I've been going to Farrell's since October 2011 and have been holding off on reviewing it till I…read morewas sure about what I wanted to write, but I think I'll finally give it a shot. I'm going to tell you what it is, and then why I like it. What is it?: Farrell's isn't your standard gym, and it isn't your standard approach to a fitness plan. The program is a mixture of kickboxing and resistance training. Monday-Wednesday-Friday is kickboxing, and Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday alternates between Upper and Lower body band resistance training. The classes are 45 minutes, and you pick a time to show up 6 days a week. I chose the 5am class, but there are many options. When you first join Farrell's you are enrolling in the 10 week transformation program. Everyone that you see in Farrell's has gone through the 10 week program. This includes the people working behind the counter and all of the instructors. The instructors aren't personal trainers, they are just normal people that have gone through the program. When they aren't instructing, they're working out right next to you. You get a coach that's in your class for the whole 10 weeks to help you stay motivated and answer any questions you may have. There are 3 fitness tests during those 10 weeks. At the end of the 10 weeks the most improved male and female of each 10 week program wins $1,000. Seriously. With your enrollment you get a nutrition/workout manual, boxing gloves, and hand wraps. When I signed up it was about $360 for the 10 week session. What to expect: The first Saturday you will go to Farrell's for orientation. Your body will be measured. This includes body weight, BMI, and dimensions. They will take a before picture (Guys in shorts, ladies in shorts and tank/bikini). You will also do a step test to get your heart rates, and a reach test to check your flexibility. You will see how many situps and pushups you can do in a minute. Finally, you will run 1 mile outside. All new members do this. You will meet your coach and all of the new 10 weekers that will be in your class and going through the program with you. The nutrition program is explained to you, as well as how to put on your wraps and what to expect when you start the workouts. The first couple of weeks of workouts are focused on teaching the new 10 weekers the form and techniques of kickboxing and resistance training. The expectation is that you don't know anything about kickboxing or bands. The pace is slow and there are plenty of FIT members (graduates of the 10 week class that continue the program) that will help you and answer questions. You will be sore, and you will be tired, but everyone picks it up fairly quickly. As the 10 week program progresses, the workouts get more involved. With kickboxing you add in combinations of kicking and punching, aerobic sets in between combos, and 'fun fridays' that really push you. For resistance training you add circuits, drop sets, and super sets. At 5 weeks you take another fitness test to check your progress. The final test is at 10 weeks. There is a completion celebration that weekend when the winners are announced and everyone can appreciate their results. Why I like it: So if you've made it this far, the question is probably "So is this worth my time and money? Does it work?". My answer is unequivocally yes. During my 10 week session, I lost 20.5lbs. I'm much stronger. I shaved 1:30 off my mile time. I got great results, and so did most of the others in my session. I've tried some things in the past, but there are some reasons why I think this worked for me. First, staying motivated while working out is hard for me. This program kept the workouts interesting, and you had a support structure built in to get you to come to class. Everyone there is normal, and you don't have any of the gym rats or super buff people that often intimidate others. The $1,000 prize also provided motivation. I did not win the prize, but I felt that I could, and many others were in the same place. Like I said, everyone had great results. Second, the nutrition program wasn't a 'diet'. The program allowed you to still eat things you liked, but got you thinking about eating smarter. This is honestly where most of my weight loss probably came from. The meal plans and recipes made it easy to do, and even if you don't stick to it 100%, you'll still see some results. Finally, this program is fun. Kickboxing feels great, and the program makes it enjoyable (yes, enjoyable) to wake up at 5am. The way the program is set up you get to know and like the people you work out with. When you miss a day, people comment that they missed you at class. They motivate you to push harder and keep it fun. Farrell's worked great for me, and I've recommended it to everyone I know. If you're looking for something different from the normal gym, try this. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.