One thing I’ve realized in my stay here in Kanazawa is that even with all the walking I’ve been doing, I still have to put in time at the gym. The food here is just so good that I don’t think any amount of walking can cancel out the calories that I’ve been accumulating! This is why I think the gym at Hyatt Centric Kanazawa is such a godsend for me.
Gym at Hyatt Centric Kanazawa: A Complete Workout for Travelers
When I got there, I was greeted by this sign detailing the house rules for the gym. It’s pretty bog-standard and I liked that they actually have it posted.
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Compared to the gym at the Hilton Narita, Hyatt Centric Kanazawa’s seems to be smaller but a lot more modern. Here’s the furniture outside of the gym with some bento boxes and a wooden ornament (not sure) as decorations. It definitely feels out of place though I wasn’t really that concerned considering these aren’t what I came here for.
Yes, I came to burn off calories and seeing the gym from outside, I feel like I could do just that. In all seriousness though, I was surprised at how unassuming the door to the gym looked. If not for the see through glass at the side and the sign on the door itself, you would think this was a regular room in the hotel.
This was the first thing I noticed when stepping into the gym. Aside from exercise balls, I was happy to find that the gym also had kettle bells and even medicine balls. If I remember correctly, the Hilton Narita only had exercise balls when I went there. The yoga mats were also a neat touch though I personally would pack my own if I was considering doing yoga on my travels.
Another area of the gym that caught my attention was this one here. I really appreciate the hotel providing towels here as well as drinking water. I typically don’t bring my own water on my workouts so it’s cool to have access to a water dispenser here.
Aside from the towels, the hotel also provides wet wipes that you can then use to sanitize the gym’s equipment after you’ve used them. Just goes to show that proper gym etiquette is universal.
As with a lot of the gyms that I visit on my travels, I always tend to make use of treadmills the most. I had a comfortable run on these though I think I only allotted about 20-30 minutes or so. Despite how relatively quick it was, the run still managed to get me sweating, pumped, and energized for the rest of my workout.
I also thought of spending time on the stationary bikes but I’d already gotten a good run on the treadmills so why bother. That said, I think stationary bikes might be a better form cardio since it doesn’t tax your knees as much as running (even on a treadmill) does.
I loved that Hyatt Centric Hotel Kanazawa’s gym has lots of free weights. Now I’m not really a lifter but I do try to incorporate free weights a lot in my exercises. The weights pictured here ranged from 12 kg to as much as 30 kg each.
If you wanted something lighter then you could get one from this cute rack here. If I’m not mistaken, the heaviest dumb bell here (the one on the bottom) weighs only 10kg. For a light workout involving free weights, you definitely want to start with these.
Here’s a wider view of the free weights area which also includes an incline bench. I did try to sneak some exercises for my hands and shoulders but I didn’t push too hard. Considering how busy I was traveling around, the last thing I wanted was to feel drained.
Now if you wanted to train a little harder then there is a smith machine here that should at least help with those squats. Since this isn’t a hardcore fitness gym though, the weights aren’t that heavy. Other than this, you’ll also find a functional trainer here. It’s probably the best option if you want a lot more variety in your resistance training regimen.
Here’s a closer look at the smith machine. I’m not really a big fan of this since I read that it’s particularly bad if you’re learning to squat. Basically because of the fixed path for movement, it can reinforce bad form which could potentially cause injuries. If your exercise regimen has hack squats and lunges though then you should definitely do those with this.
The functional trainer is really underrated. There’s just a lot of exercise you can do here and if I was staying long term in Hyatt Centric Kanazawa then this would probably be my go-to machine for working out. You can use this for lunges, squats, pull downs, and even single leg deadlifts on this machine.
The only real issue I have with the gym though is that it only has one of these machines. Thankfully I was the only one in the gym at the time of this picture so I would’ve been able to use this if I wanted. However, what if there were people other than me there?
Anyway, I went back to the area with the water dispenser and stopped by at this weighing scale here. I realized I was probably just overthinking and decided to check my weight. Turns out, the constant traveling and walking did help me maintain my weight and general fitness. That said, I think going to the gym will still be beneficial for travelers regardless of their fitness level.
While some might consider it lacking, the gym at Hyatt Centric Kanazawa still has all the essential equipment you’ll need to stay fit and healthy. Overall, I think the gym is okay considering it’s free to use if you’re a guest at the hotel. With so much to do in Kanazawa though, people might not even have time to go to the gym.
