I am writing this (perfect timing) after a 45 min run, with zero knee pain, and all the running…read morehighs! I found Alex in January of 2015. I had just come from a weekend away in Palm Springs, where I had planned to relax, run, and engage in as much fitness as possible. I headed out for a run on New Years Day; new shoes, new lululemon pants, new Garmin watch, and after about 20 min. my outer knee was in so much pain I had to basically walk the rest of the way home. I was devastated and confused. Not only had I run for about an hour for 2 days in a row prior, I have been an avid runner since High School. Even with icing my knee for about 3 days straight, nothing was helping and I knew I had done something more serious. My history of running - I have run a total of around 4 or 5 half marathons easily, no knee pain since 2012. Completed many 10K's and casual runs on my own at least twice a week for years. It was something that happened so out of the blue, I am just thankful that Alex entered my life when he did. He started out with the basics, which at the time seemed a little out of context. "What other workouts do you do? What has changed in your exercise in the last year". I couldn't really come up with much, other than lots of YOGA. Becoming a certified Yoga teacher and basically doing yoga everyday for the past year only seemed like it was helping my running. Of course. Alex saw this as a red flag right away. With the types of exercises that I was engaging in on a weekly basis, I was only extending ligaments and asking parts of my body (my knee) to over compensate. This then effected my IT band, more weight in my calfs, soreness, you name it. It's a vicious cycle. After about 5 sessions with Alex - he not only identified the root cause of my pain, but trained me to run in a different pattern so I could alleviate the pain, without having to give up what I love. We took everything in phases, added in weights, combined static movements with real time workouts and in no time, I was back. To this day pain or not, I have shifted the way I run bc he has taught to me always look ahead. Alex sees prevention of injury like no one else I have ever met. I am not a very optimistic person when it comes to my body, bc I am very in tune with how it wants operate, or not operate for that matter. I was completely in awe when I made it through my first 30 min. From January 25th, when I tried to run a 5K and made it 5 min, to about mid February, I was running about 25-30 min. and now, I can run over an hour with no knee pain. Alex sees things and connections that no one else I have ever see does. I went to 2 different knee specialists who were runners themselves and left with very little optimism, and zero improvement. Alex has a holistic approach to the body that cannot necessarily be taught. It's in his intuitive nature and he sees the way in which body connects. This knowledge that he has is why he can not only guide people to overcome their injuries, but can advise on how to avoid degenerative tendencies that come with age, overuse, and in my opinion... a passion for your sport. I couldn't be more thankful for his knowledge, expertise and precision when it comes to the human body and protecting it for the rest of the active I life I have. Thanks Alex! :)

Love this guy! (even though I'm known to tell him throughout our session that I "hate" him)! He…read morenot only knows his stuff, but he safely works you out - somehow managing to get the most out of you! It's the best 30 minutes of my day! I initially went to him for 10 sessions, but I'm completely hooked now! I'm hoping to keep it up for as long as the $$ allows! He's got a great personality, is very professional, yet fun, always on time and very dedicated! I love how he clearly cares about your fitness! I am always so amazed at how much he can accomplish in 30 minutes time! Not one minute is wasted! Highly recommend him!

These Orange studios are everywhere now, and behind those glowing doors people are running, rowing,…read moreand grinding through burpees like their lives depend on it. Carmel Valley is a solid, well maintained location with the familiar OTF rhythm: clean space, organized floor, and that corporate template that keeps everything predictable no matter where you drop in. Parking is surprisingly abundant for this area. The only odd thing is that the prime spots right in front are labeled 30 minute parking even though every class is a full hour. It's a small detail, but it jumps out every time you pull in. Classes here fill up fast. And I mean fast. Waitlists are the norm, and I've been turned away more than once. If you're not booking early, you're rolling the dice. As for coaching, I haven't found a standout yet at this location. Everyone is competent and friendly, but the coaching style stays pretty homogenous thanks to the tight OTF corporate structure. If you're looking for consistency, you'll get it. If you're looking for a coach who completely changes your game, I haven't met that person here. Overall, it's a clean, reliable studio that delivers exactly what OTF promises: heart rate monitors, clear metrics, and a workout where you're competing against yourself in the best way.

Within 2 years, I had Maywhether Boxing, The Boxing Club, and Rumble close on me back to back to…read moreback, so I decided to give OTF a try since it's the only group class gym left in my area. I signed up a month ago, and from the very beginning I had various issues with my heart rate monitor. It felt like all the different girls at the reception kept giving me the runaround and I was getting frustrated having to use a loaner every time and hearing different answers from different people. Finally, I was able to meet with the manager, Amelia, and she really turned around my whole experience. She immediately fixed all my issues without me even having to ask, which I really appreciated. Ever since then, I'm a happy member! I have the unlimited membership and go about 4-5 times a week. I love all the classes and all the coaches! I never thought I'd enjoy a treadmill workout, but I even take the Tread50 classes once a week and they're a lot of fun!

Pricey, but worth it. Lots of fitness classes, great amenities, and friendly staff. Definitely…read moreworth a tour.

They really need to redo the whole inside of the gym. For how much it costs, it is not worth it. I…read morereally wish there was a life time or nicer gym in the area. The showers/locker rooms are nasty. The whole building is severely outdated. It smells bad and looks bad. The carpets, tiles and grout need a lot of TLC. The machines are just as bad as planet fitness. Basically looks like a gym from 2005 but the cost of the membership is not matching.

It's been an odd year with gyms closing down and strength training being done at home. It's…read moredifficult to find motivation. I started doing zoom Gut Check fitness routines with Joe and Nicole during the Covid shutdowns and instead of drinking and gaining weight, I lost weight, gained strength and endurance and had fun doing it. They typically do zoom meetings live at 6am on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. I don't really like waking up that early and can't always do them on those days, which works out as you can do these workouts any time and day of the week. They also have in person group classes. I make their Saturday morning classes every so often and they are very fun, and by fun, I mean they hurt. Thanks for the motivation and smiles!

I bought a Groupon to get five bootcamp classes and I survived my fourth so I decided to celebrate…read morewith my first Yelp review! Why I like it: 1) I could never get a work out like this on my own. The mix of cardio, strength, and just plain belligerent challenge is beyond the realm of my imagination. They don't call it bootcamp for nothing. 2) Joe is a very motivational and dynamic trainer. He and Nicole have great attitudes and push you but only as far as you can go. They do most of the workout with you and spend the rest of the time cheering you on. 3) Even without the Groupon, this is good value. The classes are usually small enough to get a good amount of attention (unless you go to one of the special ones like a "hit the surf" workout but then the big group is just super fun). Even in the bigger group, Joe organizes it very well and you will definitely get what you need. WARNING: Initial side effects include nausea/vomiting, inability to raise one's arms above ones head, and "Chihuahua quiver" after participation in activities like "Dragon's Backbone." DO NOT be alarmed. No one has died yet. Try it, you might just like it.

Alexis is an amazing trainer and she was such a vibe! I loved all our chats and she gave the most…read morehelpful and out of the box solutions for my injuries!!

I just joined Crunch Fitness and they asked me if I wanted to do a Kick off meeting with a personal…read moretrainer. I was assigned to Alexis the fitness manager. She was very knowledgeable and did a great job!

Samantha Le Master is the best trainer I have ever had! She is so knowledgable, personable, caring…read moreand motivational. I always sort of felt weird, like a spectacle, having someone watch me while I workout, but Sam makes it fun every single session! She's a great conversationalist and really makes it feel like you're just working out with a friend (who keeps you honest and hard working!) and she totally has also become a great friend! When I started working with Sam, I saw results IMMEDIATELY. It helped that I was instantly at ease with her cause I could be 100% honest about my weight gain situation. She soon got me on track with a healthy meal plan (I seldom felt hungry or unsatisfied) and lost, gosh, 30lbs in just a few months?! I hadn't looked or felt that good in so long- love weight is a bitch, but Sam is the cure! I had to take some time off my routine because of a hectic time in life recently, gained a little weight, but now I'm back and getting ready to head to Hawaii! I know that Sam and I will get me back to where I want to be, because I know her method is effective- the hardest part is just disciplining yourself. Personal training is never cheap, but with a trainer like Sam it's become a necessary living expense- she's worth it, because I'm worth it! Can't do it without my Sam!

Personal training was something I had been thinking about for a while but hadn't been as successful…read morein the past. I needed someone to give me that extra push. Sam was just what I needed! Right from day one, I could tell that she was dedicated to my goals and interested in working with me to achieve my milestones. She really helped me develop a habit of working out and changing my lifestyle rather than just running through workouts with me. She is very responsive to your progress as you train with her and not to mention, keeps her workouts dynamic. I was never bored with our sessions and found that she constantly pushed me as soon as I had mastered an exercise. With Sam I was able to discover new methods of toning up past just using the weight room. Over the course of the few months that I trained with her, I've definitely become more active and mindful of my fitness regime. Additionally, Sam is great work with on a personal level as well. She's fun and very amiable. I found it very easy to talk to her which in turn just helped increase my comfort level with her. I highly recommend Sam to help anyone achieve their fitness goals. If I hadn't moved, I certainly would have continued training with her! Completely worth the investment.

Claire has changed my life! She is super knowledgeable and…read moresupportive and I truly enjoy my training sessions with her.

Claire is by far the best trainer I've ever had. Working out with her feels fun and I actually look…read moreforward to exercising now. My strength has improved dramatically as well. I truly cannot recommend Claire enough. :)

I want to share how wonderful this place is but I also want to keep it a secret. I've always loved…read morecircuit training and weights but I also needed To find a happy medium to meet my needs, and work schedule. This place has it all!!!! Its been a long time since I've been in shape or felt so strong, but Vera and team are there to help you every step of the way. I do the night classes and have loved every one of them. And the people... the people are the other reason this place is so awesome. Everyone is supportive and I do whatever it takes to make my classes. Try it out, you won't be disappointed.

Last September I was at my heaviest in my life. At 240 pounds my fiancée and I took our engagement…read morephotos. After taking those both of us we're not happy with what we saw. Maybe it was being in love or not focusing on what we were eating or maybe it was us not really knowing what to do to have things be different. Regardless, my fiancée found SlimGym online and we started the 6 week challenge. After 6 short weeks we were both down over 20 pounds! We signed up for a monthly membership and after another 6 weeks, I was down an additional 20 pounds!!! By the end of four months I was down a total of 50 pounds to the lightest I have been since high school and my fiancée had lost over 30 pounds and 7% body fat. We both felt awesome and have been training with Vera ever since. I've done multiple half marathons and we both did a Tough Mudder together with ease thanks to Vera's training. If you are ready to transform you body and your life look no further Vera will welcome you to the gym family, will move at whatever speed you are ready for, and will help you achieve your fitness goals.