WillyB Fitness - CrossFit and Group Training — Local services in New York

I originally came to WillyB CrossFit to try a new workout. I did their 6 week challenge, didn't lose the goal weight so I didn't get my money back. However, that's NOT why this review is so bad. Initially I loved CrossFit and was recommending it to everyone. I could see that I was getting stronger and I was all for that.

If you do meet the 6 week challenge goal they do give you your money back, they do ask you to write a good review for them. Probably to offset their actual honest and horrible reviews (like the one) since they have snakey service.

Before starting the regular monthly memberships, I decided to get a 10 class pack because I was going to do a lot of traveling and wouldn't get the full usage out of the monthly membership until a few months later. I go to the front desk and I ask them to cancel the auto-renewal of the 10 class pack because I wanted to do a 6 month unlimited membership later instead. They confirmed at the front desk that I was good to go and it was not going to auto-renew.

I eventually want to cancel the 6 month membership because I wanted to focus on other stuff. I go to cancel the upcoming 6 month membership with Chris at the front desk and he says everything is cancelled and they're sad to see us go. Literally THAT NIGHT I get charged for an auto-renewal of my 10 class pack which is like $300 RIGHT AFTER I told them I was cancelling everything and going to try new things. So I'm like must be a mistake let me try to reach out to them. I email them and they're like "you need to send an email to cancel, policy's strict but you have 6 months to use your new 10 class pack". I don't know how me cancelling several times in person, reaching out to you to be like I don't want this 10 class pack I want my money back, can conjure up "enjoy your new 10 class pack" HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE. I DID NOT WANT IT THEN AND I DO NOT WANT IT NOW. After several sassy emails from them I was like this and they are stupid, I'll just reach out to my credit card company and get this refunded since I didn't approve of this purchase. Fast forward a month or two, my credit is in my account I'm still raging from WillyB CrossFit but I'm like it's not worth my time anymore. I got my money back.

Then fast forward to today. Yesterday I got one of their mass messages and I was like let me respond with my experience and then ask them to take me off the mass message list I'm literally never coming back after you guys tried to trap me into another membership. They don't confirm that I'm taken off the list and say that I still have an active membership and I'm like I can only face palm so hard. I wasn't going to write this review until I got the message yesterday and they didn't confirm that I'm off the list.

The reason this review got 2 stars instead of the negative stars I wish I could post is because the instructors are really amazing and I didn't want to ignore that. Pablo, Kai, Jeff and Maria are amazing instructors that take the time to correct your form and encourage you to push yourself.

When I initially cancelled, I was considering coming back in the future but after how the front desk/administration handled me trying to cancel my membership I will never come back and anyone who asks how's CrossFit going will get an earful about how they should 1000% avoid WillyB. I'm frustrated with Chris and Abbee for either not knowing the cancellation policies while working the front desk or playing stupid and getting me charged for another 10 class pack leading to this horrible review.

LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES: just do NOT even come here, it might be all fun and games and soreness for a while but the moment you try to cancel it'll just be hell. And if you do decide to come despite this review, book everything with a credit card and email them way in advance of when you want to cancel so you have some evidence you tried to cancel so they're forced to give you your money back instead of you going to your credit card company explaining how some idiots are trying to trap you...

I don’t often write reviews. I do, however, when some place is really great or really awful. Bowery WillyB’s CrossFit on Grand in Manhattan is neither but it is concerning. I am not a member and I haven’t attended. They contacted me and offered a FREE (they wrote it in all caps to emphasize its free nature) six week program. But it isn’t free, it’s $600 and it comes with alarming requirements. After you arrive they come clean and explain that it is only free if you lose 25lbs and 7% body fat in 6 weeks. It’s fine to have requirements for commitment. However, those requirements are almost impossible and medically not recommended. They are unsafe. Whether you stress your body with work, starvation, lack of sleep, or over excursion-it all registers the same to the body. It’s all received as stress and an unhealthy lifestyle. They don’t ask your goals, height or weight. Over 1% loss in body fat per week is outside of the medically, healthy recommended amount. If by miracle you achieve it, it won’t be healthy for you. I am 5’7” and weigh 145. I do want to firm and lose some but 120, I do not want to be. It is actually 1 lbs below the recommended lowest range for a healthy weight for someone at that height. So I am writing this as a warning. Their program, besides being misleading, isn’t a healthy goal. Also, my goal was to add muscle which weighs more than fat so the program measurements are fixed against you, like a game at a traveling carnival. The very least you should expect from a gym is that it’s clean, safe, and a healthy environment. This had none of those qualities. It was under construction, but if you are going to be open to members, be clean. I will say, if you are obese and super motivated, you might be able to achieve this but I mean clinically obese not just overweight. If you are looking for a life style change and desire to firm, look elsewhere. So if you are obese and are willing to gamble $600, this might work for you but I would definitely consult your physician before signing anything and I’d definitely read the fine print of whatever they make you sign because this gym is out for the money, not you. It is a business but money comes first and we’ll above it’s member’s health. Just read the owners responses to some of the complaints. Whether he is right or wrong, he is compassionless. But definitely don’t waste your time and effort going down there thinking it’s a free program and you’re part of a test group for the marketing of the program. It’s just a sales gimmick. It is not free. And more importantly, it isn’t about your health, it’s about your wallet and agreement to sign a contract of regular deductions from your bank account. Beware.

Thanks for your quick response. I’m entitled to review based on my experience. Having to attend 3X per week and work hard or be cut is skin on the game. I was told that many busy New Yorkers who respond to your claim it is free are disappointed to have been misled by the full information after arriving. That too was my experience. I discussed this with my doctor and was told no, it isn’t healthy and anyone can google the recommended fat percent loss per week as well as healthy weight range for a 5’7” female. I haven’t disrespected anyone in your gym. Your response speaks to your character, compassion is afforded at the will of the giver not on conditions but on the integrity of the character of the giver. All of that aside, dear Willy, if this isn’t a sales gimmick why not explain it up front versus after someone arrives. Why state what they have to lose versus wake them their goals. If you think the goals are not “skin” worthy for your game, deny them access. Take a hard look inside, one day, as today is not that day, and really check yourself. Are you truly caring about the client to be or the money to gain. Cheers Willy. I wish you...

I did the CrossFit 6 week challenge, and succeeded. You should, too!

I joined the 6 week challenge a week after finishing the NYC Marathon. While my endurance cardio is decent, I was looking to improve my body fat percentage.

First off, HIIT workouts were very different from what I was accustomed to. They're always a challenge, but Coach Jeff is careful to scale activities down or up to your Fitness level, regardless of where you are.

Second, once I made it to CrossFit, I was impressed by how quickly I could make strength gains. Again, by building a varied workout, I could reach muscle exhaustion while simultaneously hitting a good heart rate.

Third, what had been missing from my previous training was precise nutritional management. Chris coached me through my plateau, with encyclopedic understanding of metabolism - and I have master's degrees in genetics and molecular biology.

In the end, precise control of muscle loading, cardio, and nutrition allowed me to achieve my goal. And I made a permanent change in my lifestyle, now that I know how to do it.

If you just want to go to a gym, yeah go to any gym. But if you are looking to make a data-driven, measurable change in your fitness and appearance, you can get serious here. And you'll probably make some...