CrossFit Union Square — Local services in New York

I just moved to the city from an hour + away and my first matter of business was finding a new CF box. I checked out a few places before coming to CFUS, and I decided to make this place my new 2nd home. I come from a small-town box with one coach who knows my athletic ability to a T and members that are like family, so finding a gym that had that same family feel was important to me. I knew I wouldn't quite find that small-town feel in the big city, but I did my best to find a place that felt the most comfortable (and close to the subway :D ). My first few drop ins I was welcomed warmly by the coaches and introduced to the class. I love the programming so far, and I like that we go through warm ups and cool downs together as a class. The WODs I have done have been heavy on the conditioning and long in duration which is right up my alley because I like the challenge. With longer WODs, be prepared to have no time to lollygag...you have to set up your equipment quickly especially if the class is larger. It's in the basement so while it's not hot (at least not now in the winter) there's no circulation so bring your inhaler for the longer WODs lol. Equipment seems to be in good condition. However we've not been encouraged to wipe down our equipment after use at least since I've been there (mats for HSPU, wall balls, rowers, etc.) and I think we should be because we're all sweaty and have germs. I clean my equipment for the next person and would love to know that when I go to grab it for my class, it's already been cleaned by the last person who used it. I guess I can clean it myself but there's not really time for that. Overall, I'm excited to be here, people have already been friendly and introduced themselves after realizing I'm not a familiar face, and I'm looking forward to checking out the oly and yoga/kin...

I don’t often write negative reviews, but I don’t know how this place has all five stars. I dropped in after confirming 24 hours in advance, and receiving confirmation from someone at the gym. The drop in fee is not anywhere, and though it’s five dollars lower than other places in the area, it would be nice to know what they’re asking for on the landing page. The place had about 40% too many people for the class, and the space was quite hectic. Coaches were telling people to be careful with the weights, but people didn’t seem to mind. Form overall made me very nervous, and the “theater in the round“ style basement setup made it impossible for the coaches to see more than a quarter of the class at once.

There was no introduction, very little warm up, then straight to olly lifting. Then a rush to do a met con with chest to bar where I would’ve hit my head on piping every time had I tried to actually do explosive kipping. Then no cool down despite there being more than 7 minutes left in the hour.

A coach noticed me about 20 minutes into the class and asked if I was new, had a warm hello when I mentioned I was dropping in, but that was it. I suppose if you want somewhere to be going through the motions surrounded by other people going through the motions, this might...

Had my first CrossFit class ever six months ago when I joined CrossFit Union Square, and while I was fairly certain I was going to hate it, I decided to keep an open mind and give it a month. As a total newbie to the world of weightlifting, hook grips, overhead squats, and CrossFit lingo, I was worried about keeping up, but the excellent instruction and approachability of the coaches put any of my fears to rest. My fellow class members are also super encouraging and helpful, and I am inspired by them every time I go to class. The workouts are the real deal, and push you no matter your fitness level. I still have a lot to learn, but I definitely feel stronger and more confident every day, thanks to the terrific coaches (especially my regulars Amanda, Chris, Ross, Elyssa and Jay!) and the whole CrossFit Union...