I would like to preface this review by saying that this was my very first experience with crossfit…read more I knew very little about crossfit, what it entailed, how much physical and mental determination it would require. I initially chose CFVF because it was convenient to work. The "box" is located inside of the Aspiring Champions complex in KOP. I've been attending CFVF for almost a year now and this has been the best experience of my life. I attend classes 4 days a week and the changes I have experience over the past year have surpassed my expectations. The coaches are ALL amazing! They are friendly and extremely knowledgeable. They exemplify what it means to be leaders. The guys are great and they know there shit! With that said, they maintain a light-hearted, encouraging atmosphere, even when the workouts are kicking my ass! The other patrons of the gym are also very nice and welcoming. There is an amazing sense of comaraderie that you don't find in other fitness facilities. I attend class in the early AM and it is never too crowded. The small class size makes it feel as if you have a personal trainer. If you are considering crossfit and have access to CFVF, I would highly recommend trying them out. Again, I chose this particular gym because it was convenient to work, but I can tell you that if I ever left my job in KOP, I would still attend CFVF, eventhough I live in center city. Yes..I said it. I would still go out of my way to attend CFVF even with the horrendous traffic on 76!

I flew out to KoP for 2 weeks on business and decided to check out CFVF while I was out there. The…read morecoaches are great and well experienced. Having been to 6-7 boxes, I've learned that coaches make or break the box. The coaches knew what they were talking about and were able to explain the movement mechanics well. They really focused on form and technique which is extremely important to me. The members of the box were also super friendly. Honestly, the box felt like my home box (Crossfit Central Houston) - that's how comfortable they made me feel. During my 2 weeks at CFVF, I got my first pistol, PR'ed my 5RM OHS, and climbed my first rope. I don't know if it was something in the water over there or what, but it was a solid 2 weeks of firsts. I can't wait to go back to CFVF the next time I'm in the KoP area.

A meat head gym- no doubt! This place is typically not staffed except for when a new member needs…read moreto sign up and makes arrangements ahead of time by calling or e-mailing now. You can even get a 1 day pass online and not have to make actual contact nor is it expected probably. For the monthly pass, with no enrollment fees, mind you, you would need to make an appointment the first time around. If you can make it at least 5 times to the gym within the month, then it is worth getting the 24-7 access by the month. Most gyms wanted to charge me an enrollment fee for a partial one month period, and it was just not worth it to do that for me. Most gyms don't have 24-7 access and those that do will tack on this enrollment fee. I was planning to work out manually but then I had thought of this gym and tried asking and glad I did! There are showering facilities which I wouldn't have expected, but it's super nice to know that I don't have to leave sweaty and head straight back home if I don't want to. Definitely a potential incentive to keep working out and makes it feel less like a stressful event. One of the showers doesn't even work currently, but there are two others that do. The toilet paper rolls look worn out and it feels like if they were fixed, some musclehead might accidentally break it again by pulling too hard on it. Another one, during one time I was there, the water was accidentally left on and I turned it off, I could see how one might be in a hurry and not have closed the faucet all the way. You just try to do the right thing with minor things like that. Most clients probably would prefer to drive home and use their own comfortable shower rather than the one provided here. There are also a few bottles of wipes provided, but I was probably the only one who would use them or maybe they would only be used by others if sweat got on the equipment. There's a whole array of apparel from online that can be shipped directly to you and pictures of history and pride of the gym and the owner's past interests and successes. I can't fully appreciate the equipment that is here nor understand how to use much of it. I tried to look what equipment was what and how to use it when I could and sometimes I just did things by looking and feeling them out enough but making sure I could handle the weights and such if things didn't quite go as I expected. The only thing I wish this gym and most gyms could have is an optional local community event to get together and just chit chat once in awhile, maybe like every month or 2 or 3 months. I have run into a few that do this or did this once in a rare occasion to try it out, but it is a way to try to build community so that I'm not just showing up and leaving. Gyms that have classes, as I can't make those regularly, I'm not able to socialize that way. So, the classes have become not a big deal to me. The personal trainers I've tried at other gyms is hit or miss, more miss The trainers I tend to like to work with the least are the ones that have been hired through a mainstream gym because many of these people only want to work with certain clientele and they may do things like not show up to their appointment or put someone else in place when that is not the standard practice at most gyms (and this probably should be the standard practice at most mainstream gyms.) They are trying to go for the "relational" connection building, but most gyms are way too transient for this on both the client and staff sides to be effective. A few reviews have said that one can just ask others for help. While I probably could've, I did feel like as a non-jock, I would be intruding on someone else's workout and if I asked them something, what could I offer them back that they would want? Sometimes, a "thank you" might be enough, but I guess living in this world and how it's changed and socially, not for the better, I feel uncomfortable without more context. Even something as simple as I recognize that brand name on your shirt or something "generic" but thoughtful like that could be enough. I think there are people who are probably really nice, but some that would be super annoyed. You don't always know 100% but you just get that vibe. Even things more in my space and YelpE, and even in things where I definitely level off enough with others, I have not built the tight friendships one might expect. A few people did say "hi" when I was least expecting it, and one person ended up going into the gym even thanking me for "letting him in", but I wasn't actually letting him in and I didn't want to create an unnecessary conflict. I also just wanted to leave the gym at that time too. It was safe to assume he had a valid pass and just wasn't finding his pass or working the system right. This slew of gym types is typically less advertised I believe as a Baltimore friend thought this type of gym didn't exist near him.

I stopped in a couple weeks ago to check out the gym. The owner Steve was such a nice guy. The gym…read morewas absolutely spotless and it smelled so clean in there. Tons of equipment for lifting and strength training. He also had some cardio machines in the front. I ended up doing a home gym plan because I didn't want to make the drive but if it was a little closer it would be perfect. I just wanted to take the time to write this review because it really is a great gym run by a really great business owner

My trainer, Kara B., was great. She kept me on track, helped me gain muscle, and worked out…read moreadaptations to accommodate my past injuries. Very knowledgeable and motivating. I highly recommend her and the other trainers at Platoon. The facility was always clean and the manager was easy to get a hold of. Great location for people working around Old City/Center City.

I've been taking Platoon's free classes at the Comcast Center for the past four weeks and I…read moreabsolutely love them. The trainers, Michelle and Malik, are awesome and inspirational. I'll admit, I begrudgingly went to the second class dreading the various cycles we had gone through the week before. I assumed that because the classes were free, they would be exactly the same. Wrong! Every single class has been different. Each has been painful in its own special way, but for me, not knowing what's next makes it easier to push through. This has kept me going back for more week after week. Although I already have a gym membership and pay for another boot camp in NJ, I am seriously considering looking into Platoon's programs.

I came to the Summit as an absolute beginner with no workout experience a few months back. Zack has…read morebeen amazing to work with. He's done a great job of understanding my fitness goals and creating a workout plan that feels catered to my needs. His cues and guidance help a lot, and it really feels like you're working out with a buddy who's always rooting for you. I've noticed a steady an improvement in my body when it comes to things like lifting, carrying heavy grocery bags, etc. I also really appreciate how clean the gym is. The equipment feels new, and the small, semi-private vibe helps me focus on my own workout. Highly recommend this place!

I would highly recommend summit and had a wonderful experience working with Matt. Matt is extremely…read moreknowledgeable and helped me with my goal of body decomposition. I worked out a ton before signing up for personal training but Matt introduced me to weight lifting in a safe and sustainable way. I appreciated that while I only had time to do sessions once a week, he provided a thorough and clear plan to follow on my own time.

As my Philly fitness tour continues, I found myself at Ranger training after some encouragement…read morefrom Katrina C. We had been taking some boot camp classes together and she kept saying I had to try ranger training. I actually used to walk by these crazy people at 6am in Rittenhouse when I walked to spin class, but with Versafit now defunct, and the sun rising too late to get in my morning run, I decided to become one of these people. I got a great deal from groupon and after returning from vacation finally gave the ranger training a try. My first experience was a positive one. There were about 8 people in the class, and we started right away with a few sets of jumping jacks. I pretty much didn't stop moving for the entire 45 minutes with running, push-ups, burpees, mountain climbers, tricep dips, and high knees all part of the routine. Sgt. Nate expects you to do what he says, but it doesn't seem like he would make you do anything you really can't do. He's also very firm with his instructions, and if you don't follow them expect to do some extra push-ups, but he's encouraging and didn't yell at anyone. He really seems committed to helping people get healthy. I'm definitely looking forward to continuing with it.

Update - I'm now ready to share my modest fitness prowess. No longer do I feel as if I'd been hit…read moreby a dump truck after my PTF workouts with Sgt. Nate. After 6 to 8 weeks of recovery pain* I'm now at a point where I feel only gentle "reminders." Bonus points & stars to Sgt. Nate because he always has the perfect stretch to alleviate my muscle woes. My results speak loud and clear - as amazing yelpers Christine B & Katrina C can also attest. When I started in the beginning of October I was not able to complete a full push up, I could do 23 rowers (situps) in 1 minute & run a mile in 7:47. Two months with Sgt. Nate and I can now do 20 real push-ups & 37 rowers in a minute as well as run a mile in 7:17. Thanks Sarg & all my fellow PTFers I couldn't have done it without you! *Note: I did NOT have a strict workout regimen before joining PTF, hence my blubbery muscles & associated recovery pain from Ranger Training workouts.

It really pains me to write this review. I've been taking classes at RippedPHL since shortly after…read morethey opened. Of the various treadmill workout studios in the area that have come and gone over the years, it consistently was my favorite. It had been in my regular rotation for a while until they changed the Thursday night class that best fit in my schedule to a strength only class. Since I really like the treadmill portion I hadn't been here in several months. During that time they made some changes, and the class names changed. I was hoping it was just the names, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. I'll start by saying that I'm a runner - I run regularly, most often on trails with lots of hills. Although I am squarely a back of the pack, party pace runner. Ripped's treadmill programs have three options of increasing difficulty. They also have a high incline hiking option that I was excited about when they launched, but never ended up trying once I saw that it hits speeds of 4.0 MPH and higher. That's not a realistic hiking pace for me, especially when you're at double digit inclines. I've always found level 1 of the running programs challenging, but doable. Now, however, level 1 is significantly harder. When the first treadmill interval kicked off, instead of the usual 3.8 MPH warm-up pace, the level 1 warm-up pace had jumped to 4.5 MPH, which is a pretty significant increase. And it just got harder from there. At one point the speed was at 6.5 MPH, which used to be a flat road sprint speed for level 1, but this time we were mid-hill on a 5% incline and going up from there. The second tread set started off with 5.0 MPH as the warm-up. For level 1! That's not a warm-up for me - that's my race pace. I had to completely tap out with this new program. I know some people like the challenge of striving for goals out of reach and find that motivating, but I'm the opposite. If I wanted to try something harder and currently out of reach I could try levels 2 or 3. Finding myself completely unable to keep up with the lowest level option as someone who identifies as a runner outside of class, let me feeling really bad about myself. I used to leave these classes feeling tired and challenged, but confident and accomplished. I left this class feeling defeated and bad about myself. At a time when it seems like a lot of studios are making an effort to accommodate people at all levels of the their fitness journey, Ripped appears to be going in the other direction. And yes, I realize I can modify and reduce the speed or walk when I can't keep up, but those numbers I'm supposed to be attaining and failing to reach are right there in front of me challenging how I feel about my performance. One of the benefits of fitness classes for me is the boost they provide to my mental health, and that isn't going to help me think positively about my fitness journey and performance. If your approach to fitness is different than mine and/or you're further along on your fitness journey in terms of performance, I encourage you to try RippedPHL. It really is a great studio - the instructors are amazing and the front desk is always awesome and welcoming. And I'm assuming their regular members asked for this update and like the harder programs, which is why they've made the update. I wish the studio the best, I really do - we've lost too many fitness studios in Philly recently. But I feel like I stepped off the train for a minute and it sped away and left me behind. So I'm going to have to explore other options that work better for me for where I am on my physical and mental fitness journey.

This was located on a third floor walkup in Rittenhouse. I was exhausted by the time I got to the…read moretop of the stairs, but I guess that is a good pre-workout to get you ready for the class. Malik was the instructor. For someone that wants to get into running I really think that this is a great motivation. Everyone is on treadmills and the intensity of the speed and workout varies during the workout. Each treadmill is state of the art and they have large vivid screens that were streaming images of streets of NYC. It was engaging to watch. You would alternate from the treadmill to the workout benches and on the benches there were different weights that you could use for activities like dead lifts and sumo squats. There was also a variety of stretching exercises. The workout room was a bit cramped and dark for my liking but maybe that is something that just takes some getting used to.

I joined about a two months ago and have definitely been enjoying the experience…read more The place is located right on the corner of Girard and College Ave. so there is a bunch of foot traffic and that's how I originally came across this place. Inside it's a fairly big open space with set ups for racks, rings, rowers all available. I have been going to the strength and conditioning classes but there are ones for straight weightlifting as well as classes for the older crowd. Brian, the gym owner, is the heart of the whole operation. He does a great job of putting together programs that are challenging and different. The workouts always have a theme to pull the moves together usually either concentrating on different body parts and/or concepts (balance, agility, speed, etc.) Will continue to come here and get my sweat on! Looking forward to the challenges and really push myself!

I just finished a 10 class workout with Brian designed for seniors. It was really great--and this…read moreis coming from someone who never really excerised. Working on my balance and core was most important. Any exercise I was unable to do, Brian gave me an alternate excercise. I highly recommend Steelworks. If I wasn't moving out of the city, I would definitely continue these classes. You should try one of the free classes he is offering. Masks and social distancing is practiced and Brian is an excellent coach. Tina C

Dan has the knowledge and experience and amazing boot camps just 10$ Saturday mornings so anyone…read morecan attend! Check him out! He is in tremendous shape works out daily! So if you need a personal trainer or just want to check out his business stop by they are open Daily and evenings!

This is the place you want to be if you want to train with the best. I've worked with many trainers…read morein the past, but Dan is by far, the best trainer I've met. He meets your needs and he is very professional. He listens to your concerns and gives a work out that your body will thank you for. I love going there to workout,even if I feel lazy. He pushes you. He actually cares. He is not money hungry! Go and train with Dan and I promise you, you will not regret it! Call your friends and head over there now! You will thank me later.