Anytime Fitness — Attraction in Southington

This is supposed to be a review of the gym, but the physical gym itself is a trivial portion of “the gym”. Being honest, I would say the actual gym is fairly generic. It is small, could use some more equipment and doesn’t have the amenities available at other Anytime Fitness locations.

Just the same, I can’t give a much higher review of the Anytime Fitness Southington location when taken as a complete experience. This centers around the trainer, Andrew Turban.

Most importantly he is a nice guy. It probably sounds ridiculous to point out something so basic, but it is a very important foundation for everything. There is a wide range of clients and that comes with a wide spectrum of personalities - Andrew gets along with everyone. It makes a very comfortable environment and adds a social aspect to workouts - it helps to make going to the gym less of a chore. One day I noticed that when I saw Facebook pictures from the Southington location I wasn’t saying “that’s the gym that I go to”, I was saying “that’s us”, whether I was in the photo or not.

On a more relevant note, it also makes him very approachable – which is incredibly important for his role. Being able to ask how to do an exercise isn’t intimidating (no matter how many times you have already done it). It not only makes it more productive, but I’m certain that it makes it safer too.

Which leads into the fact that he knows and remembers the different strengths, weaknesses and sometimes physical issues of this wide range of clients. He takes these into consideration for each individual – not just in personal sessions but in the group classes as well. He always offers modifications or alternate exercises to anyone who needs them. When demonstrating the exercises he gives basic overall instructions, notes specifics, gives pointers, and tells us what to expect. Instructions are always complete and detailed, no matter how frequently the exercise is included.

To summarize, there is nothing wrong with the gym itself, but because it comes with Andrew, I highly recommend it. He is very nonjudgemental and patient and he seems to have a personal investment in each of his clients. I have told others before: be careful when chatting - if you tell someone that you hate doing a specific exercise because it is hard, it might suddenly appear in your personal workout… Andrew might be...

This is my 11th week at AF Southington. It also means it is the longest time in my whole life I have consistently stuck to a workout routine. That is a major win for me and I owe that win to my trainer Andrew. When I first joined I was apprehensive of “another gym” encounter but AF Southigton completely turned that into a positive experience for me. I do group classes and semi-private sessions with Andrew. I enjoy the variation in the group workouts. They are enjoyable and also challenging. The community is so friendly and fun to work out with as well. During the semi-private session, Andrew has worked with me to create a workout that works for me and to gradually build strength and also provides a lot of assitance to correct my posture and movements as I do them. I appreciate the non-judgemental guidance, positive encouragements and the shoutouts as I do the workouts. Andrew is also very approachable and I don’t feel hesitant to let him know if I don’t know/cannot do or remember how to do an excercise. I do not dread my workouts and never regret coming to this gym even on my hardest days! I have learned so much and joining this gym for the 6 week challenge was the best thing I did this year. Thank you Andrew and AF southington, you all are awesome! If you are a busy mom/woman in your 30s who is on the fence about joining please take that step. You...

I am NEVER one to complain about local businesses, but something happened to me earlier this week that I found to be completely unacceptable.

False advertising-Anytime Fitness in Southington advertises a FREE six week fitness training program on Facebook. I figured they want you to join their gym, enjoy the workouts and the benefits, and then join at the end of the 6 weeks. I was really looking forward to trying out the gym and seeing if it was the right fit for me.

However-it is all a lie. I went in for a consultation this week. At the end of my in person meeting with the manager he finally says it’s $399. He says it is a deposit and if you lose 25 pounds during the six weeks (or lose 6% body fat) they will return the $399. When I said that didn't fit in my budget the manager tried to sell me a $200 a month plan. I again stated that was out of my budget and all of the sudden it became a $80 a month plan.

I reported this to the company and the manager tried to call me to explain it away, and I reiterated it was false advertising and should be honored or taken down since that shows a lack of integrity-he then...