Brooklyn Obstacle

I did personal training with Clavel for a few months and i couldn’t have asked for anything more. I got a great workout every time I walked through the door, and once my sessions were over I knew I had learned how to continue my workouts. Thank you for the confidence and the great results! I hope to be back soon.

This is a great local gym, that really helped me get back into working out. It’s a little different from what I had been used to, because it’s not really an open gym — they pretty much only do personal training or small group classes. Also, it’s not as flashy as some of the other gyms in this neighborhood. But they more than make up for that with the quality of their trainers.
I started out by taking personal training sessions, and then switched to the unlimited monthly classes. The personal trainer was great, and really helped get me back into shape after a long period of not working out. The small group classes are also really good. There’s never more than 8 or so people, and the same trainers teach the same classes every week, so they really get to know you and customize the experience. The owner also introduced something called Tabata (which has a pretty funny theme song), and is basically a high-​intensity workout in only 30 minutes. It’s a great use of time.
And because the gym’s so small, its impossible to hide. If you go, you WILL get a workout. What more do you want?

Skilled trainers and a workout that will leave you drenched. Clavel and all the trainers at Fitness Collective really know their stuff and are positive and motivating. The CXT workouts are awesome and work your whole body. Definitely worth checking out.

I feel so lucky that this gym is just a block from my apartment. I’ve been a member of Crunch and Equinox and done classes at Physique 57 and many other studios, BUT I have never seen results like I have at Fitness Collective. I was eager to lose some of my post-​baby weight, and Clavel (the owner) was convinced I could do it in six weeks. I was skeptical, but turns out he was right — I just needed a gym with instructors/​trainers who really believed in me and cared about my goals. Highly recommend — if I could give Clavel and his team more stars, I would.

Hands down the best gym I’ve ever been to. I originally bought a Groupon thinking I’d get treated like an outsider since, lets face it, sometimes companies who do Groupon treat us like they regret offering it in the first place. I was immediately greeted with professionalism and smiles.
The trainers are AMAZING! Every workout is fun and really challenging but the coolest part is, there is absolutely no judgements, at all. I can be working out next to a mature woman and on my other side working out alongside a collage student. The trainers push you to your fullest potential yet tailor the workout to you individually. Not like other gyms where you get lost in the class. With Fitness Collective you feel like it’s so personalized. I’ve been going to gyms all my life and never been to a place like this.
The way the trainers treat everyone is like a family. Every single trainer is dedicated and loves what they do. It’s really cool to see them excited which is really motivating. Each one of them is passionate about their careers and they all are creative in how they approach your workout.
So the cool thing is, you’re not just lifting weights or doing boring stuff. Their workouts make you a better athlete. I have never found a gym that is this much fun and this effective. Every class I take I leave feeling amazing and the way they have it set up, you have to schedule a class online to get a spot in the class. At first I didn’t really get why they do that but then I realized, every other gym I’ve been to I eventually procrastinated because I would say to my self I’ll go to the 7PM class but then 6:45 rolls around and I’m stuffing my face with dinner. With this method you’re obligated to attend the class you signed up for so it makes you show up. The cool thing is, I actually need that since I can be lazy and who wants to spend money on a gym when you eventually stop going?
The gym just feels like home and everyone is really cool and friendly. It’s just a great place to workout and the trainers really motivate me to want to continue. I’ve been here since November of 2013 and I’m really happy I joined.

Love this place. Trainers are top notch and the classes are diverse, motivating and effective. I find it addictive! I love the small group approach and team mentality! I’ve already lost about 15 lbs and toned up

I’ve just been to two classes, but the best thing about this place is definitely the people. Very friendly, helpful staff, the two different instructors I have had were great, and the good attitude seems to trickle down to the members as well.
The workouts may or may not be your bag, but it’s definitely worth checking out. The overall atmosphere is nice and accepting and I think you can find your groove here no matter your fitness level.
Side note: I signed up thinking there were showers so I could do classes before work but it turns out there are no showers… not sure where I got that idea.

Back in June a purchased a deal through Living Social for a 1-​Month membership for unlimited Cross Fit Training and 10 Fitness Classes at Fitness Collective a local gym in Brooklyn. Since I was already engaged in some workout classes, I didn’t follow up with the gym until September. Upon doing so a young one who worked there informed me that I needed to fill out some paper work regarding my health and fitness background before they could input me into their online system which would allow me to sign up for classes online.
Fast forward to present day. This past Monday, October 15^th, I signed up for my first Kickboxing CXT classes and attempted to sign up for the remainder of the month and was unable to do so. The site stated that my voucher expires on October 24^th. I was confused and planned to discuss the error when I attended the first class — which I loved by the way. The young woman at the desk who I presume to be the same one I initially spoke with said that the month began once they put me in the system. I informed her no one told me that and surely that could be extended to reflect the date of my first class. She said there was NOTHING she could do for me and insisted I speak to Living Social. I did just that. Unfortunately I do not have a copy of the first email, but did provide them will all the facts as I provided them to you.
This is the exchange following that:
Hi Nakia,
Thanks for contacting us!
We’re sorry for any confusion regarding your offer. To clarify, all classes must be redeemed within 30 days of registering with the gym. If you would like to discuss further accommodations with the gym, we encourage you to reach back out to them directly to discuss the issue. We’re sorry for the inconvenience!
Thanks for LivingSocial!
Jessica | Consumer Services | LivingSocial |

Hi Jessica,
Thank you for getting back to me. That fact was not explained upon signing me up and I feel as though I should not be penalized for it. I surely would have attended classes sooner had I known that when speaking with the young woman; however that was not the case. I have been a loyal customer of living social for some time now and have never encountered this type of unprofessionalism from a partnering company. I have followed back up with the gym to see whether they could help me and they suggested I speak with your customer service. I will be sorely disappointed if this matter is not resolved with a refund.
Hi Nakia,
Thank you for contacting us. We’re sorry we weren’t able to fulfill your request today.
Please let us know if you have any remaining questions about a future offer, and we’ll do our best to help.
Thanks for LivingSocial!
Jessica | Consumer Services | LivingSocial |

Hi Nakia,
Thank you for contacting us. We’re sorry we weren’t able to fulfill your request today.
Please let us know if you have any remaining questions about a future offer, and we’ll do our best to help.
Thanks for LivingSocial!
Jessica | Consumer Services | LivingSocial |
Jessica,
This is more than disappointing. Unfortunately there will not be a next time to assist me because I can and will not patronize a site or business that does not value its customers. I will move forward by cancelling my account and reporting both Living Social and Fitness Collective the Better Business Bureau.
***
This may seem like an exercise in futility, but I sincerely believe every company should value its customers. I was not given all the information and am being penalized for it. The service I was provided by both Fitness Collective and Living Social was less than adequate. I write this to forewarn you about the potential shams you may encounter dealing with either of these companies.
Sincerely,
Nakia

This place gets five starts mostly because of John Laracuente. I took the CXT Boxing classes, which was so intense that I remember almost crying the first day. But he is so dedicated and supportive that it really inspired me to continue trying and working harder. I would also give 5 stars for Emily Scott, the yoga instructor, who is so great that I didn’t mind waking up early on a Sunday to go there. They’re awesome and I absolutely recommend their classes.

OK — this place get a FIVE STAR from me because the trainer, Clavel, actually kick ASS in his sessions — thus, My ass was kicked LITERALLY!
If I stick to this until my groupon expires at the end of September — I am guaranteed to drop 20 pounds…
This is a no nonsense cross training class — this is for serious people — these classes are GANGSTA — LMAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOO!
So be ready to get your butt kicked but trust by the end of the class you will feel great — like you have moved a dayum mountain!
Fitness Collective Rocks — BOOYAH!

I’ve been going to cobble hill fitness collective for 4 years an it’s changed my life! I have never been so strong. Love this place– the trainers are far superior to any others I’ve worked with at other places.

Not the best yoga or pilates classes I’ve have had in my life, but they were adequate and the instructors were nice and made an effort. It’s nice to know that I have fitness options in the ‘hood outside the gym circuit.

I come here for the Tues and Thurs am boot camp classes and think they are fantastic. I first signed up through a Living Social deal, but was excited to find a challenging early morning class. I’ve also attended a couple of the kickboxing classes and thought they were great as well, although I haven’t gone to any of those in a year, as I’m not off from work in time. With both classes, many of the attendees have been going to the class forever, and even though the instructors demonstrate the routines/​exercises well, it took me a couple of classes to become familiar with the exercises. That said, both are superb workouts and I would recommend.

A perfect neighborhood spot for getting training. I can rotate among different trainers each week to keep it fresh. They also have nutrition experts on staff.
Everyone at the gym has been incredibly courteous and cool to me for the two months I’ve been going here.

«Graceful» would not exactly be a word to describe me, especially when it comes to physical activity. I have trained with other trainers at big gyms in the past, but find I spend most of the time embarrassed that onlookers are watching me stumble through my workouts.
Fitness Collective has changed that horrid PT experience for me. The small, intimate setting really makes me feel at ease. And my trainer, Dwyane is awesome. We chit chat through my workouts so at times I don’t even realize I am breaking a sweat. He pushes me, but always with a smile on his face and never makes me feel insecure.
Classes are great too– ZUMBA is my fave, but they have something for everyone.

i recently logged back into Unilocal and got this pleasant message from clavel in my inbox.
«it galls me to no end that some random person can walk into my establishment and make a mockery of everything we do and post their «findings» on the internet and I have to sit back and take it. You don’t even have the respect to reply to the last e-​mail I sent.
Unilocal is not my email, it’s a separate inbox – i rarely log in, and when i do, i don’t always see that i have messages. it’s not that I don’t have respect, it’s just that I’m busy and I don’t log in to Unilocal that often. and i didn’t really make a mockery of your business, did i? i listed legitimate concerns which you addressed (all of them, except for the fact that you, as the receptionist, were very rude). i didn’t make anything up out of thin air.
«I hope at some point in your life you build something from scratch, and then you get it ridiculed in public by some body who has no idea what it was like to actually have built anything.»
there goes your presumptuous attitude again, which is what turned me off in the first place. what makes you think that i haven’t built something from scratch? what makes you think that i don’t run my own business?
«Again, if you were actually a client and had a bad taste in your mouth I get that, but don’t blame an entire organization and the people who work there because you were having a bad day.
You should be ashamed of yourself.»
Clarification 1: i was not having a bad day. Clarification 2: i did not blame an entire organization. i pointed only to YOU and the instructor who was sparring (thank you for clarifying that he was DEMOing after the fact – perhaps that is something he should have mentioned to the students as they came in). Clarification 3: someone should be ashamed, but it’s not me.

I wanted to take a second to offer my opinion on CHF. As a mother of two little ones, the personal training services here have been a game changer for me. With all of the demands on my time as a mom, there is no way I would consistently workout without an appointment. And the fact that I can show up here without feeling like I need to look like a supermodel (or even close), because it is all about real people (many moms in fact) trying to get in shape and be healthy in the real world, makes this place a winner for me. The trainers take a genuine interest in my goals (fitness and even in general, since it all has to fit together in order for me to stick with it), and I have found them to be very knowledgeable. I really like being able to mix it up with different trainers so that I can approach my workout in a variety of different ways each time I come in. I have been (fairly) consistent (and they don’t make me feel like I suck when life gets in the way of my training plans), and I have gotten back into my skinny jeans, and frankly, I think I look fitter/​healthier than I did before I had kids. This place is a GEM. I will never even think about Equinox or the Y again. :)

This fitness center completely exceeded my expectations.
I was very impressed to receive the emails confirming appts, cancellations and any changes to my appts. That was a nice touch. I liked that they had workout videos on their website, if I wanted exercise at home. I’ve done training in other gyms and haven’t seen this before. The trainers know what they’re doing and are personable and professional. I definitely felt they had my fitness goals in mind when choosing exercises for my workout and they were sensitive to a couple of injuries I had.
Although I haven’t taken any, I noticed they offer a good selection of classes.
I would highly recommend CHFC hence this review

Basically a one to one fitness facility but you have a range of instructors each with unique skill sets. The result is you get a well rounded regimen that produces results !
Prices are fair service is outstanding they get busy so book them ASAP