The Edge – build yourself or spend all your money?

It’s a building that nearly all first-year students promise they’ll go to but never actually do. 

The Edge, the University of Leeds fitness, sport and wellbeing complex, comes under the spotlight this week by Emma Gardner who compares gyms in Leeds and asks whether the higher membership fee is justified.

Exercise is important for mental health and wellbeing. Not only is it physically beneficial, but it is also mentally advantageous, it improves brain health and releases endorphins which help relieve stress and pain. 

Going to the gym, from one to five times a week is perfect for those who would like to keep fit, build muscle or gain strength. It can reduce your risk of major illness, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer and lower your risk of early death by 30%. 

Furthermore, research shows that physical activities can also boost people’s moods, self-esteem and sleep quality which can reduce your risk of depression and stress. 

The Edge’s facilities include a 25-metre swimming pool with 8 lanes, a sauna and steam room, a gym, a climbing wall and two sports halls with 150 exercise classes available. 

The variety of equipment allows for a range of activities and people can use different equipment for their own individual needs and goals. 

Maia Tupper, a third-year student, attends the Edge gym and declared: ‘I love it there because there is so much space and so many machines. I have also done a few classes and I loved them. 

The Edge offers memberships at £290 annually or £36.75 a month for premium access. This allows access on weekdays 6:30 – 22:30 and weekends 7:30 – 21:30 with anytime access to full facilities, and some extra benefits such as three free referrals each year. 

They also offer a reduced membership of £24 a month with off-peak times access only as a slightly cheaper option for students.

The off-peak times for weekdays for the cheaper membership are 6:30 -22:30 but this is difficult for students who want to do an afternoon session or evening session after their lectures or seminars.

At the Edge, you can save £151 by buying an annual premium membership rather than paying monthly.

It works out to approximately £24 a month by buying the annual membership which is the same price as the off-peak access monthly membership. However, some students do not want to pay for a gym that they do not attend during holiday periods.

Unfortunately, at the Edge ‘monthly memberships are subject to a £20 joining fee, minimum 2-month contract and 28 days cancellation notice’ which adds further costs and complications for students rejoining after holiday periods. The Sports Pass is good for those who do not want the gym as it is £80 a year with anytime access to the sports hall and climbing wall but this must be booked in advance.

Another positive of the Edge is that it offers an automatic free gym membership for students living in university halls; however, access times are weekdays 6:30 -22:30 and weekends 7:30 – 21:00. 

The weekend access times are very good but arguably the weekday times could be limiting and unaccommodating with student’s lifestyles and timetables. 

One anonymous student said ‘I never wake up earlier than 10 am and if I do it is for lectures or seminars’.

Although the Edge is a perfect full-facilitated gym, it does not accommodate students well enough due to its membership costs.

In comparison, JD Gym in Kirkstall is only £21.99 a month with no joining fee and only £25.99 a month for a premium membership with 24/7 access, which the Edge doesn’t offer. 

JD gyms memberships are also no contract and cancel anytime unlike the Edge’s monthly membership. 

	Off-peak	Basic/core/standard	Premium/plus
The Edge	£24*	–	£36.75*
JD Gyms – Kirkstall	–	£21.99	£25
The Gym Group** – Headrow	£15.99*	£18.99*	£18.99*
The Gym Group** – Headingley	–	£21.99*	£21.99*
Puregym** – city centre North	£16.99*	£21.99*	£28.99*
Puregym** – city centre south	£15.99*	£21.99*	£28.99*
Puregym** – Kirkstall Bridge	£16.99*	£21.99*	£28.99*

A second-year student, Natlie Mullins, said that ‘I switched to JD gyms because the Edge was too expensive’.

Furthermore, there are 6 Puregyms in and around Leeds which offer £15.99- £25.99 per month with a small joining fee. This is certainly cheaper than the Edge gym. On the other hand, The Gym Group in Headingley has similar costs to the Edge gym and in some cases is more expensive.

 Overall, it is clear that the Edge campus gym is quite expensive even though it has the highest quality equipment and state-of-the-art technology. 

The Edge gym is aimed at students who are on or near campus so it should consider prices of memberships more thoughtfully as students have limited money. 

In spite of this, it must be considered that the Edge has the largest range of facilities in the area as it has a pool, steam room, sauna and climbing wall which is something that none of the gyms listed above do not have. Students would definitely be more likely to attend the Edge gym if the prices were even marginally cheaper. 

A University of Leeds spokesperson said:

“Working closely with students, we regularly review our membership packages at The Edge to make sure they are meeting their needs and offer value for money.

“Unlike many of our local competitors, we offer a very broad range of services including our recently-refurbished gym featuring Technogym equipment. Technogym is widely regarded as the industry leader, providing equipment to The Olympics and Ferrari.”

– Students can save by purchasing an annual membership which includes added benefits such as entry into 83 gyms around the country.

– A variety of membership options are available for students including a free Edge Club membership for students living in University of Leeds halls of residence.

– All our membership fees are reinvested back into health and wellbeing initiatives and sports facilities across campus to improve the wellbeing of all students. This reinvestment allows us to run wellbeing classes four days a week, and our Get Out Get Active initiative. We also help fund the Leeds Sports partnership which supports clubs and activities at LUU.”