Skip to content
Sign in

Gyms in the West Midlands

Almost six million people across 30 council areas, from Birmingham and the Black Country to the Shropshire Hills and the Malverns. Gymist helps you find where to train in the West Midlands and who to train with.

Gyms and venues
6,695
Join Gymist freeFind a training buddy

Popular gyms in West Midlands

See all 6,695 gyms in West Midlands →

Local authorities in the West Midlands

Thirty council areas, from the Black Country to the Welsh border, each with its own page.

Training in the West Midlands

Commonwealth Games pools, open hills and plenty of room to move more.

The West Midlands is home to 5,950,757 people (Census 2021), with a median age of 40, the same as England. It is also the region with the most room to move more: in 2024–25, 64.6% of adults did 150 minutes or more of activity a week, the lowest of England's nine regions and below 68.0% for England. Within the region that ranges from 80.0% in Warwick to 51.4% in Sandwell.

The region has the venues to change that. Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Smethwick, built for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, has a 50 m pool and a 10 m dive tower; Coventry's Alan Higgs Centre and the University of Birmingham have 50 m pools too; and in August 2026 Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr staged the European Athletics Championships, the first time they had come to Britain. Beyond the cities there's Droitwich Spa Lido, lakes for open water swimming, the Malvern Hills, the Shropshire Hills and the Peak District's south-western edge.

With 649,583 people aged 16 to 24 and 772,940 aged 25 to 34, there are plenty of people here who'd train more with the right company. Gymist is how you find them, from Wolverhampton to Warwick.

Where to train in the West Midlands

The region's landmark public venues, outdoor swims and climbing walls.

Commonwealth, national and 50 m venues

Lidos and open water

Climbing and bouldering

Find a training buddy in the West Midlands

A lane partner at Sandwell Aquatics Centre, someone to belay you at Depot in Digbeth, a hill partner for the Malverns: find people near you who train when you do.

Find a buddy

Start a West Midlands training group

A winter swim group at Cliff Lakes, a Saturday hill group on the Malverns, a bouldering crew at Awesome Walls in Stoke: set it up in minutes and we'll help people nearby find it.

Start a group

Train outdoors

Free places to train across the West Midlands.

  • Malvern Hillsa range with more than 3,000 acres of open space, topped by the 425 m Worcestershire Beacon.
  • Shropshire Hills National Landscape802 square kilometres, including the Long Mynd's moorland plateau, the Stiperstones and the Wrekin.
  • Cannock Chase68 square kilometres, England's smallest mainland National Landscape.
  • The Roacheson the Peak District's south-western edge, with a 6.6 km circular walk and an extension to Lud's Church.
  • Sutton Parka 2,400-acre National Nature Reserve in Sutton Coldfield, with a Saturday 5k parkrun.
  • The Starley Networkabout 500 miles of connected cycling and walking routes, mapped by TfWM.

Getting around

Tram, rail and cycle routes across the region.

Tram

  • West Midlands Metro between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, over 30 stops

Rail

  • West Midlands Railway, Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Chiltern Railways and Transport for Wales
  • the Cross-City line from Lichfield through Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham to Redditch and Bromsgrove
  • Moseley Village, Kings Heath and Pineapple Road stations, opened 7 April 2026

Cycle

  • the Starley Network covers about 500 miles of routes
  • National Cycle Route 5 runs through Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham

Who trains here

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

  • 40Median ageThe same as England, but 34 in Birmingham and 46 in Lichfield.Census 2021
  • 1,422,523Residents aged 16 to 34649,583 aged 16 to 24 and 772,940 aged 25 to 34. A lot of people at the stage of life where a training partner makes the difference.Census 2021
  • 64.6%Adults active 150+ minutes a weekThe lowest of England's nine regions (England: 68.0%), from 80.0% in Warwick to 51.4% in Sandwell.Sport England Active Lives via OHID Fingertips, 2024–25

West Midlands gym questions

What people ask before they train here.

How many gyms are there in the West Midlands?

Gymist lists 6,695 gyms, leisure centres, pools, studios and sports venues across the West Midlands' 30 local authorities, from council leisure centres and Commonwealth Games venues to climbing walls, lidos, open water lakes and independent gyms.

Which are the biggest places to train in the West Midlands?

Birmingham has the most venues on Gymist, followed by Shropshire, Solihull, Coventry, Warwick and Dudley. Birmingham is also the youngest local authority in the region, with a median age of 34 (Census 2021). Warwick is the most active: 80.0% of its adults did 150 minutes or more of activity a week in 2024–25.

Where is there a 50 m pool in the West Midlands?

Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Smethwick, the 2022 Commonwealth Games pool, has a 50 m pool, a 25 m diving pool and a 10 m dive tower, plus a 108-station gym. The Alan Higgs Centre in Coventry has a 50 m pool that can be split in two with a movable boom, and University of Birmingham Sport & Fitness at The Vale has a 50 m pool with community memberships.

Where can I swim outdoors in the West Midlands?

Droitwich Spa Lido is a 40 m open-air saltwater pool, with a cold water season after the summer. The Severn Centre in Highley has a heated 25 m, four-lane outdoor pool in summer. For open water, Cliff Lakes near Tamworth runs summer and winter swims, Escape to the Lake near Bransford opens all year, and Lenches Lakes near Evesham runs sessions through the winter.

Where can I train outdoors for free in the West Midlands?

The Malvern Hills have more than 3,000 acres of open space, topped by the 425 m Worcestershire Beacon. The Shropshire Hills National Landscape covers 802 square kilometres, including the Long Mynd, the Stiperstones and the Wrekin. Cannock Chase is England's smallest mainland National Landscape, and the Roaches sit on the Peak District's south-western edge in Staffordshire.

How do I get around the West Midlands to train?

West Midlands Metro trams run between Birmingham and Wolverhampton. Rail services are run by West Midlands Railway, Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Chiltern Railways and Transport for Wales. TfWM's Starley Network covers about 500 miles of connected cycling and walking routes.

How do I find a gym buddy in the West Midlands?

Join Gymist free, add the gyms you use and when you train, and browse members in your town or council area. If there isn't a group for your kind of training nearby, you can start one.

Train in the West Midlands? Join Gymist

Free to join. Save your gyms, share when you train, and connect with people training near you, from Stoke to Hereford.

Join Gymist free

Nearby areas