CrossFit Fortius — Local services in San Diego

If you are considering trying crossfit, I would highly recommend that you try Crossfit Fortius! I joined here 9 months ago and it was honestly the best decision I could have made after moving back to San Diego. Even from my first day trying it out, I felt very welcomed and comfortable, but thankfully they offer you a whole week free to make sure it's the right fit for you. I tried a couple of the other crossfit gyms around where I live, and none of them were offering a deal like that (you had to sign up after just one class) so it definitely was refreshing to see and certainly factored into my decision to join. Another reason I joined was because everyone there was so friendly and welcoming. People would always come up to me and introduce themselves and ask how I was liking it so far. The community is definitely a big part of what keeps me coming back every day too. Every one is so encouraging and pushes you to do your best during the workouts. I've made so many great friends through Fortius and I love continuing to meet so many awesome people who share my passion for fitness and hardwork.

Not only is there an amazing community at Fortius, but the coaches are also extremely experienced and just plain awesome. I've worked most closely with coach Jesse, and I am thankful every day to have a coach as wonderful as him. When I first started doing crossfit, all of the Olympic weightlifting and powerlifting moves seemed extremely foreign and awkward to me and I didn't really like them, but Jesse has helped me with my technique and they now are starting to feel natural and I actually look forward to opportunities to practice them more. He's always offering a helpful hint and encouraging word. He pushes me to always do more than I think I can and because of him, I've hit a lot of personal records and already made so much progress. When I first started, I would get winded after the 250m run, but now it seems like a breeze and my improved endurance helped to complete my first 5k only a few months later! It definitely also helps to improve your confidence, because after finishing a crazy WOD like Fran, Annie, or Murph, you feel like you can accomplish anything!

If you're worried about injuries or the workouts being too intense, don't be. All of the moves can be modified to fit your skill level so that they are challenging, but not impossible. For instance, I can't do strict pull-ups, so I use resistance bands as a modification, and over time, I have been able to use less and less resistance. Also, the coaches are very careful to modify workouts for any injuries you may have so that you do not further injure yourself.

Before joining Fortius, I had a personal trainer and really enjoyed that, but I was finding it to be fairly expensive and wasn't getting the exact results that I wanted. After trying crossfit, I found that it was quite similar to personal training, but a lot less expensive. For the same price that I was paying for one 30 minute session once a week, I could get unlimited classes at Fortius. So one 30 minute session per week or five hour long classes per week? After realizing that, it wasn't very difficult to decide. I was still getting a lot of the benefits of personal training (someone telling you what to do, accountability, personal attention since the classes are fairly small) but getting a lot more for my money and also getting the awesome community that comes with being a member at Fortius.

This ended up being a longer review than I expected, but simply put, you should definitely give Crossfit Fortius a try, you have nothing to lose and...

Hello Jesse (owner). I am writing this review based on your lack of attention to $915 total being debited from my bank account after cancelling my membership. I have been reaching out since Saturday 9/24 requesting for you to call me and no response. I have received unprofessional and dismissive texts from Paige. This review does not reflect on the programming or coaches. This is a specific complaint to the owner and manager due to the way this situation has been ignored and treated with lack of professionalism and consideration for your member. I have been in the fitness world for over 10 years, been a member of CrossFit gyms, kick boxing, yoga, pliâtes, you name it. I have never had to request a billing refund for a cancelled membership until now. I canceled my membership in May and was charged for 3 months ($457) in June and ($457) in September. I am a single mother to a deployed partner. I cancelled due to not having the childcare in place to come and moving 40+ minutes away from the gym. I haven't stepped foot in your gym since May 2022. Please do the right thing and contact me regarding this issue so that I can receive my money back. I cannot afford to loose almost $1k for a gym I haven't utilized for 4 months. I look forward to your call, until then I will continue to reach out. Thank you.

After reading through many reviews it seems these members received the same response I did from the owner today.

I received an email stating that I did not cancel my membership when, in fact; I did and I have proof of that. Same response he has given to any poor reviews; it's all made up and fabrication. No taking accountability, NO class, NO professionalism. No mindset of ... the customer that pays my bills ... they have rights, they have feedback that could potentially better my business. Apparently the customer has no right to give any type of feedback, accurate or not. He claims it is all made up. I received a threatening email completely disregarding my concerns and calling me a liar. Facts are facts and I will be getting my money back. The accountability for the respect and professionalism you lack for your customers is disheartening. I will make sure to share this experience with my fitness community.

Here Jesse goes again. The customer is always wrong, lying and fabricating. I did provide proof via email and text to the gym and my bank. It has been ruled in my favor so this is also inaccurate; in an attempt to point the blame on the customer. Who would pay over $1k to a gym they haven’t stepped foot in for 4 months? Definitely not a military mother with a small child trying to make ends meet. You are a greedy and unethical business owner. I hope more people come forward with the truth on your lack of...

I started doing Crossfit here 2 months ago when they first opened up. I was incredibly skeptical about Crossfit (it's expensive, it seems REALLY difficult, I was intimidated by crossfitters in general), but I gave it a try because they had a free trial period. My first workout was REALLY difficult (I had not been constantly physically active for 8 years), but it was really fun. And I kept coming back! :)

Reasons why I love Crossfit Fortius:

The coaches are all top notch. I'm usually coached by Jesse, who is honestly one of the best coaches I've ever had (and I've had a good amount of decent coaches, I've played volleyball for several years). He's REALLY good at teaching you the different movements, he's incredibly patient, and he's really supportive. David and Veronica are EXCELLENT coaches as well. They all know their stuff and are focused on teaching the correct technique/building strength, not just teaching us how to do as many reps as possible.

Everyone at the gym is really cool. It's such a great environment to learn and exercise in; everyone is cheering everyone on, whether we are doing crossfit or weightlifting.

The workouts! Some are scarier than others, but they change daily to keep things interesting/work out all your muscle groups. Also, if there is ever a movement you can't do, it can be modified to your skill level (example: I can't do normal pullups, so I've been doing them with a resistance band). I also like the emphasis on learning the technique for olympic weighlifting, it's really helpful and fun!

Equipment: This place is decently equipped, plenty of space for pull ups, plenty of kettle bells of various weights, bars and plates, jump ropes, boxes for box jumps, ab mats, etc. They are also planning on getting some benches and j hooks for bench press, as well as a rowing machine.

Overall, I love everything about Crossfit Fortius. Great people, great coaches, and great workouts. I actually look forward to...