Shock Fitness

I had to give this place 5 stars because my first visit here was amazing!
The staff at the front desk greeted me and had me sign a gym waiver form (for their protection, I guess).
The first three days here are free and after that it’s $ 19 a month. Not bad. My commute to here is roughly 25 minutes but I prefer going here since I have a personal trainer that I’m planning on hiring to train me to help me reach my body and health goal.
I love the drive here. The area is beautiful and very scenic and after the gym there are tons of juice bars all over so you don’t have to really drive too far out to treat yourself to a smoothie, juice or acai bowl after an intense workout.

Although I go to this gym, I do want to point out some serious issues. First of all I would not go here if it weren’t for the simple fact that it’s the cheapest one in PB.
The problem is the staff, particularly one of the men at the front desk. No other gym ever has an issue if you forget your scan card. I’ve been to many gyms and occasionally will forget it, but it’s no problem they’ll look it up for me. This particular staff member harassed my boyfriend on several occasions and berated him for forgetting his. He proceeded to yell and claim he was the owner (he is not the owner or manager).
Who is paying who? WE pay to use this gym, and this guy has to audacity to be an a** to us.
Also the majority of the machines are either rusted out or missing parts and out of order. For the quality of machines and lack of customer appreciation this gym should be free!

Interned in San Diego last summer and wanted to find a gym with a good vibe, that wasn’t too crowded at all hours of the day. Shock fitness is a hidden gem. Awesome price, never crowded, and best of all, right on the water. The gym has a bit of an older feel with the older equipment, but it still has everything you need none the less. Also, the sauna is a plus.

I stopped going to this gym 1.5 years ago but they recently charged me $ 87? The manager told me I never cancelled my account (even though I did and I moved to MO) please explain where the $ 87 charge came from? The manager tried to tell me legally I owe them $ 100 per state of CA law? This facility is the dirtiest and offers the oldest equipment ever! This is a sad attempt to make money by going after cancelled memberships — looking for the OWNER to reach out.

I am updating my review because this place has gone even more downhill since I last left a review in August. I am a long time shock fitness member, over a year now, and I am fed up with their piss poor facilities. When I came to work out today their one and only water fountain was no longer working. There was no one working on it, just a sign that said «out of order». You would think getting the water fountain working in a gym would be a top priority. I asked the guy at the front desk when it would be working again and he said he didn’t know. Great answer! Like I mentioned in my previous review I have seen the owner of Shock Fitness drive up in a $ 80 000 Mercedes, but he can’t hire a handyman to fix a water fountain?! How does that make any sense. This is why several of my friends have left shock for other gyms in the area. I will also be leaving after this latest fiasco with the water. I will recommend all my friends leave as well. Great way to run a business guys!

I need to update my review since the last. Don’t get a membership to Shock. More than 30% of the machines are broken at any given time (for over a year now), and now their only water fountain has been broken for 2 weeks and if you want a water bottle, they’ll charge you for it. This place is progressively falling apart and I haven’t seen a renovation for the 6 years that I’ve had a membership. Try 24hr or p360 in pacific beach, they’re much cleaner.

I have tried to cancel my membership with them FOUR times, and I am still being charged monthly. They don’t even respond to my emails. When you call or go there in person they will tell you your membership is canceled, but this is a complete lie. Since they are now unresponsive to me, I will now have to dispute my charges through my bank and report them to the BBB. This is unfortunate, but there appears to be no other option available for me.

Cheap. Gets the job done! I like this place bc it doesn’t have too many d-​bags like most gyms. The equipment is bare bones but like I said, if you know how to lift, it’s gets the job done.

HORRIBLE, is it a pre-​requisite to be a complete jerk to work there? Was hoping to join because of it’s convenient location… NO WAY. The gym equipment is normal, however the staff including the manager have no interest in helping anyone. Thanks for nothing shock fitness (lives up to exactly what you would expect for the neighborhood PBDB’s)

What is going on here lately? I feel like every time I come here to workout another machine is broken. I mean how long does it really take to get parts for a treadmill or stationary bike? One treadmill has been broken for like 3 months now. I know they only charge $ 20 for a monthly membership but I would rather pay double that to get some freaking equipment that works!

7÷7÷2015 WORST EXPERIENCE
Just signed up 2 ½ months ago. Thank goodness there was no enrollment fee. I decided to give it a try because there «website» specifically said they had a sauna. I asked the «Rude and NOT welcoming manager where the sauna was. He said «we don’t have one and proceeded to turn his back to me, and text on his phone, while I was trying to educate him about the false advertisement they commercialize on there «updated» website.
As well as that mess, Pre-​paid the next month for TANNING & Gym membership. so they wouldn’t take it out of my bank account, they took it out anyways which made that account go into default, and told me i had to pay more $. I went to pay cash several different times and no one would take my cash. RUDE RUDE RUDE. to top it off, half of there cardio machines didn’t work.

I first went to get a guest pass as I first moved here & the guy at the front told me I could not without proof I lived there. I had no proof, I just moved! He was not very polite & I have to say that policy is lame. Not a way to get people. I don’t think a 5 day guest pass is going to kill them if someone really doesn’t live there.
With that said I just signed up right there. Don’t except excellent service. Didn’t give me a tour, not even a print out of my contract but what do you expect with the area… but when it comes down to it, it’s 20 bucks! Can’t beat that. It’s not too crowded & most people are there to workout. I don’t feel like its a meat market like most gyms.
It’s pretty clean & the woman at the front I have encountered were very friendly!

Used this Gym while I’m traveling for work. I Was planning on using it for my next couple, 8 month long, work trips. But decided not to after they continued to charge me after I had already canceled my membership. It’s not because of that simple misunderstanding. It’s because when I called, after noticing I’d been charged 3 extra months, they fought me for my refund. They told me that they «have no records of me canceling». I had to argue with them to get any of my money back.
They ended up only refunding 2 of the 3 extra months. They refuse to refund the month of march, even though I Informed them, at the beginning of February, that February would be my last month. The employee at the front desk told me that February would be the last month im charged for, and that my membership would expire at the end of the month.
So, because of their employees mistake and after arguing for my 3 months to be refunded, they still charged me for the month of march, even though they admitted that my last visit was February 16^th. And the manager just didn’t care about customer satisfaction.
They lost my business. And I’ll be sure to inform my co-​workers, that will also be traveling for extended stays in Pacific Beach, to use other gyms.

This place is NASTY. I came here when I was 18, many, many years ago, when it first opened, I think. Well, I rejoined because I can walk here, and now, I regret that decision. It’s stinky, dirty, weights are laying on the ground because people don’t really care about the gym, so they don’t clean up after themselves, but worst of all, I get flea bites whenever I’m in the weight lifting area. Gross. I now pay a scant, $ 5 more (!), to go to LA Fitness on my way home from work. No flea bites there.

They don’t give you a warning after your contract expires that they will continue charging you even if you stop going. I see a lot of people had the same trouble so it’s not due to carelessness on the customer’s behalf. They don’t walk you through the contract at all. I understand its only $ 20 but the staff is super shady and quite rude.

I love it just love this gym I enjoy it so much with open doors windows can feel the beach there so close and tanning. Love it

Best gym in pb. It was way quieter when I first joined but I go at the quiet times during the week so I can’t complain. I love the staff, most of them know me by name and it’s great to walk in and be greeted personally. Although there is no air conditioning they have big roll up garage windows that cool it down really well. Cheap tanning and clean locker rooms. Also the yoga room is empty a lot and I get it to myself

Anyone who complains about the lack of air conditioning or age of the equipment doesn’t belong in a gym. Yes, the weights have some rust. Yes, it can get hot because there is no air conditioning. Yes, some of the equipment is old. But this gym has everything you need to get in a full workout and I honestly prefer the movement and «feel» of some of the older machines compared to some of the more modern machines in more expensive gyms. Best of all, this place is cheap and it is right on the beach. For the price, how can you complain?
I did have some billing issues when I canceled my membership like some of the other members mentioned, but I think this is just due to poor communication among staff and not malicious behavior. I addressed the issue with management and it was resolved.
5 stars for the equipment, price, location, and vibe. It’s the perfect beach gym.

If this place cost $ 5 more a month it would be 3 stars — Value definitely adds a star. My workout buddy and I chose Shock because we both live nearby, it seemed less crowded, on the boardwalk and its relatively low cost. Upon first joining, I kept my 24 hour fitness membership — thinking it may come back in handy, somehow. 2 months later, I have cancelled my membership with 24.
@ 24, there was nothing I hated more than showing up ready to work, but half of SDSU’s greek system was taking up the free weights and squat racks, basically any equipment that is useful. I felt like I couldn’t get a decent workout unless I went after 8:30pm. At Shock the free weight area almost always has plenty of room, there is almost always an open squat rack, worst case scenario there will absolutely be an open Smith machine.
I now work out early mornings when crowding wont be an issue anywhere, but I’ve come in to Shock during «Prime Time» — weeknights between 6 – 8. Although considerably more crowded than early mornings, I was still not held back from using the equipment I came to work out on. It’s nothing like the utter madness you can experience just trying to get it elsewhere.
Yeah, some of the vinyl is cracked on the equipment pads, some benches may even be a little bit flimsy, and yeah, as mentioned in other reviews you can look up and see dust on a bit of the overhead lighting. It adds to the «Guts over Glory» attitude that this gym gives me. Shock’s Men’s Locker Room /​Bathroom is cleaner than 24’s in both PB and Point Loma.
The Vibe is definitely your general So-​Cal Beach vibe more than specifically a «PB» vibe. I would say the ratio is 70% Male, 30% Female — slightly more masculine than your average 24 or LA Fitness. Sand gets tracked in under people’s shoes and into the gym, adding to that beach vibe. You will also spot dudes working out in sandals. I think that’s awesome. Just not my style.
There was also that one Friday morning nobody showed up to open the gym. That sucked and my fellow fitizens were pissed. But with the beach right there to run on, my personal inconvenience was minimized.
Being here 5 days a week I have picked up on a little community vibe, too. I see that the staff generally befriending and catching up with the regulars. The gym truly feels like part of the PB community. A former mayor of San Diego works out here, too. Kinda cool.
Regardless, I think what matters the most is finding a gym that has equipment available when you have the time, and is conveniently close to your house. The fact that this place is 1 mile away from my bed, and the equipment is available gets me in the gym every day before work, and I am seeing the results that I want!
If you lived in Clairemont, I wouldn’t see the point of fighting traffic to the beach to work out here. If you live in PB/​MB south LJ, I don’t know what else you can get for the $.

I tend to see the greatest critique and generally low ratings at gyms. I can site a lot of reasons but will save that rant.
My perspective when it comes to this place is «old school». I started lifting weights in 1977 because I was too skinny and I haven’t stopped since.
This place is not poofy. It’s for a certain type of weightlifter. Per the reviews it’s not for everybody.
Joe Weider, one of the founding fathers of fitness, used to lift wheel axels before barbells and gyms were commonplace. This place definitely doesn’t have the latest and greatest stuff but it doesn’t need it. The equipment I used to pack on muscle when I was a kid still offers the same resistance to gravity today. I see no corrosion or unsafe pieces of equipment here.
Shock Fitness is not full of lubricated precisely engineered directional resistance machines or target rate heart rate monitoring cardio systems with cute little hand towels flopped over them. It’s dumbbells, barbells, Hammer Fitness machines and a run on the beach. My kind of place and my kind of workout!
I actually get a kick out of some of what I see there. Friggin Trotter machines! Haven’t seen those forever. Maybe I’m a bit nostalgic but I have a place in my heart for this kind of gym and the price works well. More importantly, these machines are not in disrepair — they’re just old.
For me it gets the job done and the two hour parking validation gives me a couple of extra minutes to go watch the waves at the end of the workout. As they say, «one man’s trash is another man’s treasure».