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Gyms in Rugby

The town where rugby football was written down, with an eight-lane pool at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Centre and an 8 km track round Draycote Water. Here's where to train in Rugby and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
138
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Showing 1–24 of 138 gyms

Neighbourhoods in Rugby

From Bilton and New Bilton to the canal side of Hillmorton and the villages around the town.

Training in Rugby

A growing town with one big public pool, plenty of clubs and a reservoir to run round.

The Borough of Rugby is home to around 114,400 people (Census 2021), up 14.3% since 2011, with a median age of 40. The share aged 25 to 34 rose from 12.6% to 13.6%. In Sport England's Nov 2024–25 survey, 64.8% of adults did 150 minutes or more of activity a week, close to 64.5% across England.

The town's public centre is The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Centre on Bruce Williams Way, opened in 2013 and run by Better (GLL) for the council, with an eight-lane main pool and a teaching pool with a moveable floor. Sports Connexion at Ryton-on-Dunsmore adds a gym, squash, badminton and indoor football. Around them sit CrossFit and independent gyms, chain gyms, ju-jitsu and boxing, and a long list of rugby, football and tennis clubs, Rugby Lawn Tennis Club among them, founded in 1876.

Whether you've just moved here 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 Rugby

The public centre and Sports Connexion first, then the gyms, the chains and the fight gyms.

Public and community sports centres

CrossFit, independents and chains

Combat and martial arts

Find a training buddy in Rugby

A lane partner at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Centre, someone to share the WOD on Paynes Lane, a running partner for the Draycote track: find people nearby who train when you do.

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Start a Rugby training group

A weekend lap of Draycote Water, a towpath run past the Hillmorton locks, a ride out along the old railway path: set it up in minutes and we'll help locals find it.

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Train outdoors

Free places to train in and around Rugby.

  • Draycote WaterSevern Trent's 590-acre reservoir, with a track of about 8 km round it for walkers, runners and cyclists, and a sailing club on the shore.
  • Oxford Canalthrough Newbold, Brownsover and Hillmorton, where the Hillmorton locks are among the busiest on the canal network.
  • Rugby to Leamington cycle patha traffic-free route on the old railway line, part of National Cycle Route 41.
  • Caldecott Parkone of the two large urban parks in the town centre.
  • Coombe Country Parkat Combe Fields in the borough, run by Coventry City Council and open to the public since 1966.

Getting around

Rail, bus and cycle routes to Rugby's gyms.

Rail

  • Rugby station: 2.392 million passengers in 2024/25, on the West Coast Main Line
  • Avanti West Coast to London Euston, Birmingham New Street and Manchester Piccadilly
  • London Northwestern Railway to London Euston, Birmingham New Street and Crewe

Bus

  • Stagecoach in Warwickshire is the town's main operator
  • routes to Coventry, Leamington Spa, Southam, Daventry, Leicester and Northampton

Cycle

  • National Cycle Route 41 runs to Leamington along the old railway line
  • the 8 km track round Draycote Water is open to cyclists

Who trains here

What the census and the activity survey say about the people you'll meet in the pool, at the rack and on the towpath.

  • 14.3%Population growth since 2011Around 14,300 more people in ten years, so plenty of residents are new to the town and still finding their people.Census 2021
  • 64.8%Adults active 150+ min a weekJust above 64.5% across England, with 22.0% still doing less than 30 minutes a week.Sport England Active Lives, Nov 2024–25
  • 19.2%Aged 50 to 64Up from 18.3% in 2011. A swim or class partner makes it easier to keep going.Census 2021

Rugby gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in Rugby?

Gymist lists 138 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across the Borough of Rugby, from the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Centre to CrossFit and independent gyms, fight gyms, yoga studios and sports clubs.

Which leisure centre is in Rugby, and who runs it?

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Centre on Bruce Williams Way, formerly Ken Marriot Leisure Centre, opened in 2013 and is run by GLL under its Better brand on behalf of Rugby Borough Council. It has an eight-lane main pool, a teaching pool with a moveable floor, a Technogym gym, studios and a sports hall.

Where can I swim in Rugby?

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Centre has the borough's public pools: an eight-lane main pool and a teaching pool with a moveable floor. Swim Works runs lessons in Hillmorton.

Where can I train outdoors for free in Rugby?

Draycote Water, Severn Trent's reservoir, has a track of about 8 km round its edge for walking, running and cycling. The Oxford Canal passes through Newbold, Brownsover and Hillmorton, and a traffic-free path on the old railway line runs towards Leamington as part of National Cycle Route 41. Coombe Country Park, run by Coventry City Council, is in the borough at Combe Fields.

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

Rugby station recorded 2.392 million passengers in 2024/25, with Avanti West Coast trains to London Euston, Birmingham and Manchester and London Northwestern Railway services to Euston, Birmingham and Crewe. Stagecoach in Warwickshire is the town's main bus operator, with routes to Coventry, Leamington Spa, Southam, Daventry, Leicester and Northampton.

How do I find a gym buddy in Rugby?

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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