Yesterday, I was invited to a private media event to explore the newly opened Sports Club/LA in Chestnut Hill, and it was an awesome experience. You know how I loovvve fancy fitness clubs! Seriously, I wish I lived closer so I could work out there all the time.
When I arrived at Sports Club/LA, I was warmly greeted, given a gift bag, and then taken to the locker room, so I could change into fitness gear, which was provided for the event.
The locker room was gorgeous, spacious, and pristine. I totally could see myself hanging out and relaxing there after a workout.
The lockers had those fancy digital locks, so you don’t need to bring a lock or have a keycard to store your belongings.
The locker room had everything you’d need to get ready after a workout, including shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razors, shaving cream, and shower caps in the showers and body lotion, hair gel, mouthwash, Q-tips, and hair dryers outside of the showers.
You really wouldn’t need to bring much if you wanted to pretty yourself after a workout.
Once everyone arrived for the event, Travis Murray, General Manager, Sports Club/LA Chestnut Hill, gave us a tour of the facilities, which, I must say, are incredible. In a nutshell (this is how I summed up my experience to Mal last night): Sports Club/LA Chestnut Hill has all of my favorite workouts in one place.
The first place we visited on our tour was the “For Kids Only” childcare program, which everyone seemed really excited about. There was an adorable under-the-sea theme painted by local non-profit, Artists for Humanity, on the walls and all kinds of interactive and enriching games and toys. The cost of childcare is extra ($13/hour), but there are also package deals for parents who might use this service frequently.
Our next stop was the cardio space, which had tons of brand new Precor equipment with Priva, which is basically “a fitness co-pilot” that allows you to set weekly goals based on calorie burn, distance, or workout duration. Priva tracks your progress and saves favorite workouts so you can do them again. Pretty neat, right?
Then, we headed to the “turf area,” which is used for BLITZ, Sport Club/LA’s high-intensity strength training and conditioning program, which incorporates functional movement, power, endurance, agility, core, and balance into progression-style workouts that are customizable and scalable to the individual. Classes are typically 6-8 people.
BLITZ utilizes a variety of exercises and equipment in order to get a full body workout. Some of the exercises: turf drills, prowler pushes, medicine ball slams, pull-ups, kettlebell swings, plyometrics, and power lifting. Sounds familiar, right? CrossFit anyone?
CrossFit actually came up quite a few times throughout the event, and it was pretty cool that Sports Club/LA realized they needed to offer this type of training to keep members happy. Smaiyra Million, CEO of Sports Club/LA, actually told us that BLITZ was created in response to members’ demand for CrossFit-style workouts.
BLITZ is not included with the cost of membership at Sports Club/LA, and the additional price is determined by how many classes you attend each week.
The tour of the facilities continued into the Pilates studio.
And then yoga studio.
And finally into the group exercise room, which offers all kinds of class from bootcamp to barre. Between the 3 rooms, the Club offers over 80 classes each week!
After the tour, we had a chance to sample some of the fitness offerings at the Club, including a REV cycling class, BLITZ, and yoga.
The REV class was unlike any other indoor cycling I’ve ever experienced. It was a multi-media spinning class, which simulated rides, races, and tours on a panoramic screen (the same ones at IMAX theaters) and, OMG, it was awesome. I totally geeked-out and loved it.
Our ride started in Hawaii and then moved to Spain, where there were a lot of hills, and then finished on the streets of Boston.
Riding through Boston was so cool. I loved flying through intersections and not worrying about cars! (FYI: I get motion sickness fairly easily, but I didn’t experience it during this class. I felt a little weird when we were speeding down hills in Spain, but it was more of a “fun” feeling than a “sick” feeling.)
Sarah and me post-ride!
After REV Class, it was time to give BLITZ a try. We were paired up for a circuit-style workout, which gave us a feel for what a real class would be like. It reminded me a lot of CrossFit!
The last class we tried was yoga. The space was so beautiful, and it definitely put me in the mood to get my zen on.
After our workout, we had a chance to enjoy the locker room amenities and soak up the health benefits of the salt-infused steam room. I spent about 10 minutes inside the steam room, and it definitely helped me relax.
The event concluded with a reception at The Cottage, which was located right next door to Sports Club/LA.
I hadn’t eaten since 11:00, so I was famished and chowed down. Everything tasted so good!
Question of the Day
What’s the nicest gym you’ve ever visited?
P.S. Just wanted to share some info about a wonderful culinary charity event coming up next month. The 5th Annual Chefs for a Cure will be held on Thursday, April 11 at The Residences at W Boston. A bunch of top Boston-area chefs will be there and 100% of the proceeds from the event benefit local breast health services in Massachusetts.