I visited MPOWER when I was in Birmingham for a wedding. I take megareformer classes on the reg in…read moreAtlanta, so I was excited to continue my journey with pilates while out of town. The studio I visited is conveniently located in Mountain Brook and there is ample parking on the street in front of the studio. There is some cute retail clothing located at the front of the studio, and it was very clean and maintained. The front desk was so incredibly friendly when I arrived at MPOWER, and the instructor I took, ET was so nice and helpful. This is your standard, full-body 50-minute megareformer class, but ET offered modifications throughout the class for those who needed them. You get a great workout, burn a ton of calories, and you'll be sore the next day! Best of all, your first class is free! Highly recommend this place for anyone in the Birmingham area.

Love MPOWER! The instructors are energetic and passionate. Lots of classes everyday and also you…read morecan take private classes. The place is clean too. I love Emma, she is amazing!!!

Great place to train. Marlon is very good. He understands the clients and what is best for them to…read moredo. Good training and an enjoyable time. You don't have to worry about getting injured or being asked to do something that you cannot do. I highly recommend it.

I'm a personal trainer and have had the chance to work with Marlon personally. He is very…read moreknowledgeable about his work, extremely qualified for the services he offers. What I love about his work is that he takes the time to assess the client overall to determine which muscles are of primary importance to stretch and which muscles are of primary importance to strengthen. That is the first thing you want in a trainer is good detective work. He is patient and easy going with a strategic plan in mind to improve the client's performance and function for daily life routines while building a nice physique in the process! His studio is in the heart of English Village, extremely convenient. I love that there are no studio prices currently, so his price is very affordable. I highly recommend Marlon and his services.

I recently tried a beginner aerial yoga class at Aero Joe and overall had a good experience. This…read morewas my first time trying anything like this, so I was a little nervous. The instructions said to arrive early to sign waivers and get settled, so we arrived about 25 minutes before class to change, but no one was there yet and we had to wait about 10 minutes before someone arrived. There is a parking lot on both sides of the building which made parking easy. I would also recommend wearing long sleeves so the silks don't rub under your arms, and avoiding loose fitted clothing and jewelry so nothing snags while you're in the silks. One class was $35, but they also have a deal for 3 classes for $49 which seems like a great option if you plan to go back. Once class started, I really enjoyed it. Rachel was super nice, patient, and helpful, especially for beginners. She did a great job walking us through how to use the silks and made sure everyone felt comfortable. The class was fun, different, and a great introduction to aerial yoga. I would definitely take another class again!

every class I've taken and every instructor at this studio is excellent. I love Pilates, so I go…read morehere when I am visiting family in Birmingham. I actually tried an aerial yoga class., And it was fun!

I love going to Archive! I found the studio because of the Wellness Passport program and I've…read morereally enjoyed it so far. I like that even for a small studio they still have a variety of classes as well as available times throughout the day. I really enjoy going to the Monday evening, power yoga and there are some days where they have a 35 minute class which is great if I'm in a time crunch. All of the instructors are so kind and it's a really relaxing space but they will also get you working hard.

Want to get your butt kicked? Head to Iron Tribe. These guys took the Crossfit framework and ramped…read moreit up to full speed, and I'm loving it. After putting Tribe members through a grueling month called "101," they are then able to join their fellow members in the toughest less than 45 minute workouts ever. I never thought I could be so sore after an 11 minute workout, but I am. For me, the qualities making Iron Tribe superior to my previous gym experiences are the combination of competitiveness and teamwork, the total accountability required, and the challenge factor... I'm a Type A girl, so this type of situation gets my adrenaline racing. Can't wait to see what's in store for me in future WODs! Go Tribe!

I was very disappointed because this place turned out to be a scam. I responded to an ad promising…read morea six week body transformation for FREE as part of a promotion to build up their business. After rearranging my schedule to make time for the initial consultation, it was very frustrating to have my time wasted. I spent 30 minutes listening to a spill about what all they offer, what they can do for me, how great I will look after six weeks, etc. He made it all sound really good and so legit. During the consultation, you are also asked a lot of questions about why you are there, what is motivating you, and whether you really think you are ready for the program. Because your consultation is not a private one-on-one, but is done with at least one other person who is a total stranger, you can't always be candid with your answers because some things are just too personal to share. For example, I was there because I'm a suicide survivor (six months now) and I wanted to do something positive and uplifting for myself to help make my life worthwhile. Anyway, after he gets your hopes up and tells you all these wonderful things you are going to achieve through diet, exercise, and personal coaching, he says.... "And all you have to do is put down $499 today to get started! This is considered 'betting on yourself,' so you get the money back if you achieve your goals within the six weeks, but if you don't succeed then we get to keep your money." Well, I remembered during his talk he mentioned that 80% to 90% of the people who participate in their program FAIL and end up quitting. So when you think about it, those are a lot of people whose money they get to keep. This is a business. They exist to make money. So why would they help you to meet these goals within a stringent six week period if they would have to hand your $500 back to you? They are counting on you to fail. I'm a young person working hard for what I have. I can't just go hand someone $500 in hopes that I'm in the 10% of people who actually get their money back. Beware of anyone who advertises something as FREE because it is ALWAYS too good to be true! My time was wasted. My frustration level was high. I was pissed off that I was mistaken for a fool. But, I learned my lesson. Next time I see an advertisement like this, I will just keep right on scrolling.

I have been doing gyms and working out for most of my life. For years I was at Iron Tribe and one…read moreof the OGs from Homewood. I drank the Kool-Aide and loved the place. But there comes a time when you just need to mix it up and try something different. And when it was Luan heading it up, you know when it comes to the cutting edge of fitness in Bham, he is the man and so follow him I did and I am so glad I did!!! There is a "cross-fit" aspect to the conditioning workouts, although with a definite twist. Everyday is not a 1,2,3 go and hit your redline. You actually spend time during the week working on positioning and form. There is one day focusing on active recovery. Some days they will throw in steel maces which are so much fun and beyond challenging. It's all about the whole body, including what you put in your body as well. To top things off, during every class time, there is a simultaneous class running in strength training and Olympic weightlifting. Because its not all about conditioning, but all recent studies in fitness and keeping your body in top condition is including strength training. And with Luan at the helm who has devoted his career in the fitness world to the study of Olympic weight training, this is the real deal. And don't be afraid if you have never done it. The trainers are there to work your through and make sure your form and movement is where it should be. WH has even formed an Olympic weightlifting team that has been competing around the southeast and doing really well. But not only do you get top equipment and instruction, the community is one of the best I have ever been associated with. Encouraging, open, caring and just people you want to hang with. You really do end of feeling it is your home away from home. The people of WH are here to help you succeed, reach for your best self, and make sure you do it safely. WH is always running deals where you can try it for a week for free or pay for only a month so you can try it before you jump on in and commit. I promise if you try it...you will find your home. Thank you for the training WH!

A lot of gyms have some great qualities, but very few gyms go above and beyond in all areas…read more Wheelhouse is one of those few. No other gym I know of has the same level of professional and intentional coaches and staff. They have gone to great lengths to make the gym both as useful and accessible to as many people as possible. For example, there are regular class options for those who want to be apart of a class, there are drop-in options, and they now have open gym option for people who just want to use the facility to train on their own. Not to mention if you pay for regular classes, you also have open gym access whenever the doors are open. Suffice it to say that if you're looking for an awesome gym in Birmingham, chances are high WHA will meet your needs. Lastly but also importantly, the facility and equipment are top of the line and competition-ready. The strength class uses the Rogue Olympic Weightlifting barbells and plates, and the conditioning side has Concept2 rowers, SkiErg, and Assault AirBikes in addition to also having more Rogue barbells, plates, and dumbbells as well. So much more to say, but Wheelhouse is an easy 5 stars!

I've been looking for a new form of exercise to help me slow down in life and tone; pilates seems…read moreto be just the right fit. I read a women's health article, by Dominique Fluker, that detailed her first time experience in a class as a curvy, Black woman and I was sold! Turns out pilates isn't just for skinny, white women. I booked an intro class at the Club Pilates in Homewood and was pretty intimidated by all of the equipment at first. However, the instructor was really informative and moved slowly enough for us to understand the reasoning behind what we were doing. I loved how the practice helped me zone in and be present. I also enjoyed meeting the other people in my class, there was a nice variety of genders, ages, and races. The workouts are challenging and leave me feeling accomplished but not overly exhausted. The area is always clean with a nice playlist in the background. I'm looking forward to this new mental and physical wellness journey.

This is the best program I have worked with and no injuries! I have improved strength, balance and…read moreendurance. Highly recommend for over 65 folks lie me!!