Crunch Fitness — Local services in San Francisco

I go to the Chestnut Street Crunch Fitness a couple times a week, usually around 6AM on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays. Every now and then I'll go when the place opens on a Saturday or Sunday. I think it's a very solid neighborhood gym. You could do a lot worse. I've been a happy customer for more than a year now (as of August 2013) and I plan to stick with the place.

At first I was worried this gym would be too hip for me or too much of a scene. After all, it is in the Marina. However, at 6AM no one seems to pay much attention to anyone else. The majority of the Lululemon clad women are busy at work on the Stairmasters, Precor machines, Treadmills, and to a lesser extent with personal trainers or lifting weights. The majority of the college t-shirt clad men are busy at work on the free weights or weight machines, and to a lesser extent on the cardio equipment. Yes, the crowd here is on the younger side -- I'd guess the median age to be about 32 -- so if you're 50 you'll be significantly older than average, but when I go it's business time with almost no chit chat.

The free weights are what I'm most interested in, and I'd call the selection here OK, but far from great. It's pretty solid for upper body workouts. There are four standalone benches, two bench presses, one incline press, and a Smith Machine, which people frequently use for bench pressing. Plus, if you're into machines, there are a couple of cable machines and others for upper body work.

The free weight selection is worse for lower body workouts. There is only one power rack, for example, so if someone else is using it to get their squats in, you're out of luck. There is only one relatively small area in which you can do Olympic lifts, the selection of bumper plates is pretty thin, and people doing TRX or working with trainers often use up some of the space you could do Olympic lifts in.

I like the trainers and the desk staff. Management keeps the place clean and well lighted. All in all, it's a very solid...

In a little over four weeks of membership I am very happy to note that I have lost 8 pounds and over 2 5 inches off my waistline all while maintaining good muscle tone. To say that I am thrilled would be an understatement. I have done this by cleaning up my diet, cutting back on my wine consumption and taking 4 to 5 classes a week. The Gyms are kept very clean and the staff is really lovely. Why only three stars?

After taking many fitness classes over the past 35 years, there seems to be (especially in the past 5 years) the 'idea' that we should train like athletes vs training to members needs. My reality, slow and steady wins the race. And it works for me! I have found a couple of really great classes but I have also experienced a few bad ones. Note to Instructors: making the class harder, faster and sometimes impossible does not make it better. Every member should be able to get through a class and be able to do every move. In many classes, at least a third of the members seem very out of shape. Most members will never complain because they think that it is their fault. I joined this Gym for only one reason to feel better and to look great in my clothes (and without them..hehe). Granted, it's working for me on my terms but I do feel bad for many members. Note to Corporate: try and work towards classes that make your members the 'star' and not your instructors. In the end, I don't care about what they can do, only what I...

CONSTANT STAPH INFECTION

My partner and I have realized that we have gotten Staph infections from this gym several times over the last year!!

I was hospitalized over Christmas last year after getting a MRSA infection here. Literally sat in a hospital bed overnight on Xmas Eve (and they didn’t allow visitors due to COVID) because I needed intense medication to stop the MRSA.

My Doctor and I are convinced it’s from doing floor workouts on the mats (the front left area when you walk in). I let the front desk know and nobody took it serious, so I asked for management and he said that he would bring it up during their team meetings.. I’ve still never seen that area be cleaned and we’ve gotten staph multiple times since. It’s clear they aren’t concerned with safety.

My partner has it AGAIN after visiting the gym since being back in town the past week. I haven’t been to the gym since we got back and we’ve made the smart decision to cancel this membership today.

We go to the gym to live healthy lives, not risk them. Sad that our neighborhood Crunch is no longer somewhere we can safely workout. MRSA is no joke and if you get an infection from Crunch on Chestnut, make sure to seek medical attention before...