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Gyms in Reading

A young town on the Thames and the Kennet, with an Edwardian lido, four Better centres and a river full of rowers and paddlers. Here's where to train in Reading, and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
147
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Showing 1–24 of 147 gyms

Neighbourhoods in Reading

From the riverside streets of Caversham to Whitley and Tilehurst.

Training in Reading

A young, growing town where two rivers meet.

Reading is home to around 174,200 people (Census 2021), up 11.9% since 2011, and it is young for the South East: a median age of 35, against 41 for the region. One resident in six (17.3%) is aged 25 to 34. In Sport England's Active Lives survey for Nov 2024–25, 67.7% of adults in Reading did at least 150 minutes of activity a week.

Better runs the four public centres: Rivermead Leisure Centre on Richfield Avenue, with a 25 m pool, diving pool and teaching pool, Palmer Park Leisure Centre & Stadium, with a 25 m pool, a 100-station gym and an athletics track with an outdoor velodrome, South Reading Leisure Centre and Meadway Sports Centre. The Thames Lido, a Grade II listed 1902 ladies' bath restored and reopened in 2017, has a heated pool. Around them sit 24-hour gyms, coached strength gyms, a busy fight scene and rowing and canoe clubs on the Thames.

Whether you've just moved here for work or have trained here for years, it's easier to keep going with the right company. Gymist is how you find them.

Where to train in Reading

Better's public centres and the lido first, then strength gyms, fight gyms and the river clubs.

Public leisure centres and the lido

Strength and coached gyms

Combat and martial arts

On the river and courts

Find a training buddy in Reading

A lane partner at Rivermead, someone to roll with at Mathouse, a running partner for Saturday's parkrun in Prospect Park: find people nearby who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a Reading training group

An evening run along the Thames Path, a weekend ride down the Kennet towpath, a lido swim group at the Thames Lido: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train in Reading.

  • Prospect Parkabout 120 acres, the largest park in Reading, with a free 5 km parkrun every Saturday at 9am.
  • Thames Paththe National Trail runs through Reading on its way downstream to Sonning and Henley.
  • Kennet and Avon Canalstarts in Reading and runs 87 miles (140 km) to Bristol, with a towpath alongside.
  • Christchurch Meadowsopen grass in Caversham, with tennis courts.

Getting around

Rail, bus and river paths to Reading's gyms.

Rail

  • Reading station: 14.325 million passengers in 2024/25 across 15 platforms, the busiest in Berkshire
  • Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, CrossCountry and the Elizabeth line all call here

Bus

  • Reading Buses, owned by Reading Borough Council, runs colour-coded routes such as the Lime 2 and the Emerald 5 and 6
  • park and ride from Mereoak (route 600) and Winnersh (route 500)

On foot and by bike

  • the Thames Path follows the river through the town
  • the Kennet and Avon Canal towpath runs west from Reading towards Newbury

Who trains here

What the census and Sport England say about the people you'll meet in the pool, on the mats and on the river.

  • 35Median ageSix years younger than the South East's 41, and up from 33 in 2011.Census 2021
  • 17.3%Aged 25 to 34Plenty of people building a routine around work, with another 8.4% aged 20 to 24.Census 2021
  • 67.7%Adults active 150+ min a weekJust above the South East's 67.4% and England's 64.6%.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25

Reading gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Reading?

Gymist lists 147 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues in the borough of Reading, from the Better centres and the Thames Lido to 24-hour gyms, fight gyms and river clubs.

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

Better runs four public sites: Rivermead Leisure Centre on Richfield Avenue, Palmer Park Leisure Centre & Stadium on Wokingham Road, South Reading Leisure Centre on Northumberland Avenue and Meadway Sports Centre on Conway Close. All four have a gym and a swimming pool. The University of Reading's SportsPark takes facility bookings too, with community rates for block bookings.

Where can I swim in Reading?

Rivermead has a 25 m pool for lane swimming, a diving pool and a teaching pool with a moveable floor. Palmer Park also has a 25 m pool, and South Reading and Meadway both have pools. The Thames Lido, a restored 1902 open-air pool, is heated and offers public access as well as membership.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Reading?

Prospect Park, about 120 acres and the largest park in Reading, hosts a free 5 km parkrun every Saturday at 9am. The Thames Path runs through the town, and the Kennet and Avon Canal starts here, running 87 miles (140 km) to Bristol with a towpath alongside.

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

Reading station is the busiest in Berkshire, with 14.325 million passengers in 2024/25 and services from Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, CrossCountry and the Elizabeth line. Reading Buses, owned by Reading Borough Council, runs colour-coded routes across the town and park and ride services from Mereoak and Winnersh.

How do I find a gym buddy in Reading?

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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