Perform For Life - Hayes Valley — Local services in San Francisco

Starting personal training at Perform for Life is one of the best decisions I've ever made for my health and wellbeing. The team is so kind and welcoming. I could not be happier to be part of this community.

Why I Joined: I am an active person - I run every day, box multiple times a week, and at the time before joining, was taking online HIIT classes. I felt like I was working out hours on end without seeing any results. I had thought about personal training for a while, but never did it because expense. I was so frustrated with all the effort I was putting in with nothing to show for it that I finally decided to look into personal training to figure out what I was doing wrong. Or at least so I could say I tried everything before accepting my body as it was.

Initial Phone Consult: I did an initial consultation with Bryant who asked me what I was looking for, told me about the gym and encouraged me to get an assessment done - which he provided as a discount, as well as take a complementary class to see if I liked the gym. He was friendly and not pushy at all! Really appreciated that.

The Assessment: When I got to the gym for my assessment, Bryant greeted me at the door, gave me a teeny tour, introduced me to the entire staff, and then matched me up with Zach who would be doing my assessment. We did a series of exercises, and In Body scan, and then discussed what I was looking for. After our chat, I decided to sign up and began training the next week.

How it's going: I have been working with Coach Zach once a week for the last 6 weeks and I could not say more good things about him. He is absolutely amazing. He puts so much care and attention into my individual program - from the in-session training to nutrition advice to workout and stretching "homework" on days I do not see him - I feel like he really cares and wants to see me succeed. We recently did a second InBody scan where it showed I lost 2% body fat and I felt like he was just as excited as I was! He is always teaching me something new and, even while he is torturing me with heavy lifts, we chat and laugh and have a good time.

Honestly, everyone at the gym is so great. You don't just join a gym, you join a community. I could not recommend P4L more. If you have any doubts, schedule a consult - it's free, take an assessment, speak to one of the many amazing trainers, and see what it is like to be part of the...

I used Perform For Life for about 6 months with the goal of getting my body wedding ready! After a few grueling years of grad school and then the pandemic, I had put in minimal time into taking care of myself, and was very self conscious about my body. I hated gyms because I was overwhelmed by all of the equipment. I'd finally decided to make an investment in myself but was shopping around to find a place that didn't give me anxiety.

From my first consultation phone call with Justine Sharifi, I felt so at ease. She was so kind and relatable. I did my initial assessment and subsequently my very first training session with Coach Dan and at no point did I feel awkward -- rather I felt very comfortable and I knew I'd found a home for my fitness journey.

I was paired up with Coach Sara for the next 6 months and I could not have been happier. Sara is so talented at her job -- meaning she is professional, encouraging, and has extensive knowledge of the way the body works & how to curate a fitness plan that will challenge (but not overwhelm) you, and pace it so that you can build upon your progress to reach your ultimate goals.

I always felt like Sara was fully committed to me during our sessions together. She accommodated my crazy, unpredictable schedule, and was never on her phone or distracted. She paid attention to every rep and would even take notes so that she could update our game plan. On top of being an awesome coach, Sara is a lovely human being -- on days where the wedding planning stress hit hard and I shed a few tears, she showed me a great deal of kindness and I could tell that she is just a genuine person overall. She's definitely someone I felt lucky to have in my corner!

Other coaches that I never trained with have also always been extremely friendly and approachable here -- there is an authentic family dynamic as well as true talent at Perform For Life -- you can't go wrong! :) Thank you so much,...

I came in for an assessment and to hit an established goal that I had expressed but walked out with a deflated self-esteem. Unlike other gyms, boutique gyms make you pay extra for an assessment. They’ll make you come in at a very inconvenient hour and waste your time because although they “assess” you and your goals you’ll get matched up to a trainer that has no information on your assessment. Who will act as if yesterday and the whole assessment did not happen. Basically, the assessment was a waste of time and the first class will be just like any first class for personal training. It is slow paced and you talk a lot.

But that’s not the only reason that I didn’t have a good experience here. It was because as I’m working out the trainer keeps telling me I won’t be able to do things. For example, I won’t be able to lift a weight because that’s too heavy. When I did, he didn’t hold back how shocked he was. I try to be unfazed with this nonsensical behavior and continue training. But to make matters worse, he kept making the exercises easier before I even struggled.

Indirectly saying I couldn’t do anything without help and underestimating my strength ahead of time. Maybe because he was barely paying attention, not counting and talking to near by trainers. After the session, mentally, it didn’t feel great. It’s 2019, no one should ever make you feel incompetent especially if you’re paying them hundreds of dollars to do exercises you could do on your own by watching YouTube videos at home for FREE and at least you’ll feel more encouraged by your TV screen. Overall, if you’re considering gyms, be sure to try out the competitors also before...