Thursday, November 15, 2012

Day 125 - Really Annoyed with LA Fitness Gaithersburg

OK, I’m really not happy with the new LA Fitness in Gaithersburg.  I guess I’ve gotten really spoiled by how wonderful Healthtrax is.  Tonight I was rushing in to the evening yoga class – one of two classes that are offered outside of work hours.  The person behind the desk grabbed my keys when I went to check in and said I had to get my picture taken right then.  I was so mad!  First of all, it’s really gross that they want to be the one to swipe your card.  Imagine all the germs and ick that they pass along just with that one process.  Then, to kidnap my keys for a picture, when I’m already running late was beyond rude.  There is no reason I couldn’t have done the picture on the way out.

I could forgive the rudeness of the check in, if only the classes made up for it.  But, when I signed up they promised there would be yoga every day.  Twice a week is not every day, last I checked.  And, as much as I like that the class is relatively advanced, I hate that the teacher offers almost no modifications.  I’m pretty good at coming up with my own modifications, but a lot of people aren’t.  Every class has had one or more people leave in the first fifteen minutes.  It was obvious they left out of frustration.  I hate seeing people give up on a class they should love!
I know I shouldn’t be so negative, but it’s been almost a month now, and I just haven’t seen any improvement.  They haven’t added any classes, the staff are getting more rude, and the classes they do have are not exactly welcoming.  I think I’m going to find out if there are any options to quit without losing my sign up fee.  A gym is not supposed to cause more stress than it alleviates!

I would guess it is fair to say that dealing with the LA Fitness people was definitely the challenge of the day.  I did manage to ignore it all and get a decent workout in.  I am so glad that the instructors at my primary gym have taught me enough to be really self sufficient! 
And I am thinking that the surprise of the day is that I really can do enough modifications or substitute poses that I get a great workout, no matter how advanced the class is.  Since I knew there was no way I could do the plough pose, I brought my strap and did a series of leg stretches.  It felt wonderful and gave me something positive to do while others were struggling with the pose.  Independence and self confidence?  Who knew!

2 comments:

  1. I'm not a fan of yoga instructors that SAY they can show modifications but never just show them. As if you either can't tell there are people in the room that might need them or just so no one gets embarrassed asking! Heck, in the 30-minute ab class I've taken at my Gold's, they show all the modifications because no, I can't do planks on one hand and foot, probably never will, but I'll do regular planks and get better each time, thanks! Poor teacher training for LA Fitness, I say. they should really just do them! Glad you know your limits and how to do the poses at your level! Bravo dear :)

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  2. Thanks, Coli! That's what I love about Healthtrax. Even to the point where the other night we were doing a breathing exercise. The instructor commented that if you're pregnant you shouldn't hold your breath. There was a new girl who didn't look pregnant, but was! You just never know. That's why I love going there. Maybe I shouldn't have been greedy to think I could actually find two wonderful gyms!

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