The formula
Every venue gets a score out of five. We take its Google rating, then pull it towards a 4.4 city average using a weighting of 25 reviews. In plain terms, each gym is treated as though it started with 25 reviews at 4.4, and its own reviews then move it from there.
The effect is simple and deliberate. A gym at 5.0 from 146 reviews barely moves: it scores 4.9. A gym at 5.0 from three reviews moves a long way, and lands around 4.5. A gym at 4.3 from 1,298 reviews stays at 4.3, because at that volume the rating is the truth about the place. Volume is not a bonus, it is evidence.
Venues with no reviews at all are listed but not scored. They are real places, we are not going to pretend they have a reputation they have not earned yet, and we are not going to hide them either.
What we do not do
- We do not sell positions, badges, featured slots or sponsored inclusion. There is no commercial route to a higher place on any list.
- We do not write our own star ratings based on a visit. One editor's afternoon is worth less than 400 members' opinions.
- We do not remove a gym for a poor rating. Bannatyne Norwich West sits at 3.7 and is listed with everyone else.
- We do not estimate prices. Where an operator publishes nothing, we say it publishes nothing, because that is information too.
- We do not count reviews that Google does not show. Our numbers are whatever the listing showed on 19 September 2026.
Where the editorial judgement sits
The score decides the order. The writing decides the recommendation, and those are different things. A 4.6 weightlifting club that opens in two blocks a day is a better answer than a 4.9 chain box if you compete in the sport, and we will say so on the page rather than bend the numbers.
Categories come from each venue's own Google listing, and opening hours and postcodes come from the same source. Prices come from the operator's published pricing. Anything we could not verify from a primary source is left out rather than guessed, which is why some well known clubs have no price beside them.
If your gym's entry is wrong, tell us and we will correct it. The route is on get listed, it is free, and correcting a fact does not move your ranking.
Questions people actually ask
How is the score calculated?
Google rating blended with a 4.4 city average, weighted as though every gym began with 25 reviews at 4.4. High review counts move a gym towards its true rating, low counts towards the average.
Why does a five star gym score 4.5?
Because it has very few reviews. Five stars from three people is not yet evidence, so the formula holds it near the city average until the volume arrives.
Can a gym pay to rank higher?
No. There is no paid placement, no sponsorship and no advertising on the rankings, and correcting your listing does not change your position.
Do you visit the gyms?
We use published data rather than one off visits: Google ratings, review counts, listed categories, opening hours and the operator's own prices, all dated so you can check them.
How often are the numbers updated?
Every rating and review count on the site was read on 19 September 2026. Prices carry the same date unless the operator states a different effective date.