National Institute for Fitness and Sport (NIFS)

This gym has been such a great amenity since I moved to Indianapolis. I only go in the mornings and so far I’ve had no problems with not getting a rack/treadmill. There are so many benefits I haven’t taken advantage of but should. The people are so nice as well.

I’ve been a member at NIFS for a while, and unfortunately the recent layout change has been frustrating. While the machines aren’t uncomfortably close together, there are now noticeably fewer machines overall. This becomes especially annoying when equipment is tied up by people sitting and scrolling on their phones. I honestly wish the layout had never been changed. It feels like membership prices are going up, yet the amount of available equipment has gone down, and broken machines don’t seem to be repaired in a timely manner. I’ve also noticed that some machines I regularly used are no longer available at all. The new layout has made workouts more difficult and less enjoyable, and it’s disappointing enough that I’m starting to consider changing gyms if things don’t improve.

I’ve been a long-time member of NIFS, but the recent remodel and management decisions have made the environment significantly less welcoming and functional for women. Several changes disproportionately affect female members. All hip thrust platforms were removed despite management acknowledging many direct requests to keep them. These were high-traffic pieces of equipment, and their removal feels dismissive of the way many women train. Furthermore, the digital scale was moved from the shared area into the men’s locker room only. Women are left with an outdated balance beam scale and no modern way to track progress. I emailed management about this disparity and never received a response. Practical needs are also being ignored: towel racks were removed from inside the women’s locker room (requiring members to exit the locker room to retrieve one), and there are zero feminine hygiene products available in the facility. Most concerningly, I reported an incident involving a man watching explicit adult content on the gym floor. Despite staff verifying the behavior and promising a follow-up from management, I heard nothing. While already unacceptable, for a facility frequented by college students and minors, this lack of accountability regarding member safety is even more egregious. NIFS no longer feels like a space that values its female membership, and I am now actively looking for a gym that I can feel proud to support. One that prioritizes safety, modern equipment for all, and basic professional courtesy.

The recent layout change at NIFS is a disappointing example of fixing something that simply wasn’t broken. The previous design functioned well, supported workouts, and made good use of the available space. The new layout, however, has reduced the number of machines and created unnecessary wait during peak hours. What’s particularly concerning is that this shift comes at a time when membership costs continue to rise. Fewer machines, slower repairs, and a less functional layout do not align well. This redesign feels like change for the sake of change, rather than a meaningful improvement to the member experience. Sometimes progress means knowing when to leave well enough alone.

Nifs was the first gym I started regularly going too, and this made it sort of special to me. However with this new layout I can't keep coming here. First of all, there are way less machines (they were replaced with cardio machines that nifs already had dozens of) and waiting for someone to get off their phone so I can use it is more frustrating because now there are no alternative machines you can use! Second of all, I don't know who designed this layout but I simply can't do any of my exercises without making eye contact with someone because all the machines are FACING EACH OTHER. For example, even the incline sits ups are facing each other instead of away from each other like they were. I get that this specific machine is an easy fix, just pick it up and move it, however the bigger machines we obviously CANNOT ROTATE. Third of all, the layout of the old, and the NEW benches is ridiculous. If I want to put a bench sideways (for split squats, for example), I have to either be in someone else's space (on the literal corner of my bench) to see myself in a sliver of mirror, or I don't get a mirror at all. Fourth of all with all these new elliptical machines that they added that NO ONE used before, they couldn't even get another smith machine. I'm sorry, but as a girl I will not be doing my exercises 6 inches away from someone I don't know and don't trust. Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way, but this is a betrayal to every gym newbie. (Especially girls) I'm disappointed, heartbroken, and I will not be coming here again.