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Permalink Reply by Davis on October 15, 2012 at 8:14pm

My older son belongs to a Crossfit in the south. He really likes it and has benefited from the experience. It is expensive, he says, but the benefits at least from my son's experience have been very good.

Davis

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Rose on October 15, 2012 at 8:18pm

@ Carl  I'm sorry to hear that.  I've been apart of 3 different Crossfit gyms and I've never had a bad experience.  Sounds like this owner is a bit into himself.   I would suggest at trying it out with a full class.  The part I love most about Crossfit is having other members surrounding going through the same grueling workout that you are. 

If it's still lame after that, maybe you can check out another location? 

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Permalink Reply by Carl Monster on October 16, 2012 at 7:30am

Yes, he seemed a bit into himself, and the Crossfit experience.

I am lucky to have a gym closeby, never mind a Crossfit. I will wait and see if their hour offerings get better; I might try it out as you say.

Just the prospect of dressing, all sweaty, into my work clothes is not all that appealing, especially paying four times as much for the privilege.

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Permalink Reply by Rebekah on October 15, 2012 at 8:25pm

I visited 3 gyms when I decided it was something I wanted to do.

At 24-Hour Fitness, my reception was very cold, kind of like McDonald's - employee just manning a counter, no obvious special knowledge, no commission compensation.

At Crunch, I got a hard sell for both the membership and personal training sessions.

At a private gym, I got a pretty soft sell. I don't think their managers work on commission.

I joined the private gym. I say it was "the right degree of friendly." 24-Hour was too stand-off-ish; I wouldn't have known what to do there as a newbie. Crunch was too much about a gym-going lifestyle, or the gym as a social club (not that people weren't working out hard). At my gym, I don't feel pressured to be sociable, but there are also people to help a newbie (including 3 hours with a trainer as part of a new membership). Considering my gym has free towel service, 2 pools, sauna, hot tub, steam room, 3 weight rooms, 3 cardio rooms, etc., etc., I also get a good deal, though it's by no means budget.

If your new to the gym, I highly recommend doing what I did - visit the gyms in the radius you're looking at. Maybe even work out there once or twice. You can often cancel a membership early for a full refund, or pay for day use to test it out.

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Permalink Reply by Carl Monster on October 16, 2012 at 7:13am

Thanks for the advice; I do belong to a private gym even smaller than the one you belong to; no pools, towel service, sauna etc. Just a cardio, machine, and best of all, a nice big free-weight area. And in my area, gyms are rare as hen's teeth.

Crossfit just seemed like it would be a good change of pace.

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Permalink Reply by LShieldes on October 16, 2012 at 7:29am

Small gym's are beyond rare in my area, with the exception of small boxing gyms with hand painted signs pointing to the back of some junk yard or warehouse.

 

You are left with the 24hr experience, which isn't horrible, my last one really was like an old school gym, but they shut down another and a lot of douchebags started showing up about the time I couldn't go anymore. The big mega ones were just annoying.

 

By work we have a top of the line Lifefitness, freaking $140 a month. No way.

Used to belong to an upscale private when I lived in town, about $90 a month. It was pretty nice for the most part, but they also wanted to treat it like a club, blaring the dance music, brining in DJ's and going to far as to have a sushi bar.

 

I'm just saving up for some quality equipment

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Permalink Reply by Carl Monster on October 16, 2012 at 7:46am

$140 a month?? Yikes. 

You don't need much equipment, that sounds like a plan.

Any gym is rare in my area. We have no chain gyms. The only other show in town is the Y, really nice but too far for a lunchtime strike. That's 90 a month.

The plain vanilla one I go to is in one of the few shopping centers here, that's 35 a month, a great value since I'm only there for the weights.

The Crossfit would be $125 a month for three sessions a week.

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Permalink Reply by Paul_of_TX on October 16, 2012 at 10:54am

In my opinion with Crossfit you are buying a brand name as opposed to a generic workout. You are paying a premium so that you can say you do Crossfit. Cross fit just happens to be the current flavor of the month. Long before Crossfit and long after Crossfit people will be getting into good shape. I am guessing that you might have to sign a yearly contract to join and if so that is $1500 per year for the crossfit. You could run for a year save the $1500 and buy lots of different things like kettle balls, dumbbells, boxes, and resistance bands and do workouts at home.

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Permalink Reply by Carl Monster on October 16, 2012 at 11:17am

I've thought about setting up at home, especially with my simple needs.

I would do that if I came unto financial straights (job loss) and needed to cut back monthly expenses.

Otherwise I need to do my thing off-site. The prospect of my family hearing me grunt and pant is not a pleasant one.

And one thing Crossfit does possibly offer is doing it with others, and some mutual support. I am tired of working out alone.

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Permalink Reply by Rick Shelton on October 16, 2012 at 12:52pm

Is there someone you can work out with at home or at an alternative time?  Maybe not your wife but a neighbor or a friend?

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Permalink Reply by Carl Monster on October 16, 2012 at 1:07pm

No neighbors and friends.

It would also mean very early morning, or end of day; neither time a good fit as far as energy levels.

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Permalink Reply by David F. on October 16, 2012 at 8:48am

I think you found a good place.  Having 3 hours training on the equipment for new members is a great way to keep them safe and welcome them to the place.

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