DMV Iron Gym — Local services in Alexandria

I’ll start this off with positives. This gym has the best equipment I have ever seen! The membership options are cool, and it’s potentially helpful for people that compete in the world of lifting. Another pro are the location options. The DMV is a huge region, and DMV Iron has picked locations that give people all across the area a chance to come to the gym. I live in two towns over from a location, and it’s just a quick 15 min drive there. If I’m ever in MD, I can hop over to their Rockville location: The cons:

Culture: I’m pretty reserved and keep to myself. I’ll wear leggings and a t shirt to lift and I’ve been doing serious lifting for a few years now. Members of the gym, more often men than women, are not nice if you don’t fit the female aesthetic that majority of women wear. I’ve had personal interactions with people that have been rude for no reason, and within minutes are nice to someone that is dressed differently. I’ve seen people record others without their consent and laugh at them. There was one guy that I could tell was filming me and it made me pretty insecure. I have girlfriends that are scared to join the gym because they see how other females dress and look and fear they won’t fit in. I’ve voiced that you can just ignore them or go earlier in the day and you’ll see them less, but nonetheless, their fears persist. I also feel like an outsider which is frustrating. It leads to me feeling tempted to conform and dress like others for the sake of feeling like I belong.

Staff: some members of the staff are okay but a good amount aren’t friendly or helpful. I’ve been to other gyms in the area like Unleash’d and The Shop, and the staff have been kinder.

Environment: I mentioned earlier that the gym is potentially helpful for people that compete. I have a trainer, lifting program, and will be competing in the coming weeks, but it’s hard to focus. People behave and dress in distracting and at times inappropriate ways. I get that the staff can’t police what people wear, but it’s distracting.

I’ve got a few more months in my yearly membership and am going to try for a few more weeks to see if things improve (new year so who knows), but if these feelings and interactions continue, I’ll...

BLUF: highly recommend this gym in it's current state.

Update: I am glad I stuck around because there have been some great improvements to the gym since when I first got my membership. It is likely some of the concurrent issues initially experienced were anomalous though still valid.

That being said, I have seen investments into upgrading the variety and quality of the machines which has helped my ability to get a good workout tremendously. I only wish they would bring back the overhead press station as I'm not sure where that went.

I'd say there is still an issue with wannabe influencers and tripod folks hogging machines at times. Signs have been posted discouraging this activity but enforcement on it can definitely be improved. I also occasionally get interrupted in my workout by folks asking me to record them which is annoying and against their stated rules but unsure what they can do to fix that given the culture this gym attracts.

This gym has great potential, but is plagued by narcissist patrons who often prefer getting a good video or picture of themselves than actually using the equipment that they hog to do so. Some key pieces of equipment (treadmills, stair steppers, water fountains, etc) also often remain broken for long periods of time. These are the only two problems I have with this gym, but they are big enough to make me reconsider my membership. I would like to see a faster turnaround on basic maintenance at this gym and more restrictions on the wanna be influencers. If you value privacy, then do not use this gym because you are likely to be in the background of multiple videos and pictures every time...

I began working out at DMV Iron two years ago when I was introduced to my trainer Oscar. I hadn't had any kind of regular exercise routine in a very long time and was looking to make long term changes and lose weight. I had a lot of anxiety about going back to the gym and when I first saw the very fit clientele I was wondering if it was the right place for me. That all fell away after my first workout. The community within DMV Iron is welcoming, supportive, and non-judgmental. The entire staff is very friendly, the facilities are impressive, and the equipment is well maintained. I always look forward to seeing Zeke at the front desk! I began working out with my trainer Oscar once a week. We discussed my goals and he has worked with me on customized workouts for my progress. I began to feel much better and have consistently seen the results. I went from seeing Oscar once a week, then twice, and now I'm working out with him three times a week. His workouts not only keep me accountable, but they push me to the next level in my fitness and strength. When I began, even the simple warmups were challenging and I felt overwhelmed. Oscar has been awesome about figuring what works best for me and also challenging me on the exercises I don't think I can do. In my time working out with Oscar, I have lost over 50 lbs. and I feel incredible. I'm not sure I will ever "love" going to the gym, but I do LOVE the feeling I have after a workout and seeing my results. I also know I'm stronger and healthier than I've been most of my adult life and look forward to improving even more. I couldn't have done that without Oscar, he's...