Excel Defense Studios

I signed up for this gym 2 years ago for the crossfit classes they have. I was interested in getting fit without the stress of having to make up my workouts and figure out how to do them. Joe was my instructor, and he was the only good thing about this place, other than a few of the regulars. Luis is pretty cool too.
I got in a car accident and it jacked my neck up really bad. I ended up having to go to a chiropractor and I was out for over 6 months.
I let the gym know, and they said they needed a 30 day cancellation notice… so as irritating as that is, I brought them a doctors note and my membership was cancelled, OR SO I THOUGHT—
6 months later the membership dues starting coming out of my bank account. I came in and asked and they said they put my membership on a 6 month «freeze». I didn’t get a courtesy call, I didn’t get an email… just money missing from my account. They said they couldn’t reimburse me so I figured I’d go for the month and make sure my account was cancelled. The first day back, I re-​injured myself. Great… back to the doctors. I checked my account for 2 – 3 more months and they were still charging me… WTF!!! I made sure to have a doctors note, AGAIN! and I talked to the manager. They said they would reimburse me 2 months as long as I email proof of a doctors note saying I was under their care for the time I was being charged. I made sure to do it that day.
After 4 more long months of no replies after every email I sent them to check on the status of my refund, the owner finally emails me saying there’s nothing he can do.
Ummmm yes there is… you can run a good clean business and not be a total douchebag!
I guess I’m the one who’s naïve for taking a man for his word. I will never go back and if you were smart you would just keep looking… you’ll save a little upfront but will pay more in the end.
TL;DR: Douchey company with a few cool employees… all about money and they know they do ppl wrong but don’t care. DOUCHERS!!!

My Boyfriend trains at this gym and has convinced me to come in and check out the gym while he trains.
I have to admit that it is much easier to walk into a normal gym with machines that I am used to. I am no fighter and my hand eye coordination is completely lacking! I once tried boxing and never returned because for myself it was intimidating to see people who were way past me in skill and technique! I was embarrased and never returned.
So when I finally went with him I was expecting the same feeling. The gym is small but not lacking. I met Lou and he immediately made me feel welcomed and comfortable. I watched my boyfriend train the first time and after meeting some of the other people who trained their I was completely at ease with my lack of ability. I was told by some people training that you have to start somewhere and they too were clueless when they started. A simple statement but it made me feel better.
I have started with the Crossfit Classes and the Teachers are amazing and extremely helpful. The teachers and other students always help me wheather it’s motivation I need, or a tweek in my stance. I am still not coordinated but I never feel intimidated by the people in the gym. Give this place a try and enjoy and amazing workout. Be prepared to feel muscles you never even knew existed!

I am now on second year at Excel and I still enjoy the gym very much. My 6 year old son also has started jiu jitsu and judo classes and is enjoying it very much. They have an excellent kids program ran by Bruce and his wife Chariss. They are both high level competitors and purple belts in jiu jitsu.

This is going to be yet another lengthy, anecdotal review. For those of you reading the entire thing: get a snack. May I suggest an organic carrot or two?
In sum — this small, cozy gym in a soulless strip mall on the border of Vegas/​Northtown has plenty of potential, and even great instructors (C. Lyman, T. Synder and Y. Jemni come to mind) and equally great training partners, but the emphasis of money over EVERYTHING else has driven plenty of good people away (and for good reason). This gym handles its membership very unscrupulously.
Every gym is a business. Quite understandable that bills have to be paid and all that jazz. But when the cost of the aforementioned includes defrauding its members, well …
I was a due-​paying member for years. I even helped out heatpress-​transferring tshirts that were going to be used as fighter fundraisers with the promise that the work that I did would mean lower monthly fees (they were not lowered [no surprise]). Then I was injured. Seriously. It was at a tournament and everyone knew about it; I came into the gym the next night in crutches. I was in crutches for a good amount of time. At that point, I was paying for approximately four-​to-​six months of dues in advance, in cash, and out of contract, because for some reason they never bothered making me sign a third contract after the earlier two I filled out for the first two years, respectively. Anyway, I was at the gym the next day unable to walk; it should be self-​explanatory that I would be unable to train. Should I have to retrieve an attorney-​authored letter to have my membership account frozen? One would imagine not since this is a gym where everyone knows everyone, not exactly the amount of members the entire chain of Bally’s Fitness has across the world.
Fast forward about a year later. I return after having travelled all around the country, living AWAY from the valley and even state. I take a class and make a mental note to speak to James (gym owner) at a later time to inform him I am back and to see up to when my membership dues were paid through. At the same time, in an unrelated (or so I thought) series of events, my good friend broke his leg at a tournament and he and his wife asked me if I could help him with his kids classes at another gym, so that he would not lose his job.
Of course I helped him. Pro bono. He’s my friend. Actually, he had instructed at Excel previously, so he should have been considered a friend of many people there. But after helping him with one class, the next morning I was confronted (think Karate Kid; same *rollyoureyes* concept) about loyalty and playing for QUOTE: Lakers and Celtics at the same time and all this other bullshit. I thought: «you serious, man». I said: «I am not being paid. I am helping him because he is my friend and he could lose his job». I won’t say what was the retort to that because I have too much respect for my friend and would never repeat what was said and really, no retort is necessary. What I said was a statement. Pretty unequivocal. It was also unequivocal that perhaps they hoped that Rod Wilson would lose his job because a) they disliked him, for whatever twisted reasons; b) would pay his kids back for always having beaten the shit of their kids in local tournaments; and c) perhaps saw dollar signs in the sense that some of those kids could get poached over in the fallout of an instructor switch at the other gym.
Oh, and this is where we get to the defrauding part. Breach of contract. Tort. Whatever-​the-​fuck you want to call it. I was informed I owed 500 $ or some bullshit like that. I said: «What?». Yeah. I owed 500 $ because I had not paid my dues, while I was seriously injured and unable to train, and not even fucking living in Las Vegas, NV, USA. Cool beans.
They obvoiusly kept my 3 – 5 months dues already paid that I imagined, naively, would just be surplus paid until I returned after my injury healed (it was my knee, for those still reading/​wondering) and comically on top of that were asking for 5 extra bills. I meekly said alright and told them I would have to get that amount of money.
I don’t normally carry 500 $ cash in my GI trousers, or Sprawl shorts. Would be hard to do so with neither one having any pockets. I stupidly thought that paying them off would mean a clean break and I would never have to deal with them again (and here I am authoring this extensive review to try to save others the trouble I went through).
I got the ransom money for all my medals hanging on their wall and paid the front desk clerk. Requested my membership be cancelled so that I would no longer be bothered regarding dues I did not legitimately owe. I asked for a good hammer and took all my medals down and went on my way. There were a lot of medals but I doubt they were worth 800 – 900 $ USD which in the end was what I felt like I was paying so I could have them back.
Train at this gym at your own peril; I don’t recommend it, naturally. — E