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Gyms in Derby

A city with a ten-lane 50 m pool at Moorways, a 250 m indoor cycling track at Pride Park and Britain's first public park. Here's where to train in Derby and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
70
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Showing 1–24 of 70 gyms

Neighbourhoods in Derby

From the Moorways site in Allenton to the riverside at Darley Abbey.

Training in Derby

A 50 m pool, a velodrome and a lot of park to run in.

Derby is home to around 261,400 people (Census 2021), up 5.1% since 2011, with a median age of 37. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for 2024–25, 29.0% of adults in Derby did less than 30 minutes of activity a week, against 24.7% across England, so there are plenty of people here who'd train more with the right company.

The two big public venues are Moorways Sports Village in Allenton, run by Everyone Active with the city council, with a ten-lane 50 m pool, a leisure pool with flumes and a gym, and Derby Arena at Pride Park, the council's 250 m indoor cycling track with a gym and studios. The council also runs Springwood Leisure Centre in Oakwood, and the University of Derby Sports Centre on Kedleston Road has a climbing wall and squash courts. Around them sit CrossFit and strength gyms, boxing gyms and studios across the city.

Markeaton Park, the Arboretum and the canal path to Swarkestone give you free space to run and ride. Gymist is how you find people to do it with.

Where to train in Derby

The public pools, track and sports centres first, then the strength gyms and the boxing gyms.

Public pools, track and sports centres

Strength gyms, CrossFit and chains

Boxing and martial arts

Find a training buddy in Derby

A lane partner at Moorways, someone to ride the track with at Derby Arena, a sparring partner on Stockbrook Street: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Derby training group

A Saturday crew for Markeaton parkrun, an evening ride down the canal path to Swarkestone, a weekend session on the Alvaston Park outdoor gym: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Derby.

  • Markeaton Park207 acres with about a million visitors a year, home of Markeaton parkrun, a free 5k every Saturday at 9am, and a junior parkrun on Sundays.
  • Derby Arboretumopened in 1840 on land given by Joseph Strutt, often called Britain's first public park, about a mile south of the city centre.
  • Outdoor gymsfree council outdoor gyms in Alvaston Park, Chellaston Park, the Racecourse Playing Fields and Vicarage Road Recreation Ground.
  • Derby Canal pathNational Cycle Route 6 follows the old canal from Swarkestone into Derby as far as Wilmorton.
  • Darley Park and Allestree Parktwo of the city's big parks to the north, Darley beside the Derwent and Allestree, where the council approved an urban rewilding project in 2021.

Getting around

Rail, bus and bike routes to Derby's gyms.

Rail

  • Derby station: 4.107 million entries and exits in 2024/25
  • East Midlands Railway intercity trains to London St Pancras on the Midland Main Line, plus CrossCountry services

Bus

  • Derby bus station is the hub for local services, run mainly by trentbarton and Arriva Derby
  • buses link Derby with Nottingham, Leicester, Burton upon Trent and Chesterfield

Cycle

  • National Cycle Route 6 runs on the Derby Canal path from Swarkestone to Wilmorton, then east to Long Eaton
  • National Cycle Route 54 meets Route 6 in Derby

Who trains here

What the census and the activity survey say about the people you'll meet in the pool, on the track and on the mats.

  • 29.0%Adults inactiveDoing less than 30 minutes of activity a week, against 24.7% across England. The right training partner makes starting easier.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25
  • 37Median ageUp from 36 in 2011, and three years younger than England as a whole.Census 2021
  • 14.1%Aged 25 to 34With another 7.1% aged 20 to 24, plenty of people here are fitting training around early careers.Census 2021

Derby gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Derby?

Gymist lists 70 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across Derby, from Moorways Sports Village and Derby Arena to CrossFit boxes, boxing gyms and yoga studios.

Which leisure centres are in Derby, and who runs them?

Derby City Council runs Derby Arena at Pride Park and Springwood Leisure Centre in Oakwood under the Derby Active name. Moorways Sports Village on Moor Lane in Allenton is run by Everyone Active in partnership with the council, and Everyone Active also runs the University of Derby Sports Centre on Kedleston Road.

Where can I swim in Derby?

Moorways Sports Village has a ten-lane 50 m pool with a movable floor and two booms, so it can be split into three 25 m pools, plus a learner pool and a leisure pool with flumes. Gayton Swimming Pool on Gayton Avenue in Littleover is a community pool run by Gayton Pool Limited, open every day, with public and adult-only sessions.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Derby?

Markeaton parkrun is a free 5k every Saturday at 9am in Markeaton Park, and there's a 2k junior parkrun there on Sunday mornings. The council has outdoor gyms in Alvaston Park, Chellaston Park, the Racecourse Playing Fields and Vicarage Road Recreation Ground, and National Cycle Route 6 follows the old Derby Canal from Swarkestone into the city.

How do I get to gyms in Derby without a car?

Derby station is on the Midland Main Line, with East Midlands Railway trains to London St Pancras and CrossCountry services, and it recorded 4.107 million entries and exits in 2024/25. Local buses run from Derby bus station, mainly by trentbarton and Arriva Derby. National Cycle Route 6 brings you in on the canal path from Swarkestone.

How do I find a gym buddy in Derby?

Join Gymist free, add your gym and when you train, and browse members nearby. If there isn't a group for your kind of training yet, start one.

Train in Derby? Join Gymist

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