Ironworks Birmingham Gym Review

For the third post in our new gym review series, Will Kennard takes a look at Ironworks in Birmingham, a specialist bodybuilding gym in the West Midlands which boasts over 300 machines and 12,000 square feet of hardcore gains real estate.

Ironworks Gym in Birmingham is situated in Kings Norton, about 20 minutes from the city centre.

The gym itself is located in a business estate, and driving up to it you’d be forgiven for not noticing it’s there until you get up close.

But it’s there – and it’s BIG.

The Ironworks website promises that the gym Birmingham’s best, so let’s take a look and find out if it that’s a worthwhile plaudit, or if it that means about as much as being awarded Nigeria’s cleanest cervix…

Atmosphere

The first thing you’ll notice when walking into Ironworks is one thing:

It’s fucking massive.

Perhaps it’s because I’m a poncey London dweller where our shitty gyms are mostly squeezed into tiny spaces, but this gym is a beast.

I visited in March, so another thing I noticed was that it was sodding cold!

So bring a hoody or else you’ll need a good warmup.

The overall atmosphere is really serious – as you’ll find in the next section, this is a gym wholly dedicated to performance and physique, and the atmosphere is pumping and enormously motivational.

Considering I was there in the middle of the day it was also quite busy, but because of its colossal size, that’s not a problem at all.

You won’t really be fighting over the squat rack or the 4kg dumbbells like in your local Virgin gym.

Equipment and setup

Ironworks Birmingham is easily the best equipped gym I’ve ever been to.

You’d be hard pressed to find a more encompassing gym for the sport of weightlifting in the whole of the UK.

One thing that’s obvious is that Ironworks isn’t just for bodybuilders – there’s a ton of equipment for powerlifters and strongmen too, and to me that just screamed one thing: playground.

It’s so good to be able to go to a gym that allows you to get your workout done, but also have a mess around with some cool stuff you don’t usually use.

Because of the size of the place, there’s literally a room dedicated to every body part.

Seriously – there’s a back room, a chest room, a Crossfit rig, a deadlifting ‘zone’, a cardio section upstairs, and the main room is full of every other piece of equipment you could possibly think of (and some you couldn’t).

Facilities

The changing and toilet facilities at Ironworks are pretty much as you’d expect them for a gym like this.

They are there for you to get changed and take a piss, and not much else.

There’s no hairdrying stations or Molten Brown handwash, so if you’re used to fannying about in the saunas after a workout for 2 hours with your mates while instagramming pictures of your pathetic gains – this probably isn’t the gym for you.

But if you’re used to not fucking around and getting shit done with some heavy ass weights, you’ll be right at home at Ironworks.

In addition, Ironworks has an impressive supplement store with a range of brands, shakers and lifting accessories, as well as a large selection of their own gym clothing, and some food options that make forgetting a meal a problem you won’t encounter.

There’s also a few sofas to chill on before facing the dreaded drive home on leg day.

Crowd

Ironworks Birmingham is run by husband and wife team Darren and Katrina Young, and it’s immediately obvious upon meeting the former that he is a humble, hard working, and just all round pretty sound bloke, and the atmosphere of the gym reflects this.

I’ve been to gyms in the past where the staff almost seem to try to put you off working out, as if you’re not good enough for the gym because they don’t know you, and that just rubs off badly with the members, creating a ‘Who the fuck is that guy’ kind of atmosphere.

But not at Ironworks.

The crowd here is extremely dedicated, there’s chalk on their hands, and they’re 100% welcoming.

A ton of pros and amateur bodybuilders and physique models train here too, and there are posters of them representing the gym all over the walls.

This is a really nice touch which gives Bodyworks a great community feel.

Value for money

Ironworks do something that not many gyms do – and that’s to give you some pretty awesome flexibility.

There’s membership options for 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, monthly, yearly, and more, making it really easy to train.

A standard membership will set you back £30 a month, and, considering the equipment available here, that’s an absolute bargain.

Summary

Ironworks Birmingham really is one of the best equipped gyms in the UK, and the atmosphere and crowd will keep you motivated to push yourself harder every time you train.

Opening hours

Contact details

Telephone: 0121 458 6615

Email: info@ironworksbirmingham.com

Address: Unit 2 Park View Estate, Pershore Road South, Kings Norton, Birmingham, West Midlands, B30 3JX

Over to you

Are you a past or present member of Ironworks gym in Birmingham?

Thinking of joining up?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Also, if there are any gyms which you would like us to review – or if you would like to contribute your own gym review – drop us an email or a tweet and we’ll get back to you.