Nova Strength & Conditioning

The gym has it’s pros certainly. The facility and equipment is great, and the staff is very welcoming to you as you begin. There is also plentiful parking.
However, the cons are not as easy to see when you are first signing up, please beware:
Cost —
This is an expensive gym any way you slice it. On top of that, make sure that you are going to be with the gym for an entire year or else you will pay dearly. I even signed up as a month to month member and was charged a $ 370 cancellation fee in addition to an extra month of membership even though I had been paying a higher rate all along for the supposed privilege of quitting early or taking a month off as my job requires a lot of travel. This membership was not honored. Please do not make the same mistake.
Music —
The music is repetitive, and not to my liking. This one is sort of a personal preference, but I assume there are others out there who have trouble working out to 80s pop ballads on loop.
Issues with owners —
If I was alone on this one, I wouldn’t even bring it up. However, I know that many members have had issues with the owners. My obvious issue was over the cancellation fee.
Before that however, I was aggressively and oddly confronted of working against their community building. This to me is somewhat laughable. I worked with these owners to introduce them to my favorite yoga instructor when they mentioned that they were looking for one — they hired her to great success, I offered to run a course for members based on a skill set I have. I participated in pot lucks, and made many friends at the gym.
Additionally, more importantly than any of my personal issues is that they don’t really seem to care about their athletes or staff. Nearly all of the highest performing athletes, initially drawn by the great facility, have left the gym.
If you aren’t doing boot camp, good luck —
The boot camp classes take over the space. All other activities are treated as second class.
If you are doing boot camp, good luck —
Full disclosure — I have only watched this from the sidelines, but my perception is that the coaching is sub par and injuries are prevalent. Participants are not encouraged to push themselves.

I’ve been a member for about 1.5 years. I’m the kind of member who dips in and out based on another sport I play and the fact that I can get kinda lazy. In the time I’m not there I still get updates on how everyone’s doing, things I can do outside of the gym to reach my goals, and valuable nutrition info. When I get back, it’s like I haven’t missed a beat with everyone. Not to be sappy, but it’s kind of like Cheers where everyone knows your name and wants to see you succeed. I never feel bad about not doing the exercises at the same pace as everyone, because I know everyone’s cheering me on, and I will reach my goals through all their encouragement this place oozes. Because NOVA Crossfit is definitely more than a gym, it’s a fantastic community, that I’m happy to be apart of.

I met the amazing owners of NOVA Strength about a year ago as I was transitioning jobs and it was one of those I was at the right place at the right time! they were just starting up their boot camp classes and though I was nervous what I LOVED the most was that the boot camp was for beginners to help teach us the proper way to do basic movements! I have had back surgery so I was cautious but it was the BEST decision. I have now been to 3 boot camps and have consistently LOST inches but most importantly gained strength which was huge for me. I couldn’t run beforehand but just today I completed my very first 10K.
the gym offers crossfit as well and various competitions throughout the year! I highly recommend giving them a try, I don’t think you will be disappointed. And if you want YOGA they have a class for that as well!

I’m currently on my 5^th week of a 6 week boot-​camp (cycle #12-​Shout-​out to my fellow Dirty Dozen!) and first week of yoga (cycle #3) and I must confess, I absolutely love everything about Nova Strength and Conditioning!
The box is tucked away at the very end of an industrial park in Springfield, right off Braddock road, there is ample parking on both sides of the building, and it comes equipped with everything you would expect of a Crossfit box, plus they have all sorts of fun Strongman stuff.
In addition to Crossfit and Strongman, they also offer Olympic Lifting classes, Yoga, personal training, and complete the spectrum with additional nutrition classes.
The owners, Erin and Sarah, really make an effort to get to know each new person and push you to perform each movement to the best of your ability. I love their programming, their desire to see you succeed and their ability to foster such a warm and welcoming environment to everyone-​regardless of fitness level. I also love the emphasis on team building with blog entries, Facebook groups and weekly emails letting you know what’s coming up.
Trust me, if you are thinking to trying NOVA S&C you really should! Chances are, you will not regret it… I know I don’t.

I was a member at NOVA Crossfit for just shy of a year and can honestly say that it is one of the parts of my life in the DC area that I will miss the most.
The community is very welcoming and the coaches are great. Aside from leading the classes, they can be as involved as you like in assisting you with nutrition, additional form work, personal programming, etc. You will absolutely see fitness gains at this gym, very probably on the strength side given that this is an O-​lifting, Strongman/​Strongwoman and Crossfit gym. That said, I know for a fact that this place has improved the quality of life for a lot of people through those programs so do not shy away from a perceived lack of emphasis on cardio.
I would recommend this gym to anybody… except douchebags.

Great place that makes you feel comfortable and at home. Erin is funny and easy to like. She makes working enjoyable. The boot camp is a great thing to try out if your new to fitness. Learn proper form, meet new people, get fit while having some fun. I have nothing but great things to say. I would also give a shout out to Todd the PT I am using. He is teaching me so much about fitness and is very professional and knowledgeable.

I have been a member of Nova Strength and Conditioning for about 7 months now. This gym has completely changed the way I think and feel about working out. I am now so excited to go to the gym and see my gym buddies! It is such a great community. We work hard together and really push each other through the hard workouts. The trainers/​coaches are awesome! They really help you focus on your technique and the skills you need in order to do the workout properly. This is definitely not something you get at every crossfit gym. I recommend this gym to anyone in the area and if you’re visiting definitely come check it out!

NOVA Strength and Conditioning is not only the best crossfit gym but the best gym I have ever been a part of. Period. The staff is so supportive and they are all about the athlete and making sure they can safely complete the work out. This gym is so supportive and it feels more like a family than a gym. I would recommend this gym to anyone and everyone, they cater to all fitness levels.

Great Gym– they offer everything from Crossfit to strongman. Great space — manageable class sizes. Knowledgeable and friendly staff!!! I have visited other Boxes while on travel. Makes me miss this place even more.

Started out as a great experience until I tried to leave the gym. PLEASE BEWARE AND DO NOT SIGN UP WITH THIS GYM. My family is being robbed by them, and they are making it impossible to leave. They continue to take money out of my bank account illegally. Whatever you do, do not join this gym if you care about your family and money. They lie, scheme, and will make you feel a part of. They are all about money and that is it. Do not let them fool you. If I could do it all over again, I never would have stepped foot in this gym.
PS– Please do not listen to the reviews below. The gym makes members put these reviews online. They are all bogus. I was a member for two years, so I know what Im talking about! STAY AWAY!!!

Excellent space! Lots of options for athletes. Fun and engaging coaches. Female owned! Both ladies know their stuff!

I did a walk-​in class here and really enjoyed it. It was a smaller class (only 3 athletes) but was a well run and efficient from warmup through the WOD and then onto some strength work. The facility was clean, well laid out and all the equipment was in good shape, stored properly and easy to find.
If I lived in the area I’d almost definitely sign up to be a member. If you are curious about Crossfit, give it a try.

I’ve been a member of NOVA S&C since May of 2013. I do both CrossFit and Oly Lifting at NOVA. NOVA’s space is outstanding — a huge box with plenty of room to accommodate crossfit classes, oly lifters, and strongman classes and equipment. You never feel cramped for space or in the way, even if you’re just there to roll out or work on skills on the side.
Erin, Sarah, and Mike, and all the trainers at NOVA are top notch. They come with years of experience in the industry, so you know you are getting correct information and technique. So many gyms nowadays come with sub-​par instructors who really shouldn’t be teaching people movements. It’s the complete opposite case at NOVA. Even though I have been Crossfitting and lifting for three years, they are still attentive to my needs and offer tips on movements and ways to improve my technique/​skills.
One of the coolest things about NOVA is that you can try out multiple avenues — Crossfit, Oly Lifting, or Strongman — for the same price. This is something that is not possible at other gyms.
More recently, NOVA has developed a real community feel– not to be mistaken for your typical CrossFit cult– but a group of people of all ages and backgrounds who are interested in fitness as part of their overall lifestyle or improving fitness for their primary sport (we have marathon runners, roller derby skaters, rugby players… the list goes on). It’s pretty cool. :)

It is hard to explain or quantify what this gym has meant to me already, in the less than 6 month time period during which I’ve been attending. I have always loved sports and have known myself to be athletic, but I’ve never felt at home or particularly comfortable in any gym. I had basically given up on gyms when my rugby team (myself begrudgingly included) did some work with Sarah, Erin, and their team of coaches over the winter. The patience, attention, and coaching I experienced during those sessions convinced me that I could become a much fitter, stronger athlete and more effective rugby player, if I put in the work. I also realized that it is okay to have a little help; and the coaches and the community at NOVA S&C were just what I needed to learn more about how to work out most effectively to achieve my goals. I signed up for Crossfit and I haven’t looked back; every week I get to see one of my favorite people/​coaches bright and early, to do the work I need and am excited to do.
So, while I can’t recommend Crossfit or gyms in general to everyone, I can recommend THIS GYM and these coaches to everyone, because they built a community here where people care about and look out for each other, and that’s what keeps me coming back– not the amount of equipment or programming (though they also rate excellently in these aspects as well).
Anyway, thanks NOVA S&C, I’ll see you tomorrow AM!

First, the space the gym is in is excellent for individual training and training in large groups without feeling bunched up. It has all the equipment you could ever need to train for your goals, including squat racks, rings, tires, kettlebells and more! A lot of box gyms are limited by their space or by their equipment, but NOVA S&C has everything and enough space to fit it all.
Second, Erin and Sarah are awesome! Their coaching took my fitness to the next level plus their expert instruction helped improve my form for a variety of movements. Also, my rugby team, NOVA Women’s Rugby Club, was fortunate enough to train here for the winter. You could tell when practices and games started up again that the quality and knowledgeable fitness coaching really picked up the team’s performance.
Love this place and the coaches! Definitely recommend for anyone!