I've been a client at Catalyst for over a year, which is a tribute to the quality of personal…read moretraining I receive. Here's why I love it:
About my trainer: I train with Scott, who also manages Catalyst. Scott assesses your goals and develops a plan to meet them. I particularly appreciate that Scott strives to keep things interesting, which is really important for me, because I will quickly abandon a boring program. He pushes his clients just enough -- he won't let you quit too easily, but without being aggressive (which I've experienced with other non-Catalyst trainers). Scott has an encyclopedic knowledge of workout programs, which has been very helpful for facilitating workouts that do not aggravate my pre-existing shoulder injury.
About the gym: Catalyst is in located on the first floor of the Tradition Bank building. There's plenty of parking in the attached garage. The studio is petite, but there's plenty of room for even those exercises that take up a lot of floor space. Additionally, we take advantage of the top floor of the garage when the weather is nice (which offers beautiful, unobstructed skyline views), the ramps in the garage, and the 9 levels of building stairways. We also run laps outdoors. I particularly enjoy varying my warm-up laps and running around the nearby museums. A lot of the workout are body-weight focused. However, there is also plenty of equipment (e.g. kettle bells, free weights, Smith machine, treadmill, elliptical, weighted balls, boxing equipment any many other things that I can't think of as I type this review).
About my workouts: I used to train one-on-one (which was great), but Catalyst recently created an fantastic option for group workouts called "Open Gym." Open Gym requires a little bit more independence, as there are usually 2 to 4 people working out at the same time, each with a circuit that is designed for that individual "trainee." Open Gym is discounted from the usual rate, and it is flexible: I believe you can come in any day Monday through Friday for a set cost.
Overall, this place is great, Scott is an excellent trainer, and I am really happy to have found a training gym that I don't dread visiting. Check it out!