Synergy Health & Fitness

I’ve been to a lot of gyms… Had a lot of trainers… but this is by far my favorite. The trainers are all equally awesome! I am one of those people who needs a trainer — but refuse to pay ridiculous amounts for one. Synergy is the perfect balance — you get a trainer every time— without paying for it. Yes — it’s a little but pricier than Gold’s Gym and other big box spots — but it’s worth it. Here’s how it works: you sign up for classes with personal trainers. The classes are usually no more than 5 people, therefore you can get the personal attention of a trainer.
The classes are always different and the trainers really push you. There have been multiple times I have been the only person in a class… And other times I come when the class has already ended — the trainer might have an extra 20 min to take me through the sets. It’s a mix of cardio and weights — and most classes are half an hour long. I call it Crossfit without the crazy!

This is a small and not your typical gym– but if you are interested in mostly personal training, then it’s definitely top notch. There were some instructors that were better than others and I felt that they actually reviewed my file and tailor-​made a workout for me. Some of the other instructors during the group personal training I felt it was much more cookie-​cutter. The ladies changing/​shower/​bathrooms are beautiful and has basically everything you would need– shampoo, hairdryers, free towels, soap, shave cream and disposable razors. You can basically just show-​up, work out hard and you have everything else needed to get freshened up and go on with your day there (minus a change of clothes). Highly recommend!

My goals in visiting Synergy on a Groupon were to get a new training program and to get feedback on my form. Miles was outstanding. He tailored a program that met my needs. He was a delight to work with in the sessions, with a great balance of encouragement and challenge. He adjusted when I wasn’t feeling well the last session (unrelated to the workout.) Would have been interested in more from Synergy, but as a run-​walk marathoner, I chose something specific to that. Definitely recommend Synergy, however.

A relatively new gym that has opened up in the past few years, and I was one of their members for a couple of months.
When I first went to join a couple of years ago, they wanted upwards of 140 dollars per monthly membership. Now, there are several tiers — a monthly membership that costs roughly 80 dollars a month, and a VIP option that includes laundry service and one 30-​minute personal training session for a nominally higher price. I joined during a promotion that included three months of membership, 2 training sessions, and no fee to join.
So, the facilities are sparkling and nothing is ever crowded — they try hard to keep it that way. Everything is new — cardio machines have TV, ipod integration, and good variety. There isn’t anything you do to clean up the stations you use, because they clean it for you. The staff is really nice and friendly, and I feel like they fill a upper-​class niche that currently doesn’t exist in this area.
But why the 3 star review then? Well, this place is more of a personal training gym, not really a just go to work out gym. They hard sell you multiple times on personal training, and each session will cost you usually more than 100 dollars a session. You could go broke getting weekly, or 2x weekly sessions.
Plus, I wasn’t all that impressed with my personal training. My trainer first of all refused to give me a plan for future weeks, saying that it would be too much work for him, and then gave me an insipid session — trying to teach me things I already knew… it probably would have been better if he had asked me what I wanted beforehand. The second session I had was better, but I had reached the conclusion that there was no way I was going to sign up for more, especially at the extremely high price and unwillingness to give me information that I could use. Fine, I’ll just go use the internet I guess.
Finally, they don’t have any classes — and don’t really have any good places to either stretch or do your own cardio. Then, I always feel weird when I’m sharing maybe a 100 square foot area with another person, or maybe someone being trained. There seems to be a perception that people with personal training come first, then the commonfolk.
Anyways, it’s in a good location (for me at least), and the price isn’t horrible if you want to just go and work out and know exactly what you want. If you want classes, or even want to see more people in a gym, head elsewhere.

Synergy Health & Fitness is a brand new facility right next to Courthouse station. It is spotless clean, has all new state of the art equipment, they provide fresh towels and an awesome locker room/​shower facility. Although it is small, it is not crowded at all, and personal training is their expertise. For now, it is the best kept secret, but I am sure not for long!