities offer free gym memberships in local gyms to their students.
NB. if your uni isn't included, check if the gym offers student discount - most do. Also, make sure to check out the University's own gym.
Liverpool John Moores University
LJMU students can apply for a free off-peak membership for Lifestyle Fitness Centres across Liverpool. Perfect for fitting in a quick gym session after lectures.
University of the West of Scotland
UWS is rolling out free gym memberships for all students to use UWS-operated fitness facilities.
First-year undergrads can get a free Active Beckett PLUS membership. That's free access to gyms, fitness classes and swimming pool.
Whatever your reason for wanting a free gym membership, hopefully these places and classes will be of use to you. Do you know of any gyms that offer a free gym pass that I've missed out? Let me know!
Alex xx