I’ve finally gotten off my lazy bum and joined a gym! Two of my girlfriends are at Equinox and they’ve been bugging me to join all year. I ended my Bodies in Motion gym membership over a year ago in an angry retaliation after they refused to let me freeze my account when I was recovering from my car accident. Since then I’ve been shopping for a gym in the $60-$90 range… something clean, not too crowded and offers good classes.
I found nothing. Then my friend referred me to Equinox and I got the following deal:
- $125 to start up (includes March & April)
- $125 refunded if I work out 25 times before Memorial Day
- $153/month starting in May for all California (except Century City)
- 6 personal training sessions
- 1 massage
- 90-day contract
Edit: For more information, contact Hope Horner at Santa Monica Equinox: Hope.Horner@equinoxfitness.com or 310.593.8888. My deal was part of the vernal equinox party in mid-March but let her know that Sheena sent you and she’ll set you up with something similar!
$153 was a LOT more than I wanted to spend monthly at the gym but after a rough calculation, I spend about $50 a week on yoga, pilates and bar method classes and $153 gets me a gym membership with all of those classes and so much more. I was able to whittle the contract down to 3 months instead of 12 and even got a free month for referring my boyfriend. (He got the exact same deal + free sessions as me)
Another cool thing about Equinox is the MyEQ online tracker that tracks all of your workouts. Every time you enter a gym and swipe your card, they automatically enter it in the computer. All you have to do is go in to specify what type of workout you did. It’s a great way to keep me on track and keep me interested. There is also a mobile version of this site that I can access on the iPhone — my workouts, private training sessions, favorite classes, schedules, etc. Finally, a Gym 2.0. :)
I can’t believe I’ve gone about 4 times in one week already — I’m telling you, the more you pay for a gym the more likely you are to go. My sister paid $24 a month for 24 hour fitness and went once in the year. Here’s what I’ve done so far:
Weight Room: I checked out the weight room in the Santa Monica location for my first visit to do my back-shoulder-triceps routine. This is something I picked up from my ex-personal trainer and I was surprised I remembered the routine despite it being almost 2 years since I’ve worked out with him! Santa Monica is laid out a bit weird compared to the other locations, it’s very vertical so everything is split up into 4 floors. The weight machines are 40% on the first floor and 60% on the 3rd floor so it is a bit of a pain to walk up and down in the middle of your routine. I feel a little claustrophobic in this one and am not a fan of all of the stairs and railings. However, if you want to do a jog on the treadmill or elliptical machine with an awesome view, this is the place to do it. Some of the machines on the higher floors look out to the beach.
Real Deal Boxing: I checked out the boxing class in the Westwood gym on Thursday night. It was not as intense as the Bodies in Motion version where you are at a punching bag for the entire hour, but it was a great all-around workout. We started out with jumpropes and footwork, gradually stepped up to jabs and punches in the air with our wraps, did some partner work to work on movement and built up to full punches and kicks on the body bag. The push ups and plank holds are brutal after all of that shoulder/core work — this class totally kicked my butt!
Yoga: Did a Vinyasa Flow yoga class in Westwood on Sunday afternoon — it was crowded. There was barely any mat room but I squeezed in. It was definitely challenging and I loved that the yoga instructor had his own style and some personality — helped get through some of the poses where my legs were shaking. Nothing beats the feeling you get after a yoga session.
Cardio Kickboxing: I’m going to kill my friend for this one. She convinced me to take a class last night even though my calves were still sore from boxing. “The class is intense but the instructor is hot so it balances out.” I have never heard faster music in my life. It was so fast-paced I felt entirely clumsy kicking around and trying to keep up. I’m going to gracefully bow out of this one and never take it again. I do have to say — judging on how fit the girls who regularly take this class are, I have no doubt it’s a great, effective workout. Just not for me. :)
Today is my day of rest and tomorrow I’m going to try out the Manhattan Beach location after work. I am excited that I am finally getting back on track with the fitness thing — my motivation is the small collection of summer dresses I have hidden in the back of my closet that I haven’t fit into for 2 summers. :)
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wow i wish honolulu had a gym like that! online tracker looks really cool!
i go to bim now. i wanted to freeze my acct. they give u a hard time? shoot. is your cardio kickbox class natalie?
What do you do for your shoulders/back/triceps? I am working on those areas now and would love any tips you have.
grace~ They asked me to deliver a letter in person to corporate to explain why I needed to freeze my acct… when I told them I was recovering from an accident and couldn’t drive, they basically said find someone to drive me there or I needed to mail a notarized letter by registered mail to corporate. What a load of #&*(@. :P
The kickboxing class I took at Westwood was with Patrick S.
Jenn, I typically start on the machines, warm up my back and go top down, working on upper back/delts, mid back, then lower back. It’s really hard to explain in writing but I usually stick to machines and do free weights for shoulders and triceps.
You are so inspiring! I really need to get back into a scheduled workout routine, I am taking yoga and a weightlifting class but I’m sooo lazy at weightlifting because there isn’t an instructor there forcing me to do it. I LOVE yoga though, you’re so right, nothing beats how you feel post-yoga class!
My trainer teaches several classes (including the most amazing spin class) in Westwood. His name is Marc Montemerlo…He’s on vacation right now but will be back in a week or so. I try to get to Saturday am spin…a tip – get there early, his classes fill up. You won’t be sorry!
I’ve been looking into Bar Method. Did you enjoy it and see any benefits from it?
CT, would you mind disclosing the name of the location and the sales rep that got you this deal? Went to visit the Westwood location last night and the sales rep. we delt with swears up and down this is not an available package.
Many thanks in advance.
CT, where did you find this deal, I called and asked and they told me everything but the free Personal training and the 90 day contract, they told me it was for a year
Call Hope Horner at Santa Monica Equinox: Hope.Horner@equinoxfitness.com or 310.593.8888. My deal was part of the vernal equinox party in mid-March but let her know that Sheena sent you and she’ll set you up with something similar!
Thanks CT! I joined and got the same great deal, although they made me use my Amex which was fine.