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Gyms in Preston

A university city on the Ribble, with two Better leisure centres, an eight-lane athletics track and a 21-mile greenway round its edge. Here's where to train in Preston and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
59
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Showing 1–24 of 59 gyms

Neighbourhoods in Preston

From the docks at Ashton-on-Ribble to Fulwood and Broughton in the north.

Training in Preston

A young university city with a track, a greenway and two public pools.

Preston is home to around 147,800 people (Census 2021), up 5.4% since 2011, with a median age of 36, younger than the North West's 40. The University of Lancashire has its main campus here, and 8.5% of residents are aged 20 to 24. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for November 2024 to 2025, 59.2% of adults did 150 minutes or more of activity a week, below the region's 62.9%, and 31.3% did less than 30 minutes.

Better runs the city's two leisure centres: West View in Ribbleton, with a 25 m pool, a climbing hall, a women-only gym and padel courts, and Fulwood Leisure Centre, with a 25 m pool, a teaching pool and squash. The university's Sports Arena has an eight-lane floodlit track and a 1.5 km cycle track that the public can book. Around them are big chain gyms, Total Fitness on the docks, a CrossFit box on North Road and Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu and Krav Maga gyms.

Wherever you train in the city, it's easier to keep going with the right company. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Preston

Better's leisure centres first, then the university's sport sites, the big gyms and the fight gyms.

Public leisure centres (Better)

University sports sites

Gyms, health clubs and CrossFit

Combat and martial arts

Find a training buddy in Preston

A lane partner at Fulwood, someone to climb with at West View, a sparring partner in Deepdale: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Preston training group

A weekend ride round the Guild Wheel, a run from Avenham Park along the Ribble, a lunchtime loop of Moor Park: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Preston.

  • Guild Wheela 21-mile (34 km) greenway round Preston, opened in August 2012, on traffic-free paths and quiet roads from the Docklands to Brockholes and north to Broughton.
  • Avenham and Miller Parkstwo Victorian parks by Edward Milner, running down to the Ribble, with the Riverside Walk and a new tram bridge over the river.
  • Moor Parka Grade II* listed park north of the centre, about 2 miles (3 km) round, with the Serpentine Lake and Deepdale across the road.
  • Brockholesmore than 250 acres of trails and hides on the Ribble floodplain off junction 31 of the M6, run by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

Getting around

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

Rail

  • Preston station: 5.356 million entries and exits in 2024/25, on the West Coast Main Line
  • Avanti West Coast, TransPennine Express, Northern and Lumo call here

Bus

  • Preston Bus and Stagecoach both run from Preston bus station, which has 40 stands

Cycle

  • the Guild Wheel's 21 miles of greenway link the docks, the city-centre parks and Brockholes

Who trains here

What the census and Sport England say about the people you'll train alongside.

  • 31.3%Adults doing under 30 min a weekUp from 23.5% in 2015–16, a significant rise. Plenty of people here would train more with someone to go with.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25
  • 36Median ageFour years younger than the North West, with a university campus in the middle of the city.Census 2021
  • 8.5%Aged 20 to 24With another 5.4% aged 16 to 19, a lot of Preston is students and young adults building a routine.Census 2021

Preston gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Preston?

Gymist lists 59 gyms, leisure centres, studios, fight gyms and sports venues across the City of Preston, from the Better centres and the university's sports sites to CrossFit, Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu gyms.

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

Better runs West View Better Health Leisure Centre on Ribbleton Lane and Fulwood Leisure Centre on Black Bull Lane. The University of Lancashire runs the Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre on its city-centre campus, mainly for students and staff, and the Sports Arena on Tom Benson Way, which individuals and clubs can book.

Where can I swim in Preston?

West View and Fulwood Leisure Centre both have 25 m pools for lane swimming, and Fulwood also has a teaching pool. Total Fitness Preston on West Strand Road has a 25 m laned pool, a family pool and a hydro-pool for members.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Preston?

The Guild Wheel is a 21-mile (34 km) greenway round the city, opened in 2012, past the Docklands, Avenham and Miller Parks and Brockholes. Moor Park, opposite Deepdale, has a perimeter of about 2 miles, and Brockholes nature reserve has more than 250 acres of trails by the Ribble.

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

Preston station is on the West Coast Main Line and recorded 5.356 million entries and exits in 2024/25. Preston Bus and Stagecoach both run from the bus station, which has had 40 stands since 2017. By bike, the Guild Wheel links the docks, the city-centre parks and Brockholes.

How do I find a gym buddy in Preston?

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.

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