Disclaimer - This review is written by
1. A current and active member of Redcon1 Gym who attends the gym most mornings Mon-Fri (6:30 am - 7:30 am)
2. A former member of Trainerspace - the gym that was in the same location of Redcon1 prior to the transition
3. A former gym owner - I spent 3 years in the trenches as an owner/operator/trainer of a gym in Atlanta, GA.
When I originally came across the yelp page of Redcon1, I had no intention of writing a review, but after reading the negative reviews, I felt compelled to give my two cents, so here goes!
First, I'd like to address all the negative reviews. Redcon1 is not Trainerspace. To compare the two, would be like comparing Planet Fitness to an old school 1990's Golds Gym. It's apples and oranges. If I went to a Planet Fitness and decided to write a review, I would critique the gym based on what that gym is offering and branding themselves as. I wouldn't walk into a Planet Fitness, and then go write a review about how it sucks compared to Gold's because PF has a lunk alarm and Gold's doesn't. That's not fair to Planet Fitness, they are not trying to be Golds, just like Redcond1 is not trying to be Trainerspace.
By the way, if you don't know what the lunk alarm is, do yourself a favor and go to planet fitness, get a day pass, walk over to the free weight section, pick up a 50lb db, drop it....then wait.
Second, I have no intricate knowledge of the Trainerspace ownership financial situation, but I know enough about the business side of gym ownership to tell you that place was hemorrhaging cash.... like really f*cking bad. NOBODY WAS EVER THERE. The gym was literally a ghost town everyday. In fact, if you look at all the old Trainerspace reviews, every reviewer talks about how "peaceful" and "quiet" the gym was. Seriously people? What business do you know of that could possibly survive without customers! They must have named it Trainerspace because there were more trainers there every day without clients than actual paying clients. No wonder all the people writing negative reviews liked it, they had a 7,000 sqft playground all to themselves whenever they showed up. Sorry folks, but its still a business and they have to make money to keep the doors open. Trainerspace didn't close because everything was all hunky dory, it closed because the business was failing.
Third, all the negative reviews would carry serious weight if Redcon1 took over Trainerspace, kept the Trainerspace name, and told all the current gym members (probably less than 50), that they were going to keep the same gym going. That didn't happen. From my perspective, the moment Redcon1 took over they established themselves as a different kind of gym.
- Steps off soapbox....takes breather...steps back on soapbox
Now.... onto an actual review of Redcon1
Pros: If you take lifting weight seriously, you won't find a gym with better equipment. Everything from a reverse hyper to kettlebells, two platforms (with chalk), a forearm machine, neck machine, a standing chest press, multiple variations of a leg press, a weighted sled, battle ropes, 130lb+ dumbbells, the list goes on and on. From functional lifters to bodybuilders, this gym has pretty much anything you need. The mens locker room has plenty of lockers with 4 showers. While I don't use it, they have a kids room for when mom and/or dad are working out. This is the smallest gym I've ever seen that offers something like this.
Cons: I've found that some of the staff are really friendly and always welcoming and others literally won't look you in the eye. Also, I've lost count the number of times I've walked into this gym and the person at the front desk doesn't greet me. Both of these customer service issues are easily fixable, I'm just not sure ownership is aware. Communication is an issue as well. When I left the gym on Friday morning, there was a sign posted on the front door that said the gym would be closed today (Sat) for a private event. I never received an email about this, nor was anything posted on social media about the gym being closed. Had I not been at the gym on Friday, I would have made the 45-minute treck from Jupiter where I live to find out I wouldn't be able to work out. I showed up the morning after Halloween to a closed gym at 6:30 am. Again, no notification that the gym would not be open.
Overall I really like the gym. I'm not going to put a pro/con review about the music, but there is a lot of metal and rock played in the mornings. If that's your thing then you will love it, if not, throw on some headphones. I'm giving the gym a slight pass on their customer service and communication skills for now. Redcon1 is a supplement company 1st, gym 2nd. I believe this is their first go-around at gym ownership, and so i don't expect everything to be perfect. That's the reason for giving 4 out of 5 stars. Once those kinks are worked out, I'll probably change my review to 5 out of 5. read more