Crossfit Alinea

Started Crossfit about 2 years ago and was super skeptical and didn’t want to like it. From the first engagement with Tom, Jenn, and Marv; I realized that not all Crossfitters are douchebags. Aside from phenomenal coaching, experience, and motivation — the entire staff (Tom, Jenn, Marv, Pat, Dane, Nik, Phil, Jordan, and Daniel) all create and promote an incredible culture. They’ve successfully built and sustained a thriving community that has been a huge value-​add to my fitness and life.
Sure, they’ve helped me crush some serious PR’s and get stronger, faster, and leaner — but I really think that’s secondary to what else I get from being a member at Alinea. I came into the doors as a customer — and now I feel like I’m a member of the family.
Everyone thinks their box is the best (snicker); but Alinea is the measuring stick that I compare all other boxes to. Objectively; they exceed in their understanding of functional movements, scaling for intensity and ability. They don’t just show you a movement; they have a unique way of breaking down movements into their sub-​components that allow you to perfect and scale. I’ve not received this level of coaching anywhere else and I’m really grateful for the Alinea team.

I came to this gym as a drop-​in and got a really great workout. I attended the 6:30 AM class on Friday. The drop-​in rate is $ 25 and you get a shirt too. Yay!
This gym is small, but don’t be turned off by the size. Everyone was really organized and made enough room so that everyone can work out. I will definitely come back when in SF!

Been crossfittin for over a year now and needed a box to stop by while visiting San Francisco. This place was awesome! Great equipment and legit coaches.

This is the nicest and cleanest crossfit gym I have ever stepped foot into. It is also the largest. The coaches here really know what they are doing. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

First, the dirty secret of Crossfit: it is addictively fun.
Recently I left a parking pass sitting on the check-​in counter at Oakland Airport. I realized I had forgotten it when I arrived at my car in the lot. I sprinted back to the terminal, then back to the car with the pass. I stopped breathing hard in about five seconds! After running full-​tilt in street clothes for at least a quarter mile. I started laughing — marveling at how fit I’ve become.
Another story: We bought a 62 pound queen-​sized MYRBACKA mattress at IKEA. It came rolled up like a huge burrito. I threw it over my shoulder and hauled it up six flights to our apartment like it was nothing.
Neither of those things would have been possible a year ago before I stepped into Crossfit Alinea. That’s what Crossfit does. It opens up the world: everyday life becomes less of a burden, and adventures that seemed out of reach, are now not just doable, but easy. I fear less and try more.
The good people at Crossfit Alinea have changed my life. I had done group fitness classes at my office, and I began doing Crossfit at another box in town. When Alinea opened nearby, I switched and haven’t looked back. While I am at least ten years older than the next-​oldest person in almost every class, I never feel like an outsider or that I don’t belong.
I was in worse shape than I thought I was when I started, and I needed to modify every WOD to get the work done. But I never felt embarrassed, or that Jenn, Marv, or Tom were impatient with me or judging me. Just the opposite, they are encouraging and almost too enthusiastic. This goes for other members too. They’re all great people on the same journey together.
When done properly, Crossfit is very safe. But, the kinds of things we do can cause injury if you don’t have a qualified coach programming workouts effectively and helping you learn. At Alinea, they know their movements, and their biomechanics. If you do what they tell you to do, you’re going to get fit fast without getting injured. Just listen up and do what Marv, Jenn, Tom, Dane, Pat or Russ say and you’ll be exhausted, but not broken.
It also helps to understand that you’re on a journey that will last a lifetime, vs. «getting in shape for summer.» It will take me a long time to learn many of the skills that make up Crossfit, even though I see progress every day. That’s part of what makes it fun: there’s always something new to work on. I feel lucky to have found the coaches and members of Crossfit Alinea to make that journey with me. My body thanks me every day too.

I joined this gym about six months ago and have been meaning to write a glowing review ever since. My five star rating is just going to be a drop in the bucket of all of their other five star ratings, but here goes:
I finally decided to check out CrossFit after a friend visiting from Guadalajara raved about her local box. Lucky me, a relatively new affiliate had opened up near my house and another friend and I checked out their free Saturday intro class. I was impressed by the pace of the class, the functional approach to fitness and the welcoming attitudes of the coaches.
As a former swimmer and runner, I stumbled through all of the Olympic weightlifting moves during my Foundations class but was kept on track by the expert guidance of Jenn and continue to benefit from the rigorous attention of all of the coaches. I am busier outside of the gym right now than I have ever been and one of the things that keeps me sane is being able to zip over to the gym for an hour a day and get a great workout and a bit of socialization without any extraneous thought. Added bonus: I am in better shape than I have been in for about eight years!
Thanks Marv, Jenn, and Tom for the incredible community you have built.

CrossFit Alinea is seriously the best gym I’ve ever been to. Instead of forcing myself to go work out like I used to, I now look forward to finding out what the WODs are and going to class.
Before joining, I used to think Crossfit was only for super fit or professional athletes. I started from ground zero — not knowing how to do any Olympic lifts or movements, and barely even able to lift the 45 lb barbell (I know, I was weak!). Fast forward 8 months later, and I’ve already seen big gains in my overall fitness — not just in how heavy I can lift, but also flexibility, agility, endurance and speed, all thanks to the awesome coaches at Alinea.
Like everyone else has already said, the coaches are all great and the programming is fantastic. The equipment is all top notch. Classes are usually about 10 – 20 people, but the coaches do a great job of making sure everyone is following proper form and technique.
The community is awesome — everyone is super friendly, welcoming and supportive. I’ve met a lot of great people here, and it’s always more fun working out with friends. I’m always trying to convince my friends to try it out, too. I’d definitely recommend checking out their free intro class on Saturdays.

Bottom-​line: Crossfit Alinea is an excellent gym (please don’t make me say box), run by passionate coaches, supported by a solid community of members.
Although I had been doing Crossfit-​style workouts with friends for a few years, I was hesitant to join an «official» Crossfit affiliate. There are three reasons I was turned off to the concept, which I’ll address in turn:
1. Cost — There’s no way around the cost for a well-​appointed, professionally-​run gym in SF. This is not amateur hour. A better question than «What does this cost?» is «What is the value I get out of this?» It’s certainly worth it for me. I would never have pushed myself this hard or achieved the last two months of results on my own, period.
2. Coaching — I was impressed within 5 minutes of meeting Tom, Marv, and Jenn. First off, they are all impressive athletes, who care about improving themselves. Second, they deeply care about all of their athletes’ progress. This translates into all sorts of small but impactful actions, like obsession with proper form (and many more that I’m not going to list out). Suffice it to say, it’s hard to quickly improve without an expert set of eyes providing useful feedback. Third, they are all standout human beings who are fun to be around.
3. Attitude — Alinea takes a very integrated approach to fitness, including mobility, strength, and diet. If something new comes along, it gets incorporated. There doesn’t seem to be an established dogma other than results. Lastly, there’s no yelling or punishments. It’s just… chill.
To finish this review out, I have to call out my biggest (and most pleasant) surprise, which is the member community. It makes a big difference. The gym had always been a solitary activity for me. No longer.

TLDR: Show up. Do it. You will not regret this community, this work out, or this experience.
Long version: Crossfit Alinea is a life place. I came to the gym, looking for something new, and I stayed because Alinea changed my entire perspective on my health, my community, my body, and my workouts.
I’m a young queer femme, no weight lifting experience, limited athletic experience, just kinda your average — I run sometimes, and do yoga — kinda lady. I expected bro dudes, and douche bags, and to be put completely out of my league.
1. There are totally bro dudes, but I love them and they cheer me on when I want to kill everyone on my 150^th wall ball.
2. I was put completely out of my league — but in a sustainable fashion. Alinea forces you to face your fears and your limitations, and then meet and exceed them. You can scale any workout, and even though it can be tough to be the last one to finish a workout, there’s nothing like watching your numbers change and/​or being cheered on by your fellow folks in the box.
3. Coaches — Marvin, Jenn, and Tom are the best trifecta you can ask for. They all care about doing your best, and pushing yourself, and the community they create. They want you to be a superb athlete, but if youre not necessarily going to compete in the opens they still coach you and push you to be an even better version of yourself.
The most incredible part of Alinea is its literally a place for anyone. Even though SF champions diversity, we are a pretty segregated space. Alinea has made a space for anyone — superb athlete, couch potatoe, bro dude, high femme, techie, public service agent — who ever you are if you are kind, want to have the best fucking work out of your life, and meet incredible new folks: you’ve finally found your home. R

i used to work out in an actual cardboard box, and LET ME TELL YOU, crossfit alinea’s box is a massive upgrade. now you may think that’s not saying much, but compared to other boxes i’ve looked into in san francisco, this one had by far the best of all components to consider when choosing a place to get fit and be safe.
once i started there, a plethora of benefactors were exposed. not only did the coaches become fast friends, but the members were encouraging and helpful right from the beginning.
all three owners offer something special that, when blended together, creates a thriving environment. and don’t even get me started on their chiseled physiques and dashing good looks. sometimes during warmups i get distracted by their carved shoulders and otherwordly smiles. i’m legitimately losing my train of thought as i write about them; soooo dreamy.
on a more relevant note, the programming is fantastic, the foundations program does a wonderful job getting new members up to speed, and the maintenance of happy faces and healthy bodies is evidence enough of a good box.
each class is spiced with people that laugh HARD, work out HARDER, and love to hang out HARDEST afterward. it doesn’t matter who is coaching whom – you can count on focused efforts on from both ends. the positive energy is contagious and thanks to being a regular at alinea, my mood is markedly improved throughout the day.
in case what you’d read up to this point wasn’t clear, let me reiterate that this facility is excellent on every level. i want to make a joke here but i think i’d be trying too hard. just go meet the coaches and you’ll wish you’d started the first day their box opened.

I started by blaming the drier. «Shrunk my t-​shirts, again!» Then my pants started riding up biking to work. «This is annoying, they were fine a few weeks ago.» After a couple of months doing Crossfit for the first time ever with Jenn, Tom and crew at Alinea, like no other time working out at a gym, the results just appeared. I was getting stronger, tighter, bigger, and I hadn’t even noticed.
That’s what I love about Crossfit, there are no mirrors, no weighing scales, no posers. This is about building your body from the inside out to make you fitter, faster, stronger. Its like something is growing inside you, starting at your core and spreading out to turn you into a machine.
I consider myself fairly active, I did a marathon last year, a bunch of triathlons, regular gym weight-​training on and off for over 10 years, but Crossfit is like nothing else. I really feel its designed to help you make the best of the body you have. And not try and force fit you into some doctored photo that just isn’t your physical makeup.
The team at Alinea are awesome. I basically workout with a trainer every time and they know my weak areas, and where I need to push. They are my mirror so I can focus on what is happening inside.
Jenn, Tom and Marvin have created a unique, relaxed, friendly, supportive, nonjudgmental, and fun space to help you achieve what you want physically, whatever that may be. If you have been thinking of giving Crossfit a go, just try out a trial class. I hadn’t worked out regularly for over 8 months on my first day, you can build at your own speed.

I cannot say enough fantastic things about Crossfit Alinea, but I will try to keep this short and sweet.
I tried CrossFit about 5 years ago and lasted about a month. I have now been going to Crossfit Alinea for about 10 months and I can’t get enough. I can’t put my finger on exactly why Crossfit Alinea is different, but it totally is. I keep coming back day after day, even though the workouts are sometimes crazy hard and I now spend 80%of my week being sore from head to toe. I think this says a lot about both the coaches and the community at Alinea.
I think the other reviews cover most of the important stuff, ie knowledgeable coaches, good programming, focus on technique and a GREAT community. And I 100% agree!!! If I could give Alinea an even higher rating, I would because it is that AWESOME!!!

Let’s see — most of the reviews say they’re awesome/​the best/​technique-​focused/​etc with a personal story. Here are the gym’s details:
Versatile — Alinea maximizes the space within the box to its fullest efficiency, and update equipment. Additionally, they hold special classes for specific needs such as mobility, stability, and others. In late 2013, they incorporated Wodify which is excellent for tracking personal stats electronically.
Fun — Monthly happy hours? How many gyms do that? Honestly (who throws a shoe)? Flag football, paintballing, meat CSAs, athletic lifting shoe sales, and hydrostatic dunk tests (I had no clue what this was prior) are commonplace at Alinea.
Coaches — A+ but all of the reviews say that. Touché.

I chose Crossfit Alinea, because it is close to my home, and I am so glad I did. I have known many people in the fitness industry, and these cats are really a special breed. Of course they are extremely knowledgable, as one would expect, but they also have created a fun and inviting environment that makes it very easy to keep coming, especially in that first 30 days after Foundations when I was so defeated.
I have never been so aware of my body, functionally, as i am now, after training with Jenn, Marvin, and Tom. They are big on doing movements correctly and focusing on each element of the movement for maximum efficiency.
Crossfit Alinea has also attracted a great group of members with all types of bodies and ability levels.
Oh, and they throw one hell of a pig roast and have a happy hour every month!

CrossFit Alinea is THE BEST. I’m not exaggerating when I say that joining this box is one of the top 5 decisions I’ve made in my entire life.
First of all, all three of the coaches are amazing. They’re great people, and they’re all very technical and really care about form. They also genuinely care about their members’ success. I remember that when I went to get my body fat tested, all three coaches came inside to watch, and we all started screaming at the top of our lungs and high fiving when I crushed my goal.
The community of members is a reflection of the coaches. Everyone is extremely friendly and fun to work out with. I’ve made at least 50 new friends since I joined. I haven’t been able to meet so many cool people since college – not by a long shot.
The programming is excellent. They really vary their WODs well, and class is never ever boring. All of us have seen sick gains across all areas of fitness. For example, I’m deadlifting more than 2.5x my body weight after less than a year of CrossFit, and I know how to do it safely. My metabolic conditioning is by far the best it’s ever been; now when I go to play basketball with friends, I feel like I can run for hours while everyone else is sucking air.
The space and equipment are top notch. The box is always clean, and they even take suggestions from members on new equipment to buy. They are not afraid to spend money on the best stuff.
Ultimately, I could not give a higher recommendation to CrossFit Alinea. A+ times a thousand.

Running a busy sports med/​rehab clinic for my day job, I usually cringe when people bring up CrossFit. Not due to the concept itself, if done correctly it is one of the best ways to maximal functional fitness. More so for the fact that the vast majority of gyms end up inadvertently sending patients to my doors with their lack of knowledge, poor coaching and awful programming.
Being new to the area, I tried out four different intro classes and met the coaches at surrounding CrossFit gyms. The sloppy coaching and poor movements executed by the athletes (and coaches) found at these gyms are the reasons CrossFit catches the flak it does on the online circuit. Then I went to CrossFit Alinea and had an intro workout with the staff.
The coaches, Jen, Marv and Tom, all understand and implement a high standard that helps athletes reach and blast through fitness goals all while keeping them injury free and moving like human beings should. I’m not without my own movement faults and they are strict and keep me honest and out of injury when I’m running on fumes and ready to fail.
Marv’s programming follows a linear progression and actually gets you places, quickly. Gone are the ridiculously over-​the-​top WODs and in are the foundational strength and skill based workouts with appropriate mobility to match.
The class sizes are always enough to form a solid community to encourage one another, but not overflowing where you feel like you’re stuffed in like sardines. It doesn’t hurt that they have all top of the line Rogue equipment either.
If this review hasn’t been clear enough already, I will summarize with this:
If you are trying to reach a number of any fitness goals, be part of a fun and welcoming community, want to stay injury free and want to have fun doing it — look no further, CrossFit Alinea is the place to be.

Before joining Crossfit Alinea, I had done crossfit for 0 years at 0 different boxes, so believe me when I say ‘what am I getting myself into?’ was a continuous thought.
Jennifer, Tom, and Marvin are the epitome of what good coaches should be: approachable, knowledgable, and supportive. They place a huge emphasis on proper technique, form, and making sure you’re doing your best, given your abilities.
It can be quite intimidating, at first — especially given the physique and abilities of some of the more experienced crossfit patrons — but everyone is friendly and there is a strong culture of community at this gym. I’ve learned the majority of competition is within yourself and what you were able to accomplish last workout/​week/​month/​_​_​_​_​_​.
I’ve been going for 3.5 months now and the changes in my work load and appearance have been quite dramatic. Thank you, Crossfit Alinea (coaches and community)

Having done Crossfit for 2 years and visiting over 8 boxes, I can safely say Crossfit Alinea is my favorite.
Here’s what I like:
— Awesome location/​space: It’s right in the heart of Mission in a gigantic I shaped box. Having worked out in tiny boxes before, I can’t stress enough how awesome it is to be doing snatches with 10 other people and still have plenty of room to throw down my bar without killing the guy/​girl next to me. It’s also cool (temperature wise) with tons of natural light, which is a big plus.
— Brand new equipment: Everything from truck tires to prowlers — they’ve got it. And it’s all brand new. The last 3 boxes I went to didn’t have half the equipment they have (and they’ll be adding more soon, like turf, sleds, and sledgehammers!).
— Great coaches: Marvin/​Jen/​Tom are all super nice and really attentive. They also stress the nuances of each technique, which is really nice. Every day I pick up on some tiny new technique that result in big gains.
— The people: All of the other cross fitters are really friendly and encouraging. I’ve been to boxes where all the crossfitters are super hardcore and pretentious, which is nice because you push yourself to the max, but not so nice because you’d never want to grab a beer with anyone afterward. I’ve also been to boxes where there aren’t many real athletes, which makes it kind of boring if you’re the competitive type and like to beat people at WODs. Alinea has a nice mix of beginners and vets, so the vibe is laid back but still challenging.
Hope to see you all at Alinea!

Visiting my family in San Francisco for three weeks, I didn’t want to lose out on so much training. Unilocal helped me locate Alinea Crossfit… and I’m beyond impressed from this brand new treasure the City is offering to crossfitters.
My trainer has been Jenn, who’s über professional, experienced, and friendly. She’s completely committed to pushing your limits, perfecting the techniques, and having as much fun as possible. Jenn just has amazing energy, and I’ve learned immensely from my training with her.
The facility is an awesome and inviting urban chic space, packed with brand new equipment — from Rogue jump ropes to slick row machines. They intend on keeping the classes small and personalized even as they’re growing quickly. And, they have the cheapest drop in rate from all the other boxes.
Good luck to Crossfit Alinea, and see you on my next visit back to San Francisco!

I’m so glad that there is finally a crossfit in my neighborhood. I’m super out of shape after having my first child and haven’t worked out in about 2 years. As a result, I was hesitant about doing crossfit again as it can be intense, but Jenn, the coach at Crossfit Alinea is amazing. She is so good about breaking things down and scaling things to my needs so that I’m definitely being challenged, but am not hurting myself. I’ve been to 4 different crossfits in my time and had the opportunity to be coached by a lot of different people and she is by far the best!
Everyone else I’ve met here is incredibly warm, encouraging, and welcoming. I love the combination of being pushed to my potential, but also feeling encouraged by others.
I’m excited to see this crossfit grow and imagine they are going to be packed in no time. For now, I’m enjoying all of the individualized attention :)
If you want to check them out, I recommend the free intro class Sat mornings. I’ve been telling everyone I know about this place!