I liked this location okay, but in the end it wasn't for me. Here are some pros and cons so that you can decide if its right for you:
Pros
(1) if you're a crossfit beginner, like I am, they have a really comprehensive 2week (actually its only 8 days total, 4 classes a week, if memory serves me correctly) 'on ramp' training program to show you all the moves. The other locations I've been to wasn't that thorough. They keep these training classes strictly limited to a very small group which is nice so it's easier to get one on one attention.
(2) Huge facility. They have a very large open layout with lots of different equipment. Lots of room to spread out.
(3) lots of qualified and friendly instructors. All the the trainers make a great effort to keep an eye on everyone to make sure they are doing the moves right. I've been to other crossfit locations where the 'instructor' was on his computer the entire time, so I really appreciated the attention here. And even though the class size was large (20+) they tried Tito learn my name. This place definitely has the nicest staff which is why I bumped the rating to 4.
(4) the workouts were varied and structured. I like the variety of gymnastics, cardio and weight training we did. They were also very structured unlike other crossfit locations I've tried. They start and end promptly.
(5) large group classes. I put this last because this is not really anything they have control over but they do a darn good job of organizing the masses by making you sign up in advance for what class time you are going to take (don't worry, you can change it even at the last minute by sending them a text) so that they can have a decent number of instructors present. I also liked that there were a lot of people in the class because I'm new to the Tampa Bay/ Clearwater area and I wanted to meet some other professionals but I will tell you a lot of the girls here were not friendly.
Cons
(1) the training really could be condensed to focus only in the weightlifting. Every time I was done with these training sessions I had to go for a run to get a real workout. So I feel like those two weeks were a little wasted.
(2) the have a big facility but due to the large class sizes they will run out of equipment so you have to share bars. WTH!?! I'm not paying top dollar for a place to not have enough equipment. There were multiple workouts were I would idle waiting for the other person to complete their set to have my turn. Not acceptable. What is my $150 going towards?
(3) they have great trainers but because the classes are do large they really don't have the capacity to give you more attention if you need it. I've never lifted weights before; I don't know my one rep max. That should have been done during the 2wks training, IMHO. I feel with weights I'm never at the weight - it's either too light or too heavy - and I was hoping a crossfit would help with that but they didn't, hence the one-star deduction.
(4) the workouts were more focused on cardio than weight training and they were 'easier' than other crossfit workouts at other locations. If you want to lose weight this is good, but I don't need to lose weight - I need to build muscle and the classes were just not centered around weights enough for my needs.
(5) large group classes is a double edged sword. Great to try to meet people but annoying when there is not enough equipment to go round and you have to pair up like a 5th grade PE class. read more
