Orange Theory: Preston Hollow

Layout

If you hate the color orange, don't bother checking this place out.  They adhere to the theme very strongly. Everything is orange, and in many different shades as well.  You have the front desk area,

that has all the swag you could want.  They also have cubby holes and two single, but very nice, bathrooms. I believe they also have a shower, but I only caught a glimpse of it.

After you enter through the front desk area you then, when it's your class's time, go through some glass doors into the exercise area.  The exercise area is in a L-shape (at least at this location). In the longer part of the L there is a row of treadmills lined up and facing the wall, a row of rowers behind them.  In the short leg is the strength area, a rack of dumbbells, and small mats, and TRX suspension ropes.  Very clean and very new.  I really liked the treadmills in that they were easy on my feet, very soft and had some bounce, which was nice for my shin splints.  The rowing ergs are the kind that use water for resistance, like what Frank Underwood uses.  I didn't like that I couldn't adjust the resistance.  That made it difficult to raise my heart rate (which is very important in this class), but otherwise excellent machines.

Class experience

This is really similar to Beyond 500 in that both are circuit training that put you in a group that goes from one station to the next.  Beyond 500 seemed to be a bit more focused on pilates type movements while Orange Theory (OT) is focused more on conditioning. OT's focus on making your heart stronger makes sense because the whole deal with Orangetheory, the basis for it's very name, is that the program is designed to keep your heart rate in the 85-92% max rate, aka the "orange zone".  Doing this for an hour is supposed to help burn the most calories.

So how do you know if you're in the orange zone? Well, you wear a hear rate monitor of course! To participate in an OT class, you have to wear one of their heart rate monitors.  They multiple TVs in the room that show everyone's name with their heart rate below them.  So whenever you look up you will see your name and your heart rate, with the corresponding color (grey, blue, green, orange, and red).  You actually do have anonymity in this situation, provided no one knows your name.  However, you do see how you're doing relative to the group, so that can give you that competitive edge to drive you.

The first class I attended our instructor had us divide up into two groups, the treadmill group and the strength/erg group.  For the first 30 minutes the same group is on the treadmills, while the erg group switches out with the strength group after short periods of time.  The whole time things are changing, for the treads they're changing incline and speed, same with the ergs.  The strength group cycles through various exercises, as many rounds as possible.

It was fun to push myself, to try to get my heart rate up.  It is strange, when the instructor said that "alright you're supposed to feel uncomfortable here", it really made it easy to embrace the discomfort of pushing myself.  I have to say I enjoyed the class, this program.

Surfability

This is pretty easy to surf. You sign up for your free first class.  As a bonus, if you wait a week or so they'll offer you a second class for free as well.

SWEAT

So a commenter asked that I check this place out, so here I am in the park cities (Inwood area) trying out Sweat.  Sweat is a local gym, so local that it’s not even a chain.  Had I known this, I might’ve not surfed this place. The staff is so generous and kind, and a single membership means so much to them, that I don’t like teasing the little guys.  This place is small, but it has pretty much everything.  This is the first gym I’ve seen that has aerial silks. 

View from the lounge area

If they don’t have it, they will get it for you. Like the guy showed me they have drop pads for when you want to drop the weight (the floors are polished concrete).  I commented to myself about bumper plates, and he said, “Oh those, those are pretty cheap. We could get some if you’d like.”  Like I said, super nice and super generous.

Given this gym’s proximity to the park cities, I get the impression a lot of Parkies and Devonshire folk come here to workout.  Lots of women during the early afternoon. Met some bartenders that come here to workout. None of the guys I saw were the musclebound kind like at LA fitness or at Gold’s Gym. Though I did see some cutoffs I never saw a tank.  A lot of the women here wear booty shorts, but no one’s outfit was that flashy, if that makes any sense.  So I got the impression this crowd is like a very small, subdued Equinox. I saw one guy rip off the pistol squat progressions that I was working on, thought that was pretty funny.  There were also quite a few high schoolers lifting here.  I’ve been told it never gets really busy, and I’m inclined to believe that. I think the gym is just about the right size.

Layout/facilities

Drop pads if you're
going to drop big weight

It’s small but has a converted space/loft feel, which I really dig.  The floors on the first floor are polished red concrete, and they have a wood lattice design on the walls. They have lots of weight machines, but they only have one squat rack and one bench rack.  More than once I’ve had to wait on someone else who is using the squat rack (though never for squats :/ )

This gym is on a corner so in addition to the two stories of open air you get light coming in from the front and side. The dumbbells only go up to 100# here, but obviously that’s not a huge issue for most people. I imagine if you requested it they would get more for you.  The first floor has cardio equipment and weights, the second floor has a Pilates studio, group class room, and a cardio deck overlooking the gym.  The cardio machines all have headphone jacks to plug into so you can listen to what’s on the TV’s in front of the machines.  If you forget your headphones they’ll provide you with a pair, which I think is nice.

Group Classes

Because it’s a small gym they don’t have a lot of group classes, but they have a program where you can play a video on a drop-down screen in their group class room and do a yoga workout to the video.  So you can do a group exercise without being in a group.  I actually kind of like this.  Even though it’s like doing a workout dvd at home I think the separation of space is great and you can do what you want whenever you want to.  They also have Pilates reform and Cadillac and all the Pilates toys available.

Locker Room

Like the rest of the gym, this is on the small side but has everything you need.  Everything is clean and I like how the lockers have their own key.  They also have cubby holes in the front desk if you come dressed to workout.  The bath is stocked with all kinds of things that you would need. 

Sadly I saw no shaving equipment, but again I'm sure if I asked for it they would get it for me.  They had pretty much everything else, deodorant, lotion, hairgel, mouthwash. Pretty much everything you need.  They also had a radio playing Christian Rock.  I have a feeling a member changed it from 93.3 so I just changed it back.  

Surfability

Because this gym is so small you have to call and talk to them to ask and get a trial membership.  When I asked for one the guy was like “Sure, how about a week? Ten days? Does ten days work?”  God dude way to really made me feel like an asshole with this one.

Days in: 62

Amount paid: $0

24 Hour Fitness - Mockingbird

View from the weight room.

Well, it's been over 10 years but like the prodigal son I have returned.  I'm talking about my visit to 24 hour fitness on Mockingbird (Dallas).  I used to work out here after I had graduated from SMU but had yet to start law school.  Anyways, it's just like I left it, and that's.. alright, I guess.  One of their water fountains was out of commission first day I showed up, and it remained that way for the whole time I was there.  I get the impression it will stay that way for a while longer.

This place feels like a neighborhood gym, Like there were people of all kinds of demographics working out here.  There were a couple senior citizens, a couple of meatheads, some guys that looked blue collar, some white collar, little bit of everything.  The energy felt very relaxed, there was no loud techno blaring, and no one really seemed like they were trying to show off or anything. Everyone was just there to workout. 

Facilities/Layout

This gym is on the second and third floor of the building. However, the entrance is on the third floor so you'll get some cardio just climbing the flights of stairs.  The third floor has all the weights.  There are plenty of machines, and I really liked the TVs they had showing CNN and ESPN over the dumbbell rack.  I really liked this.  Speaking of dumbbells, they go all the way up to 125# here!  

Worth it's 2.5# weight in gold.

They may have heavy dumbbells, but they only have one set of 2.5 plates in the ENTIRE gym.  This being a big deal to me may sound strange, but right now I'm on the program starting strength. With this template, every day you lift you increase the weight by 5# from the previous day.  So if you want to increase the weight by 5#, you need 2.5# plates. I had to look for a good 5 minutes until I finally found them.  They don't even match the rest of their plates.  I think this is funny because every weight rack has a peg that is labeled for the 2.5# plate.

They have only two squat racks here, and one of them is the shitty kind that has really high guard rails.  I squat to depth, and even though I'm in the 90% percentile in height the barbell banged off the guard rail a few times when squatting.

They do have three bench racks though, plus an incline and a decline. Not to mention the bench machines.  So I doubt you will have to wait for anything, except squatting.

I should also mention that this gym is located in a building where almost everything is dedicated to making you look better.  There's a smoothie king, a tailor, a tanning salon, a supplement store, a fit foods place, and probably some others as well that I'm forgetting.

Group Classes

Seems a little sparse, and I'm finding it really hard to attend a Zumba class. Not because of fear of looking the fool (I have no problem there) but I just don't think I would enjoy it.  A couple of days ago I vowed to myself that I would try out classes that I normally wouldn't try, but for this lifter Zumba just seems so.... wrong.  I didn't get the opportunity to try the boxing class, and I'm actually really bummed that I didn't as of this writing they offer one on Tuesday and Thursday, but my schedule just didn't allow for it.  From what I've heard, their boxing classes are legit, but that's just based off of what I've heard.

Locker Room

Basic, but hot and humid.

The locker room here is serviceable, but that's about it. Like everything else about this gym, it is extremely dated.  It reminds me of a hotel's fitness center, for some reason.  I don't remember seeing any soap/shampoo provided.  Of course, I really didn't want to linger in that particular locker room.  Everything is a bit cramped, and when one person takes a shower it makes the entire room feel like a sauna. I would stay away from showering here.

Surfability

This was super easy to surf, almost too easy.  Signed up online, walked in, and then they activated the pass.  They asked if I wanted to hear about their rates or if I just wanted to try out the facilities.  I said I just wanted to try it out and the receptionist was like, "Alright, enjoy."  I didn't have a tour or anything, just left to my own devices.  I thought it was pretty cool at first, but then I realized I didn't know where anything was (it has been ten years).

I did get a nice phone call from a gentleman telling me they appreciated me trying them out.  However, when he asked me how my experience went I told him about the bad squat rack.  Like any good salesman, he tried to turn the negative into a positive, telling me that they have the TRX machine and I could do TRX squats. "Barbell squats may be old-school, but here we offer the latest in fitness technology", he said.  He then told me I should check out one of their trainers and they'll hook me up with stuff like the TRX squat.  I looked into what the TRX squat actually is, and I have to say, this will in no way, shape, or form help me get to a 100kg snatch (a personal goal of mine).  This conversation has caused me to completely disregard any advice the guy had to offer, and it really turned me off from the whole 24 hour fitness gym.

To be honest, this is probably my least favorite gym that I've tried so far.  It just felt so dated, and with the trainers thinking a TRX squat would be a great replacement for barbell squatting, I don't trust the knowledge of the trainers here.

Starting to tell others about this project, and a lot of the responses have been very positive. One friend is really jealous, and another thinks this is great because there isn't a "gym critic" out there.  They also gave me a few gyms to check out.  Who knows, we'll see how this takes off. If this takes off. I really do think I can make it to five months. Six months is my goal, but we'll see if I'm able to stretch this journey out that far.

If you know of a gym that you'd like me to try out, just mention it in the comments and I'll go see what it's all about.

Days passed: 41

Amount paid: $0

LA Fitness - Signature Club

Tried out a big chain this week with LA fitness. They only offer a three day pass, but that's enough for me to lift two days with a yoga class in between.

I think this encapsulates the
crowd here on a Saturday nicely.

This is mostly a young professional crowd, which makes sense given its uptown location.  I happened to come in during meat head hour.  There were tons of guys wearing tank tops to show off their guns and full sleeve tattoos.  The guy to girl ratio was like 20:1, which is nothing really atypical. The gym bunnies I saw were dressed more to work out than to been seen. This was different from the trophy wives I saw at Equinox. 

I actually saw a douche doing dips without his shirt on. He wasn't even facing the mirror so it was for pure show.  Not my cup of tea.  There are also some older bodybuilders here. I would imagine they enjoy showing off to the young crowd and feed off the young energy.  I know I would if I were in their shoes.

When the sales rep was giving me the tour I commented on how nicely laid out the hundred of dumbells were.  He smiled and nodded his head, saying he was OCD.  I almost responded with "You'd love lifetime athletic then". Thankfully I caught myself.  I have to be careful now, don't want them to realize I'm up to something.

Layout/Facilities

The gym is a signature series club, which is their upscale club.  What this means is they offer fancier equipment. The guy told me they have the latest models in machines.  Honestly I don't see how one chest press machine is different from another but whatever.  The actual gym is also twice as big as a normal LA fitness.  For example, they have 50 spin machines and three TRX suspension cages.

The rowing machine and the Squash
courts and the cardio machines.

They also have the fanciest rowing erg I've ever used, the thing was very... different in the cable's tension; it felt more realistic. I want to take this opportunity to apologize for the poor photography. I don't feel comfortable with taking pictures in a gym. I mean, people are self-conscious as it is, and I don't want to make it worse.

 The gym also has a saltwater pool, which is only rivaled by Equinox.  There is also a nice large hot tub, but when I was there it was unavailable as it awaited repair.

I was also impressed with the number of squat racks they had (5!!!!).  When I showed up in prime lifting time (12:30 on a Saturday) I was able to find an abandoned rack.  The douche who used it before couldn't have been bothered to re-rack his weights.  I get the feeling this is a common occurrence in this gym. They also have five bench racks, but they were being used, causing me to wait for over four minutes for one to clear up.

Cheap(er) protein.

I was a little sad to see they did not have any bumper plates, but this very much feels like your typical globo gym that focuses more on isolation exercises than compound lifts.  Nothing wrong with that, it's just not what I personally am looking for in a gym.

There is also a basketball court on the second floor, which I was told was very popular for pick up games.  They also have a group fitness room that is very nice. mirrors on two walls and punching bags lining another one.

A nice bonus here is the juice bar.  They sell protein on the cheap here.  They sell dented bins here at discounts. I think this is a great idea. I mean, if the container is still sealed, then what does it matter if the container is shaped differently? I guess people like their things perfect.

Classes

Only attended one Yoga class here. It was exactly what I needed, a peaceful, relaxing stretch one.  As we listened to Kenny G's rendition of "my heart will go on" the male instructor did a very good job of setting up clear instructions. Nothing was hard to follow. Honestly I liked this one more than the one at Equinox, but I'm not a yogi who does standing splits.  The class was a nice size, quite a few people but no where near crowded.  Lots of women as would be expected. Perhaps they all hide up in the cardio floor

For the yoga room, they have a stack of nice mats but no disinfectant wipes, so I would bring your own mat. I was kind of surprised that this isn't something that is required to be provided. At Equinox everyone just tosses them into a box to be cleaned by the staff (You know, the other half). 

Surfability

It's low pressure, but I don't like the sales tactics used here.  They ask me reasonable questions like "what other gyms are you looking at" and then disparage the gyms that I list. Like I said "24 hour fitness" and the first salesman was like "that place is disgusting" and I told the lead salesman "Tom Landry" and he responded with "well if you like working out with old people then enjoy".  I don't like how they feel the need to bring down other gyms.  Instead, just talk about how your gym is better. Let your product speak for itself.  Unless, of course, you don't think your gym is better.

....When I mentioned that one reason why I was hesitating was because they didn't have bumper plates. The lead salesman said "Well you won't find gyms with bumper plates."

"Oh yeah Tom Landry has bumper plates AND a real platform. So does Equinox."

"Yeah but Tom Landry only has one platform"

Really? That's your response??? One platform is, mathematically, infinitely more than zero platforms. It is also, in my mind, infinitely better.  Just own up to the fact that your gym might not be the best fit and move on. You'll get a lot better opinion of potential customers.

Days in: 32

Amount paid: $0

I should mention now that I'm a month in that I've made a spreadsheet of all the gyms I'm aware of here in Dallas, and I think I can go for another 14 weeks just using trial memberships, that's four months of working out for free.  Also, if I can somehow stretch this out to six months I can start over with a lot of gyms because they only allow trials every six months.  Once I'm out of the free trials I plan to switch over to introductory rates, like the 30 days for $30 promotions you see every once in a while.

UPDATE:

So I've spent an additional two weeks here thanks to a special my apartment was running, and I thought I could add a little more insight as to what it is like working out here.  Regarding the equipment, I don't have too much more to say, but I do have a better idea of who goes here during the 11am-1pm section of the day.

When compared to the other gyms I've been to, the most unique thing here is the number of women working out.  There are a lot of them here. And I'm not talking about cardio queens riding the elliptical up on the second floor (I don't go up there so I have no idea). I'm talking about women doing real, honest-to-God resistance training. As I'm typing this out on my phone there are five women in the weight section doing: lat pull downs, bicep curls, sumo squats, leg press, and deadlifts. Plus, they are doing this all on their own, without a trainer.  So hot.

They aren't really dressed to strut their shit, they are dressed to perform.  However, to a male lifter nothing is hotter than a woman who understands the value of resistance training and isn't afraid of doing something with weights that aren't in neon colors. It's like a gamer who notices a girl playing League of Legends. You've found someone who has similar tastes and values as you do.  To me, a woman who isn't afraid to do heavy resistance training is a sign of confidence and someone who values their health.  Someone who understands the empowerment that comes along with knowing you are strong.  Also, I can't think of a hotter combination than yoga pants and squats.

There was one girl who was doing actual squats (not a half-rep Harriet), and I overhear her talking to a guy, in an eastern European accent, about how she was getting back into competition shape again. So yeah, there are some female competitors (in what I don't know) who lift here.

Other than that, I also really appreciate the cheap protein and shakes/smoothies they offer here. Generally, I think of smoothies and whey protein as  an inferior replacement for a steak and sweet potato hash.  They are called supplements, not necessities, for a reason.  However,  the convenience of being able to have something immediately after your workout can be really nice sometimes when you are in a rush.

Even though I won't be signing up here, I will continue to buy the cheap protein here. What costs $70 and GNC costs half that here.  They have even cheaper prices than amazon or ebay.

Gold's Gym - White Rock

I tried using a friends 5 day guest pass. Basically the guy took and and tore it up and said we could work out today. I guess the deal had expired or something. Who knows, so this take is based off of only one day of working out here.

This place caters to a lot of different people, but I notice a lot more bodybuilders/powerlifters in this joint. If you're a dude and want to wear a string tank top, you won't feel out of place. Not that there are enough of them here to intimidate us lesser mortals, like I said this is a mixed group. This gym is just the first gym I've been to where I've seen a couple of body builders.

Layout/Facilities

This is a really big gym, they have pretty much everything. Even a pool. They have the traditional gym with the free weights and machines and cardio equipment. They also have a nice indoor track. In order to compete with the crossfit craze, they basically have built a box in a section of the gym as well. By this I mean that they have a room with a rubber floor and the rouge cage on the side, barbells and bumper plates for all. So while they don't have Oly platforms for the purist, one can do the Olympic lifts on the rubberized floor.

I was actually disappointed at the number of squat racks this place has. This second floor, where all the free weights/machines are, only has one really shitty squat rack. I call it shitty because the guards are so high you can't squat to depth, and you can't adjust them either. You can go down to the crossfit section in a pinch but it just seems strange to me that as bodybuilder friendly a place this is that they don't cater to more squatting (could always use more squatting).

Surfability

This place is the first I've been to that tries the high-pressure sale tactic. I didn't like it at all, felt like I was trying to buy a car. They use the ol' "have to sign up today and you'll save buttloads of $$$" to time pressure you, but I have the feeling that if you were to try to sign up later they would offer up something else for you.

Every other gym I've been to has tried to let the gym/experience speak for itself. Here they sit you down and try to get you to sign up on the spot. I really didn't appreciate that and to be honest if I was seriously interested in joining before the sales pitch I would be seriously not interested after.

Days in: 28
Amount paid: $0

Lifetime Fitness Athletic

Liftetime Fitness Athletic.  I can see why Mark Cuban comes here to work out. It is a super clean environment, a person with OCD would love this place. The weights are always re-racked and are put back in order (I love this).  To give you an example of the emphasis they place on keeping this place clean, I saw four people cleaning wiping down the machines/weight room after the lunch rush. This included a trainer, a staff member, and an admin in a dress. The admin, in her dress, pushed a bench rack 1" back so that it was in line with the two other bench racks. That, my friends, is attention to detail.  

One readily picks up on the fact that this is a team effort and a well run organization where everyone pitches in.  Also, a lot of staffers here have earpieces, and I heard them saying things like "I'm on it" as they walk around the floor. It had the feeling of security at a bar with the communication going on.

You will also rarely see a machine out of order here. They have a full-time staff of engineers at the ready should anything break down. So if there is a break down, repair work starts immediately.  I think that is really, really nice.

This gym is similar to Equinox, but not as pretentious.  It's an expensive place, but offers a lot of resources. I would say Lifetime isn't as trendy as Equinox; it has more cake, less frosting.  They aren't going to try to get you with what's in their shampoo bottles, but with the programs they have to offer.

Trainer's dress is more understated than at Equinox, which I appreciate.  They don't wear lycra, they wear t-shirts. But you can still tell the dudes are jacked because there's no hiding a 17" bicep on a 5'8" frame.  I also noticed that they all had good posture/movement. These weren't just guys who benched and curled, they paid attention to their whole body and didn't suffer from "douchebag shoulders".

I was also told that in order to be a trainer here you have to have at least a college degree, usually a master's degree. So they seem to have a very high standard here.

They also have a food/nutrition spot. The Sales rep bragged about how their products are so high-quality Baylor hospital sends their patients here to get supplements/vitamins. So there's that. There were also ready to go meals that listed the macros and allergy contents. That could be really convenient, though I didn't get a chance to look at their prices.

They also have a Spa that is open to the public.  So if you're looking for a good spa experience this place may be what you're looking for.

Facilities/Layout

They have a very large cardio room filled with the latest treadmills, Ellipticals, and stairclimbers. I was a little surprised that they only have two rowing ergs, and they keep them in the corner of the boxing area (oh did I mention they have an area with punching and speed bags?)

They also have a basketball court. I was told their ultimate hoops program is highly regarded, but I have no way to verify this. If you know please talk about this in the comment section below.

They have a really large spin room, where there is never a line and you don't have to try to reserve your spin machine. Apparently that's an issue at most gyms, but they decided to make their spin room huge.

They also have a group exercise room, so this is where they have their step aerobics and whatnot (is step aerobics still at thing?).

Concerning the weightlifting facilities, they have tons of machines and quite a bit of free weights, I think I saw dumbbells as heavy as 120# (I have actually had issues with being capped at 100#, so this is a great thing). I think they had three squat racks, so color me impressed. ...Although I did see someone actually doing bicep curls in the squat rack, which is simply sacrilegious.  Obviously that isn't the gyms fault but it gives you an idea of their clientele. 

That all being said, they don't have bumper plates, and the gym floor kind of had a feel of a no lunkhead allowed vibe, but that could have just been me. I have a feeling if I deadlifted some significant weight and let it drop I would get a stern look at a bare minimum. So, for me, this place didn't feel... right.  They also have a strict no cellphone policy, so I was unable to really take pictures.

Take that Lifetime, I took a photo!

During my workout I couldn't find any parallel bars with which to do dips, so I walked around for a good 5 minutes looking for a trainer/staffer/employee and couldn't find one.  I decided to take advantage of the lack of oversight and take a picture of the lemon water they offer at one of the desks. Perhaps everyone was out to lunch. I eventually found the dip bar on my own.

The clientele is not as flashy as equinox, at least the lunch crowd.  There were some women wearing booty shorts, and one dude wearing a tank, but other than that it seemed more performance oriented gear.  I saw two younger brosephs working out and overheard one say "We could join equinox".  Perhaps they weren't digging the vibe of the joint.

Locker rooms

The bathrooms were expansive and very clean. They have a lot to offer: sauna, hot tub, nice showers, razors and shaving cream, etc., but still no aftershave. I guess gyms just don't believe in aftershave.  I couldn't figure out how to work the locker (each one has a key in the lock, but I couldn't figure out how to turn the key; stupid I know), so I just left the key in and hoped no one wanted to steal my very worn down gym bag.

Surfability

This was not the easiest gym to surf.  I had to take an extensive tour, hear a long sales pitch.  If you come here to surf you better plan to add on an extra hour to your workout, so eat accordingly.  If you really want to be a cheap asshole this place has a two week full money back guarantee, so you could workout here for 13 days and then bail and not pay a penny.  I, personally, feel like that's crossing a line from cheap to being a jerk.  But if you really want to stretch out each surf, there is that option.

However, surfing here will not preclude you from surfing their other locations.  I might have to go check out another location later, I know the north Dallas one hands out week long passes instead of a single day. Coming here also does not preclude one from getting trial passes at other locations.

This place is very good. When you join you will have a full support system: trainer, nutritionist, yogi, and 90 day programs to help you reach your goals. I walked away very impressed with this gym, and almost felt bad for just using their facilities. Almost.

Days in: 25
Amount paid: $0

Equinox - Highland Park

What's up peasants! I just dropped off my masaratti at the valet and am having an organic vegan juice before I  meet up with my personal trainer who's better than yours!  If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm working out at Equinox, the most expensive (non-crossfit) gym out there.

In a city that prides itself on its pretentiousness, Equinox was a welcomed import from NYC.  Heck,

Dallas's answer to the
"Keep Austin Weird" slogan.

the gym is trying so hard to impress it even brags about how it's in Highland Park.  I asked my sister, a naturalized Parky, if it is, in fact, in HP and her response was, "Eehhh, it's really not."  

If you want to try to impress people by the gym you work out at, Equinox is for you.  I must confess a certain... prejudice against anything that smacks of elitism by way of materialism. I went to SMU, which made me intimately familiar with the image-conscious side of Dallas, and not in a good way.

First thing is the people. If you're at a gym where people are their for the image, you're going to have a lot of image-conscious people. Image-conscious people tend to take pretty darn good care of themselves.  Thus, this gym is full of very fit, beautiful, and sometimes plastic people.  This is definitely the land of the $30k millionaires and trophy wives. But's it's also the land of successful business men (Who don't think that "no parking" signs apply to them). I've been to gyms where the trainers are sometimes sporting a bit of a pot belly or seem a little soft. Not here. Every trainer I saw could be in a fitness magazine, and every one I talked to was extremely friendly.

As one would expect from a place like this they have a very extensive spa. It's not just a room off to the side, rather a whole section of the building is dedicated to manis/pedis/facials/massages/whatever else they do in spas.  I was kind of tempted to try out a massage therapist, but it just didn't happen.

Layout/Facilities

The view from the Oly platform

The gym is beautiful. A lot of thought went into the architecture and it shows.  You don't feel like you're walking into a gym, but a high-end hotel or spa.  They have a group class that is in the middle of the main space but because of the frosting in the glass you don't feel like you're in a fishbowl.  They have a very nice, but small, saltwater pool that I was told is very popular with the triathletes.  They also have a very zen yoga studio with soft natural lighting, very peaceful.  This is separate from the Pilates room where the reformers are set up full time.

I typically use bumper plates when I can, and one time I looked around for the 45 plates and realized they have only two plates, and a trainer was using it with a client.  Thankfully I had a work around, but it was surprising that they only have one set of bumper plates for each amount of weight. E.g. only two 45# plates, two 35# plates, and so on.  although they have three squat racks, you could still end up waiting on other people for a long, long time if you're planning on deadlifting and want to use bumpers.

Group Classes

A nice thing is that with membership ALL the classes are free. You don't have to pay an extra $5 for a week of Pilates with the reformer.  So if you go to classes all the time this gym MIGHT actually be a good value.

Even their water is better than yours.
I had to look up GE Homespring
to see what this actually was.

I tried a yoga class, and was surrounded by women who, judging by their crows pose and standing splits, probably do this all the time.  I personally wasn't intimidated but I'm rarely intimidated by any setting.  The instructor was very nice, friendly, and knowledgable.  I think because the majority of the class was so advanced she gave very minimal instruction.  For example she would simply say "Warrior two to Moon's pose*" without much description of what the pose actually is.  I checked and this class is for all levels so again I think if I wasn't the only yoga noob she would've explained more.

Also, the mats are cleaned after each use, but not by you. After class you just put them in the used mat pile and let some one else deal with it. Living the life.

I also got to try their RX series class. I do a lot of mobility work on my own, and this class works on the parasympathetic system, so I was curious to experience mobility work in a class setting.  It was only 30 minutes long, but the instructor was an anatomy geek like me (her eyes lit up when I mentioned "infraspinatus").  I was also introduced to Yoga Tune up balls, which are a little softer than the lacrosse ball I'm used to and actually work better because of it. So I'm glad I went.

Showers

When I was given the tour and we arrived at the locker room, the guy pointed out the khiel products and said, "the goal is so that you don't have to bring any of that stuff to the gym". I decided to take him at his word and see what happened.  Some things worked well, others.... did not.

The shower itself was excellent. Slotted teak(?) wood floors gives you a spa/beach feel. However, more than once I stepped on a sharp screw head sticking out and that did not tickle.  The tiling was excellent and the shower head was top notch; everything was very clean. I had to wait a while for hot water to show up, which was surprising.  Once the water got hot, however, it got really hot.

Pay $150/mo for $80
worth of products.

The khiels products were, as expected, excellent. I left the stall smelling slightly of grapefruit and feeling clean. However, when it came to shaving and styling my hair I was disappointed.  The razors provided were fine, but the shaving cream was not khiels, it was old-school barbasol foam.  I'm not a foam man myself but I gave it a try and I definitely cut myself a couple of times. Perhaps it was the bic razor, I don't know.  After shaving, I then realized there was no aftershave provided.  This was a little alarming as I could feel my skin dry and tighten up.  I decided to use some of the free khiels body lotion provided, but it wasn't the same as real aftershave.

I then tried the non-khiels hair gel that is provided. I found it.... lacking.  It didn't provide any real hold and smelled/felt like rubbing alcohol, which is a filler for lesser quality gels.  So all in all if you plan to shower here bring your shaving equipment and hair supplies. This reminds me of my studio apartment back in law school where they said it came with all appliances only for me to realize upon moving in that it didn't have a dishwasher. "All khiels products" just means lotion, soap, shampoo, and conditioner.

Normally I don't care about this kind of thing, I mean this is the first time I've used a gym's shower.  But if a part of your marketing scheme is what's inside the shampoo bottles then you better damn well back it up. For the money that they charge here, I would expect a better experience. I mean come on, provide at least some kind of aftershave to go with the razor and shaving creme.

Surfability

Only an X5, so he had to
park in an actual parking spot.

This was an incredibly easy gym to surf.  Perhaps it's because I have friends who are trainers here but I was expecting more of a hard sale.  I was simply given a tour of the facilities, given my card, and then left on my merry way.  I was also surprised to learn that their free trial pass is a whole week.  With a place like this I was expecting a day at most.

I should also note that you should view equinox in private mode on your browser. They should
#preapologize for taking over all of my banner ads. God I'm tired of that guy in a tux in a pool.  What the hell does that have to do with working out???

This was actually really fun.  It was cool to see how different this gym is from others.  By the third day I had fully embraced the Equinox lifestyle and was almost expecting some one to be there to load/unload my bar for me.  I was very impressed with the customer service, everyone is very nice and it really does have the feel of a high end hotel/spa.  Sadly, however, my time here has come to an end, so it's on to the next one.

Days in: 24
Amount paid: $0

*I have no idea if that's a real thing I just remember those two poses being mentioned.

A Tribe Called Sprinters

I must preface this review with the fact that I am now a full-blown member, pay my dues and everything. I figure this is a testament to the product that they are able to provide this cheapskate.
So I've been interested in getting into sprinting for a while now. I want to feel fast, but I don't like running more than the straight section of a high school track (however long that is). I was looking through crossfit gym websites to find out when they offer a free class and I stumbled upon the fact that some coaches have their own sprinting group: A Tribe Called Sprinters. And more importantly, they offer a free class on Sundays!

I can personally attest that you don't need any track experience to join. The only kind of running I've tried is long distance like a 5k or 40 minutes on the treadmill. This experience, however, was much more enjoyable and entertaining. Running for 10+ minutes is boring, but doing a different drill ever few minutes or so is very entertaining.

Prepping for the day's workout.

The coaches are very knowledgable, and extremely friendly. There is no bootcamp vibe to this at all. The coaches view it as playing, and I think it really comes off that way. They will usually have hip hop music blaring throughout the class so it also feels a little bit like a party. Be careful of Crystal though, she will hug you.

This class will focus on "fast-twitch training" which means you won't be doing anything close to jogging. They will be working on explosiveness, and explosiveness is what makes a person athletic. This training feels more focused than a crossfit program, where you kind of try to be decent at everything. I much rather prefer this focused approach. Become explosive, become athletic, worry about your 40m time, not your 5k time.

To summarize an average Sunday class, they start with warming up with various drills that are brief but sometimes intense. First they usually have you do some exercises with a band around your knees in order to activate the glutes. After that, they usually do some type of technique drills. For example, they'll have you do the A-skip, B-skip, and the like for 20 meters. None of this lasts long, it only takes a couple seconds to cross 20 meters, but as the exercises get more intense you definitely get more winded. After doing 50 minutes of warm up, it usually ends with either a relay race or actual sprinting like 50 meters. And then you're done.
Recognizing that the Sunday class is open to all, they usually refrain from doing drills that are too technical.

The Sunday class usually takes place on the SMU track (though my free class was at Hillcrest Highschool), and in the summer time running outdoors in Dallas can get really hot. But they usually provide a cooler of water/gatorade so if you forget to bring water you won't have heat stroke. This class is nice in that you just need a pair of running shoes. Track spikes are usually not asked for and are never needed. The Sunday class, since its focus is more on mobility/conditioning work, never asks for spikes to be worn.  

This is a very friendly group and the coaches really do their best to be kind of silly/goofy so to help you feel relaxed. At the end of the class, they have this circle cheer/chant that helps build camaraderie, and really helps you feel like a part of a team.

I think everyone should try this one out, it's pretty awesome.

Days in: 19
Amount paid: $0

Tom Landry Fitness Center

I got another week-long trial membership, this time at Tom Landry Fitness. It's a little old school, little classic. Here you have doctors getting their workout in between shifts. The decor is a little dated, but they are about to undergo a big renovation. I've been told when this happens the membership fee will go from $60/mo to $120/mo. So if you're interested, you better act fast.

This place is huge. It's three floors of pools, squash courts, yoga/Pilates rooms, indoor track, outdoor

This place is very intimate.
*Echos* intimate.

track, weightlifting machines and racks, and many other things I can't remember. I was super excited to see that they not only have bumper plates they have an Olympic lifting platform!!! The outside track is very scenic, but it can get soooo hot outside that running can lose it's appeal. However, they have a nice indoor track, so you always have an option.
Since the weights are on the second floor, I decided to test the staff to see if I could drop the bumper plates from overhead. I tried it with 135, and felt a little weak just dropping such a light weight so I "guided" it down. Then I really dropped the barbell with some heavier weight and although I think some people started laughing at talking about me the staff never told me to stop, so I was pleasantly please that this place won't kick you out like a planet fitness.

A view from the outdoor track.

I tried out a yoga class and a Pilates class, and was pleasantly reminded of how out of shape and inflexible I am. The instructors seemed very knowledgable and did a great job of pushing without being too difficult. ...I should mention that the classes consisted mostly of older women, so perhaps the instructors scaled accordingly.


I also get the impression that the trainers here have quite the accreditation since it's associated with a hospital. I used to workout at a similar-type of gym in the Chicago area and the trainer I worked with there was pretty damned amazing at coming up with a physical therapy routine for me to recover from some significant injuries. The sales rep didn't actually say any of this, so perhaps the standards are lower here, it's just the impression that I get.

This is a very large gym, and since it's associated with a hospital it makes it seem more.... professional, and slightly more therapy-oriented than meathead oriented. They have a gigantic hot tub, and I think the reason for that is its therapeutic value.

I was very impressed with all they had to offer. This place is a great value with all the resources and classes available. It was very next experience to try this gym out. Just a walkthrough and explanation. They did a follow up call but no pressure whatsoever. This is now my frontrunner of where I will go when I'm done with all of this.

Days in: 17
Amount paid: $0

Trophy Fitness - Addison and Mockingbird

In keeping with the local chains, I just finished a week working out at Trophy Fitness. I went to two different locations, the new one in Addison and the one off of Mockingbird underneath the Phoenix Midtown apartments.  This was a nice, 7 day pass.

Addison Location

This is a new facility and is very nice. It's smaller, but it seems to handle the amount of traffic nicely.

Lots of machines. Two Barbells.

You will see lots of group activities going on around the gym.  For example, it seems like there's a lunch bunch of dudes that lift together with a trainer. There's also a group of women doing a bootcamp-type workout on the first floor right before the stairs.

They seem to have everything here, if not a lot of it.  They have all kinds of kettlebells, ropes, balls, grips, and other equipment I can't even think of.  They have a nice rooftop basketball court, although I only saw like two guys use it because it's outdoors and it's summer in Dallas.

However, there are only two barbells in the gym.  I'll let you think about that.  Two.  So If some one is doing bench and some one else is doing curls in the squat rack, you're screwed.  I never had any real issue thankfully, I would just do something else for a couple sets and then it would free up. But still, it was always a concern in the back of my mind driving to the gym if I was going to be able to lift that day.

Very nice shower stalls.

I was working on my overhead press and I had a TRAINER tell me he'd never seen anyone press the bar behind them like I did.  I then demonstrated and explained how I'm not really pushing the bar back, but pushing my head through.  It scares me to think that there are trainers with certificates who don't know of the proper mechanics of a strict overhead press. It is a complicated movement don't get me wrong, but it is also a staple in lifting. At least, in my mind it should it is a staple.

I was really impressed with open airiness of the gym. Most of it is on the second floor, and it has lots of natural light.  The lockers/showers were really nice.  Actually I really liked the shower stalls, top notch.  They also have a group fitness room on the first floor, but I didn't get to check it out.

Mockingbird Location

This photo makes the place
look a lot brighter than in real life

This place is definitely a smaller location than the Addison, much more bare bones.  It is tucked under an apartment complex, and when you walk in it feels a lot more like a basement.  For example, there's exposed pipes in the ceiling, and it's more plumping than ductwork.  For example, a trainer pointed out to me that while I was doing overhead press, the pipe overhead I was nudging with the barbell was a sewer pipe, so I should probably stop doing that. I promptly stopped. 

This location also doesn't have the group energy feel of the addison location.  Although there's a lot of one-on-one training going on here, I didn't see a single group working out together.  This place has a group exercise room separate from the weights/cardio room. As in, I have to go outside to go from one room to the other.  There are only two group classes a week here, so if you're into yoga and stuff this location might not be for you. Again, there are only two barbells, but there is pretty much every machine you need in the gym.

There is one thing that bothers me about the place, and that's the fact that the weight plates are always out of order.  They only have one guy working the whole gym, and he's working the desk as well. They keep the place clean I see him wipe down everything, they just don't make sure all the 5#s are on the 5# rack.

It was pointed out to me that the woman working out over in the corner with a trainer was a famous Dallas Star's wife, and another NFL legend's wife also works out here with the same trainer. Very impressive credentials.

There's one hippie trainer here. You know, that guy with long hair that wears vibrams? Yeah him.  He works here, and as expected his focus is more on mobility and balance, which I think is cool. We could all use some more mobility.

Nice Shower Stalls

This location is next to a spa, so members have access to a eucalyptus steam room. It's pretty cool, but steam rooms aren't my thing. The showers/locker room is small and but has nice products. The shower is very nicely tiled and they have the typical products for you to use.

If you're into saunas then come here with some sandals packed, and after your workout you can hang out at Pure's sauna.

Honestly, I really like this chain. I personally don't want a lot of fancy stuff. I just want to go in, get my lift on, and get out.  I also liked the friendly staff, these guys recognize the value in customer service and I was treated really, really well by both location managers (who also happen to work the reception desk).  These guys are really friendly and I get the genuine impression they care and would try to do anything to help you out.  Because of the customer service and the locations, I may join this one when I'm done with my, uh, adventure.

Total days: 10

Amount paid: $0