Bong

This gym rocks! I've been lifting consistently for the past 2 years but lifting was all I did. I was the typical strong fat guy: good absolute strength but very deconditioned.

Over the course of 3 months I've become fitter than I have ever been. Chris is a great coach and motivator. He's a stickler for proper form and mechanics and will not hesitate to interrupt a WOD to correct your movement. I am surprised that I can now squat ass-to-grass when I had trouble just getting to parallel before.

Chris and Maribel know how to lead and use the group dynamic to motivate us to keep the intensity high on our own. Everyone struggles, everyone is breathing heavily and slightly deaf but no one cheats just to finish the workout. Many do not finish but no one takes shortcuts. There is no place to hide, no pretensions that can stand the stress, so the people you meet and the people who stick around show you their real side. And suffering with them is a pleasure.

I still get a chill up my spine every time I step into the gym. You'll never know what you'll be in for. Yet you look forward to the effort. Your friends will be there. You'll suffer together and come out the other side stronger, fitter.

Commercial gyms: cheaper. Powerlifting: more absolute strength. Camaraderie and elite fitness at Lalanne Fitness: priceless. -Bong