Crunch Fitness - West End — Local services in Short Pump

TRAINERS HERE THINK ITS THEIR GYM. I don’t believe I’ve ever written a review on google about a place let alone a gym. I recently signed up for this gym a few months ago and I have had two major issues that were both demeaning and undermining. They also made me feel very unsettled and uncomfortable. I let the first incident go and didn’t say anything about it but now I have to share because I’m at my breaking point with this gym. The first incident was when a trainer asked how many more sets I had on the deadlift platform and I had told them I had two sets left. They came over with their client to literally sit next to the platform and watch and wait for me to get off. I felt extremely uncomfortable and unwanted having two people inches away from me watching me workout. Second incident happened when I was told by another trainer to rerack weights and this wasn’t the issue, the issue was the tone in her voice and the I’m-better-than-you attitude when she had told me. She spoke to me like I was a child when in reality I’m a 30 year old man. She then had her client start yelling at me about reracking the weights after I had told the trainer I must have forgotten and that when I’m working out I don’t always think about reracking a 45lbs plate(which is pretty normal on a bench press machine). The trainer in the midst of her client yelling at me said “well when you don’t rerack weights that means we have to do it” so basically she wants to have the authority of someone who works at the gym without the responsibility of being a person who works at the gym. She said “my clients sometimes can’t take these weights off” - I used to be a personal trainer at golds (now a business owner) for a few years and each time weights were involved with my client I would be handling it because I WORKED AT A GYM and I WAS THE PT. Next, she went and ratted me out to another personal trainer who then came over to further disrupt my workout and tell me that she hoped there wasn’t any confusion about what the previous trainer (and her client) had yelled to me about. This time this trainer seemed more level-headed about the whole situation and just wanted to defuse it. She ended up telling me that it’s time taken away from the clients workout when they have to change weights and in my head I’m thinking “well it’s taking time away from mine when you guys keep interrupting MY workout” so basically flat out my time in the gym is unworthy compared to trainers. These behaviors have been extremely uncalled for and I was treated like I was in their home, like I was a burden and it was a privilege to be there. Unacceptable for a gym to act this way. I pay for my membership and I have nothing but respect for a gym so to be spoken to like I’m a criminal was very unprofessional and insulting and personally this recent incident should have repercussions. Very disappointed.

The gym itself is GREAT. Some, not all, of the people that work there,...

This summer I joined Crunch Gym. It was near my house and I had heard good things about it. I was trying to get myself back in shape and had figured I would do personal training. I went for my intro session-LOOK OUT! The extremely high-pressure sales pitch came. It actually almost made me change my mind. I wanted to think things over and talk to my husband, Ryan (head trainer) tried to make me feel guilty about it. I signed up after all mainly for convenience. After almost a month of trying to get a trainer set up they finally found me one. I wanted to train after work or on the weekends. Then the trainer they gave me was very unreliable. This over months left me discourage and unmotivated. It was too much frustration for me to want to continue. There also was no checkpoint on how the training was going, no nutrition coaching, and no follow up measurement. I texted the head trainer, to let him know I wanted to cancel and ask for a refund on my last 5 sessions since I was beyond frustrated. He told me to come in to sign paper work. Instead, he had me meet with the general manager to cancel my membership. I was not expecting this. They listen to my concerns and she said she would refund my 5 sessions if I trained with another trainer. After a lot of pressure from them I agreed to think about it overnight. I texted the head trainer and told him the next day that I did not want anything more to do with the gym or trainers because I was beyond frustrated. A trainer called me the day after to set up a training time. I felt unheard and that Crunch did not support or respect my wished. I still have no refund and I am left feeling very frustrated, since they wasted more of my time. I signed a paper wanting out of my membership when I met with them in October but they continued to take money from my account. I had to go in again to get them to stop and was told they would not refund the 4 extra months they took out because It was my word and the person I met with did no longer work there. So I got taken advantage of again. It is not my fault that they turn over staff so fast. I was told someone from management would call me in February to discuss my concerns and of course no one ever did. I have belonged to other gyms in the past such as the Y and AMFAM but this by far is the worst experience I have ever had.

WATCH out for high pressure sales for...

I’ve really enjoyed my experience at Crunch overall — the staff and gym-goers are great, and I’ve felt very welcomed. However, I did have a disappointing experience with Mara, the Fitness Director, that I feel is worth sharing.

When I first joined Crunch during my first week at a new job, we scheduled a kick-off session despite me expressing that making a 5 PM meeting might be difficult. As expected, I arrived late, and we were only able to complete 30 minutes of the usual hour-long session. I later returned for a follow-up session with Valentina (who was fantastic), and we completed the remainder of the kick-off.

During that second session, Mara approached me and offered to schedule another kick-off to make up for the split sessions, assuring me it would be complimentary. We booked it a few weeks in advance, and she even called to confirm the appointment about a week prior.

When the day of the scheduled session arrived, I showed up, but Mara did not. The front desk staff (who are all wonderful) were very confused, and Valentina kindly stepped in to assist me.

The following day, I saw Mara at the front desk and mentioned that she had missed our appointment. Her response was unexpectedly hostile — she raised her voice in front of others and muttered under her breath that I could “pay for the session,” despite previously offering it free of charge. I walked away saying 'Okay'. The interaction felt extremely unprofessional, and unfortunately, since then, she has continued to be cold and dismissive.

Had it not been for the positivity and support of the rest of the staff and community, I might have reconsidered my membership based on that interaction alone. It was disappointing, especially since I initially liked Mara, but as the saying goes — when someone shows you who they are, believe them. I avoid her at all costs but am thankful for the rest of the staff for being such wonderful, friendly and...