CrossFit Kaiju — Local services in Matthews

I’ve been a member with Kaiju for the past 6 months so want to share a review of the gym and why it gets 5 stars from me. I’ve trained in a lot of different gyms and clubs around the world, first time training crossfit and really want to share my experience with Kaiju in a few different categories:

The space: Great workout space with a central rig/rack and lots of surrounding floor space, olympic rings and climbing ropes. Establishing your own workspace for a workout has never been an issue regardless of class size. The central floor space is surrounded by workout equipment against the walls of the gym that can be moved into position easily if they need to be moved. Olympic barbells of different weight and size, dumbells, kettlebells, olympic plates, assault bikes/runners and ski erg’s, rowing machines, rogue echo benches, medicine balls, skipping ropes, work benches, chalk buckets. There are drum blower fans in position around the floor and shower/toilet facilities with cubby holes for your equipment/shoes etc. There is also a body composition analyser should you wish to assess weight/body fat percentage. And pre/post workout drinks that you can buy on-site via an honesty system (log what you take). The space is great, everything you need is close by and there’s lots of it and arranged in a layout that really supports a good and efficient workout. Establishing your own workspace for each workout is really easy. The gym is located on a country road where the team have marked out different running distances, the road is safe with little traffic, generally in single vehicles and driving very slowly.

Workouts/Training: The workouts follow an annual training plan and by its nature focuses on cross-functional fitness. As a newcomer to Crossfit I was a little slow to join as I wasn’t sure how fit and how much technical weightlifting experience I needed to be to be able to slot into a class. There are a number of different categories of classes, Crossfit ‘Reboot’ is a back-to-fitness/intro class that focuses on stretching and intro to strength/cardio. The ‘endurance’ class focuses more on endurance/sustained training exercises. The ‘strongman’ classes focus on olympic/power lifting and the ‘standard’ classes are the standard crossfit workout of the day. Classes are generally scheduled from 5.30am – 7.00pm so are easy to work around your schedule.

The people: From a coaching and members perspective, the gym really is quite unique in my experience. Kaiju really is a community as much as a gym. The members are friendly and quick to chat before and after workouts, clear the gym together and motivate each other. You can see that there is a group of core members that have been members for years, but are quick to welcome new members to the community, which can be really motivating in terms of attending classes as you’ll invariably end up working with good folks who you’ve met before. There is always a really positive vibe around the workouts with a focus on work and performance once a session begins. The coaches are brilliant, I was surprised in particular how willing they were to adjust exercises/workouts where I didn’t have proper technique etc. in a way that supports technique development but also ensures you have a good workout. They detail out each workout and proper technique for every workout in advance and are very active in walking the floor and managing sessions. This is a really important factor for me as you can be confident that you are getting the maximum from each session, work and technique.

All in all, Kaiju is a really brilliant community and training establishment, I would highly recommend to all levels, if you’re just starting or restarting your journey back to fitness or trying to really accelerate your training, there is a space and a community that are ready to support your goals. I tried the free class to start and signed up straight away, now I'm really looking forward to the months ahead ! 5 starts without a...

Great Crossfit class! I started in 2016, that is, after visiting and trying out other classes in the area. I felt KAIJU was a better fit for me being I was a newcomer to Crossfit. My reasoning centered around the ongoing guidance given by the instructor(s) AFTER the whiteboard session and the instructions given are aptly demonstrated by the instructor(s).

This ongoing guidance is not in the form of handholding or annoying hovering by the instructor(s) but rather 'pro tips' throughout the movements, as needed, in order to tweak your form to prevent misuse or overuse injury. To me, that, in and of itself is worth its weight in gold!

As I said earlier, I was a newcomer to Crossfit. So early on, I routinely finished dead last in the "workout of the day" (WOD). To which, was to be expected, due to life's happenstance of intermittent periods of plain old inactivity. But nowadays, I feel pretty good about how I've since progressed. I am now counted as one of the strongest in the KAIJU class…Ok!...ok! Maybe on certain movements and lIfts but nonetheless good...solid...quantifiable progress!

We regularly encourage and push each other to "get to done", throughout the workouts. There is also an unofficial KAIJU 'run club', that happens after the WOD, if that's your thing. See you at...

Started at Kaiju when they were doing a 6 week challenge. Truth be told, I never understood what Cross fitters did. I have worked out 3x weekly for years. Mostly weight training. I am not a power-lifter nor am I am body builder. I was bored with my normal routine. Soooo, I signed up. Met with Steve the owner. He spent a great deal of time with me. We ran through my strengths and weaknesses.

First week, the "Class" of all newbies met Mrs. Stephanie Munn. Extremely polite AND patient young woman. " Thank You Stephanie For Not Killing Me!" Please Heed My Warning! She will make you step up your game!!

By my 5th week, I was amazed how much more range of movement I had! I was sweating like never before!! I was dropping weight too!! That in turn made me WANT to eat better and clean up my diet as well.

Week 6, I of course signed up for more!!

Steve and his crew of trainers have all been extremely helpful, polite and encouraging too!!

If you're a newb to any kind of training, go see Steve. If you're meathead looking to get out of your rut. Go see Steve. If you're that overweight guy/girl looking for "Something" Go See Steve. Once you see Steve, he and his team will be there for you!

Quit stalling, You know what to...