System of Strength — Local services in Columbus

I have been an SOSer for 5 years now. Which makes it shocking that I'm just now getting around to writing review, especially since I'm such a mega-fan! I first heard about SOS from coworkers. To be honest, I was a little intimidated when I'd see these folks post about their workouts on social media. I had thought about trying it circa 2017, but was too intimidated (my loss!). But in 2019, I ended up with a stress fracture while marathon training. I was able to barely finish my training for the NYC Marathon, which I did successfully complete in November 2019. But at that point, it was evident that I couldn't just keep running marathons without incorporating strength training into my routine. So in Christmas Week 2019, I started with the 7 class starter pack just to try it out.

My first class was The Course with Kelsey. I felt comfortable because I knew Kelsey from work and luckily a few other co-workers happened to be in the class as well. I still remember during the warm up, I was thinking "dang this is tough!" But by the time my 7 class pass was up, I was hooked and became a monthly member.

I even joined Team Tread (their half & full marathon training program) in January to start training for the Nashville Half in April 2020. Unfortunately for me, my SOS morning routines were abruptly halted in March 2020. But luckily, my team tread registration got me into the "digital studio" which I had no idea what it was at the time. I very quickly uncovered that it's all the same studio instructors and they have recorded classes with new uploads almost daily as well as a huge library of online classes (which as you can imagine has only grown in the past 5 years). I did what everyone else was doing and immediately ordered as many dumbbells, resistance bands, and other equipment to build up a "home SOS studio" and my equipment has been growing ever since.

I moved to Arizona in summer 2021, and have continued to be a dedicated Digital Studio user and advocate. Whenever I come home to Ohio (whether Cbus or Cincy), I get giddy at the thought of going to classes in person and it's a treat to choose which classes I'll take and with which instructors.

I got married in June 2024 and I purchased the "Badass Bride" classes on the Digital Studio. As I was taking them and leaving comments the owner, Gretchen, messaged me and said she wanted to send me an SOS wedding gift. You'd never believe how touched I was to see a SOS tank, hoodie, sweat towel and t-shirt show up the week of my wedding. I'm still so honored by these thoughtful gifts. Someone I've never even met in person (which is hard to believe given how obsessed I am with SOS lol!) went out of their way to make my wedding week all the more special.

I can honestly say SOS Digital Studio has helped me get in the best shape of my life. I feel like I personally know all of the trainers (I don't have social media anymore, but when I did, I followed all of them, so again, felt like I kew them personally). When I was in Hawaii for my wedding, SO many people were asking me about my arms and complimenting me. I kept trying to tell them about the DS and how special SOS is. I will always be a dedicated and loyal fan. It's become such a part of my routine that I'm on Christas Break now with my husband in Kansas (where he's from) and I've brought my ankle weights, light weights and loop bands just so I can get some classes in. Thank you, Gretchen and team for helping me be the best version of myself every day! Can't imagine what I'd do without the DS and my SOS training crew!

(Only word of advice to newbies- the System DOES work! Don't skip out on any classes. As you can imagine, being a marathon runner, I favored all of the cardio classes. But it wasn't until I really started incorporating High & Tight as I prepared for my wedding that I noticed the chiseled arms that I'd always wanted. It's a well rounded program that gets results as long as you incorporate all the classes...

Instructors are very friendly and accommodating, the format is unique and interesting, and classes are well-designed. I really enjoyed talking with instructors before and after class, they were pleasant and helpful if you can get their attention. Not much attention is given to form corrections during class compared to other gyms, and you could end up doing three leg days in a row as there seemed to be very little coordination between instructors. This is a front-body focused gym, so if you are exercising for shoulder/leg toning it will work for you, but I found that many classes perpetuated muscular imbalances in my body related to posture/sitting at a desk all day, so it wasn't the gym for me. I ultimately felt pretty neutral about the gym, but what really set me over the edge is that customer support is nonexistent. If you do sign up, do a package not a membership, because it feels impossible to get ahold of someone to cancel the membership. The website is also confusing. The other piece that wasn't pleasant is that the gym smells like industrial chemicals and the hot room on Sat/Sun mornings smells like you are sticking your face into someone's armpit who is sweating out their tequila bender. I'm not convinced there is adequate ventilation in the building, which makes it...

As with Jamie who also posted a three star, I felt this atmosphere in the Clintonville SOS was conducive to competent, enthusiastic instruction and surprisingly unpretentious clientele. It simply is not gauged to my fitness goals and metabolic profile. I am interested in maintaining muscle and bone mass and keeping my weight on an even keel. This system does neither. It is all about tone and high-rep, intense cardio and light weights. Classes are often so overbooked I was not even able to schedule the “Ebb and Flow” to check it out on an introductory package. It seems designed almost purely for late 20’s 30’s and early 40’s professionals. The intensity increased my hunger and had me gaining significant weight in a fairly short time. SOS needs to do a profile on people’s fitness goals and be real about it. There is almost no help on that as in a regular gym. Summarized, I would call it well-run but too narrow for a wide swathe of people. It’s expensive too. I only pay 30 dollars for the locally owned Columbus Sports Connection a mile away and they have yoga, fitness, and indoor bike classes that don’t fill up. I am glad I tried SOS but it has proven itself incompatible with my...