Best of the Best: Fitness Gym's in North Seattle

If you really want kick your a** fitness work outs, going to MKG Martial Arts International, is the way to go. They offer extreme fitness, newbie MMA training and superb programs for kids. You can join this gym for general fitness, education in mixed martial arts or even to train as a cage fighter!

Zumba, Hip Hop Dancing, Aerobics Classes and Weights Workouts are just some of the great fitness activities you can take part in at Community Fitness. They don't have contracts, and love to have walk in's for only $12. The only real downsides are that the owner doesn't have superb people skills all that time (who does?) and the classes can sometimes get really packed because they don't put a limit on class size. Though that also means that Community Fitness can be a great place to make new friends!

This gym is women specific, so for those of you whom prefer to bask in the glow of femininity or whom just don't want to deal with the smell of testosterone on all the equipment, Vera Fitness is the perfect place!

There are some downsides though, but they aren't biggies. At Vera Fitness, you'll need to schedule when you're going to come in, as they clearly don't let 'just anybody' in. And it's certainly not that they are 'exclusive' (other than the women only thing), it's just that they are well known for their dedicated trainers and customized workouts for each of their clients, and they'd like to keep it that way.

24 Hour Fitness will nearly always beat out other gyms in Seattle, because 24 Hour Fitness is one of the few places that is open 24/7. If you're a night owl like me, or you just can't get away to a gym until the evening, then this is a bit bonus. They aren't as great on membership fees as other gyms, though they do tend to offer high quality because they are a large corporate chain.

This is a new, but no less great Gym, especially if you live in the Bitterlake/Haller Lake neighborhoods. It's right on Aurora, they usually have great monthly membership rates (like $10 month, $49 per year) and they also offer childcare.

Magnuson Community Center is - as the name suggests - a community supported gym. They have moderate prices, decent equipment and plenty of classes with diverse instructors. It's worth checking them out, if you're near Sand Point or Mathews Beach. If you have dogs, you can also enjoy a fresh warm up with your furry friend at the Magnuson Dog Park.

As with most of your friendly community YMCA's, this brand new facility offers everything you could ask for in fitness equipment and programs. They are a bit pricey for my own budget when it comes to yearly rates, though for Shoreline, they are about average. They also have a huge swimming pool for aquatic work outs and kids play rooms that my boys just love.