Hands down the TOUGHEST and MOST EFFECTIVE workout you'll ever have in a gym. I moved to New York about a year ago and one of the few things I wish this city had was Blast 900. I tried Orange Theory fitness in Jersey and Barry's Bootcamp but both are a complete joke compared to the workouts at Blast. All my friends warned me that Barry's Bootcamp was really intense...ummm either my friends are really out of shape or I've somehow become the Hulk because my workout at Barry's was A COMPLETE DISAPPOINTMENT. I've made harder workouts for myself than what we did at Barry's but Barry's bootcamp has been the closest thing I've found since moving to the city. And don't even get me started about Orange Theory fitness. Fancy gadgets that make the gym seem legit, but halfway into the workout I'm wondering a) when is this workout going to hard and b) the instructors aren't even paying attention to my form- am I even doing this exercise correctly?? Needless to say, I left pretty annoyed.
I only went to Blast 900 for 3.5 months before moving to NY and my body has never looked that good since then! WHICH IS WHY I MISS THIS PLACE SO MUCH!!! Had I known about Blast while I was living in Atlanta, I would've joined much earlier. That's my one regret.
Alright, this is getting pretty long, but I wanted to point out a few things that makes this gym stand out from all the rest:
1) As trivial as this may sound, the fact that they have a dedicated water bottle refiller/ sweat clean up assistant makes A HUGE DIFFERENCE. Since Blast makes its workouts in which there's an exercise EVERY SINGLE minute, you don't have time to refill your bottle so it's incredibly convenient when there's someone doing it for you without you having to ask. Also, keep in mind the workouts are tough. With the combination of cardio and strength training, you're going to be sweating...a lot. So I really appreciate it when I go back to the mat and see the assistant quickly clean up the area before I go into my floor workouts. Just another added bonus I appreciate after going to similar gyms where there is no assistant that does these things for you during your workout
2) The instructors are REALLY REALLY REALLY GOOD. My personal favorites are Nathan Rogers, Bri Sexton and Stephen Phillips. All of them are very good, but because my work schedule at the time only allowed me to escape to Blast in the early mornings or late evenings, 1 of the 3 would always be instructing a class during a time I was able to make. So over time, I grew familiarity and regular dialogue with each of them which helped me get to know them. ONE THING I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH- These instructors are extremely qualified and actually CARE about their job. None of the bull "part-time" instructors you get at LA Fitness or some place like that. It's very clear because they pay close attention to your form and make sure to correct you during the exercise
3) Did I mention the workouts were really tough? There's no way my body could've transformed so drastically and quickly (within 2 months) without Blast. Absolutely no way. I learned so many new exercises from Blast that I still do at the Equinox in the city, but the results I gained from Blast have faded since I moved : (. Mainly because I don't know how to recreate their workouts and even if I did, it would be such a pain in the ass since all the equipment I'd need is located in different areas at Equinox. The equipment isn't easily accessible like how they set it up for you at Blast.
4) Lastly, BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK! Each Barry's Bootcamp class in NYC is $34. I would say that it would be worth it if a) IT WAS A WORTHWHILE WORKOUT b) it provided clean towels and c) also provided a free bottle of water. But no. Same thing for Orange Theory Fitness. (Also sidenote: the reason why I keep mentioning Orange Theory Fitness and Barry's Bootcamp is because these are the only other gyms I've tried that are comparable to Blast's style of workouts) I pay $150/ month for my membership at Equinox and have attended some classes they provide which are subpar at best- yes, including their 30-60-90 classes for you Equinox fans. I'm just jealous of those Atlantans that just pay $24 more than my monthly fee at Equinox and get to go to Blast as many times as they want AND get an incredible work out. Seriously, if you live in Atlanta, take advantage of Blast. There's really nothing like it and this is coming from someone who lives in NYC where there's a gym on every corner.
5) Also if anyone from Blast is reading this, PLEASE OPEN A LOCATION IN NYC!!!!! I'll even put up my own capital! read more