TL;DR: I do feel better here body-wise than I did at other boxes, although I've had better…read morestrength gains at different places (but the changes are still outstanding here). I haven't gotten injured, which is worth a ton for Crossfit boxes. Mel, the owner, is proactive and responsive. She actively invests in the space, the coaching, and the clients. The coaching is insightful and attentive. And there are people I look forward to seeing at every class. That's why I've been here longer than anyplace else.
MPH is a rarity among Crossfit boxes. It meets you where you are and talks to you in a way that you would understand and absorb what's being said.
Coaching: Melody and her team are doing a great job with programming, attendance challenges, and attitude. Traditionally, during WODs, they will give you weights and modifications to do, but over the past year, it's become more of a conversation. Or, in my case, a negotiation. Coaches are frequently given feedback discreetly/well after class by Melody after Mel unobtrusively observes. While in the lobby, as I'm leaving, at least once a week/every other week, I hear, "Coach X, I have some feedback for you." I know that they are continuously improving. Mel does have a fleet of people on her coaching staff, but it hasn't increased the way it has at some boxes. Some coaches are bigger personalities, and some are relatively quiet. They all know their stuff, and they are all interested in your growth. One thing that I do notice is that there is a concerted effort by coaches to concentrate attention on beginners, especially in large classes. They will stop you and lighten your weight or politely correct your form if you're struggling. I will say that they do keep very close track of how you're doing. Still, one component that is frequently referenced by coaches (1 rep maxes) seems to be updated relatively infrequently, which has led to confusion between me and some of the coaches that I don't see as frequently.
Programming: I'm not well versed in the programming strategy, which may be a point for the leadership to improve on in their weekly emails. I will say there's less emphasis on strength work and more focus on cardio parts of metcon than at other Crossfit boxes I've been to. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it is an approach that is different from my old boxes in Arlington, Nairobi, and Amman that was almost guaranteed to have a strength component (e.g., 3x5 back squats, get to a one-rep max power cleans) every single day. The strength gains were quicker at Arlington, but I felt better with MPH. The format at MPH is usually: cardio warmup/stretching/warming up the movements for the WOD (15-35 min), WOD (be it strength or metcon, 15-35 min), and possibly a "Successory" component and cool down (whatever time is leftover). Compare that to what I had in Arlington a few years ago: warmup/stretching (10 min), strength (25 min), WOD (20 min), and cool down (5 min). There are pluses and minuses to MPH's approach. The major plus to MPH's method is that I've never gotten injured with MPH's programming, which I cannot say about my time in Arlington. Mel keeps the box's programming to the WODs, and she also offers 1-on-1 nutritional programming for an additional fee. In the month before COVID, she was expanding into skills classes that were part of the membership, but that fell to the wayside after DC shut down.
Price: It was pricey enough to make me think about the expense when I signed up, but I wanted to do it anyways. The price makes me want to go 4-5x/week to get my money's worth, which is an odd but beneficial reinforcement.
Crowd: You have the people that you get at any Crossfit box, but like any Crossfit box in a well-to-do urban area, you get a disproportionate amount of white men in their 20s and early 30s. I indict myself when I say that. There are relatively few people of color, which Mel is concertedly trying to change. There are married couples in their 30s and 40s. Some are in their 50s and 60s. You do get the insular bro-ey crowd with some of the people there, but it's a) part and parcel of every box and b) bro-ey in a way you would not think of or expect if you have been to a lot of Crossfit gyms or if you're entirely new to MPH or the Logan Circle neighborhood. I will say there are people that I look forward to seeing at any class that I go to.
COVID: It's limited to 10 people per class, and you're limited to individual boxes marked with tape on the ground. Further, you have masks, and everything is wet-wiped and sanitized to within an inch of its life. Mel even put in extra equipment to ensure social distancing during workouts.