Smart Workout

I liked this place but I am not a big workout junkie. I went here from a coupon I got online, I wish I could go more! New York busy lifestyle keeps me at the office most days lol.

I have issues with the big gyms. So many people. Too much socializing. Not really focused on getting a good workout.
Consider this place a mix of what you would have at home with trainers in it.
Yes, it’s small. But, that’s a good thing. Imagine small class sizes, all the time… where the instructor is actually focusing on each student. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you might even get a class where it’s just you.
For someone like me, who loves private training sessions, this is the type of gym I would actually get a membership to and actually use.

Imagine taking a dance or fitness class in your childs bedroom with your mother in law stealing your money while screaming obscenities in the background. This is the experience you’ll get at Smart Workout, the place where people go for a more ‘personal experience’ because they are either too unfit, too lazy or afraid to go to a real gym.
This place which you cannot call a studio as it is nothing but a small duplex apartment, is located in a pretty o. k area. You walk into a building and take an elevator up. When you walk through the front door you are immediately hit with what looks like someones 1 bedroom apartment filled with exersize equipment. In the living room are a few machines. They do not use free weights here. Instead the machines use resistance bands. In the living room also is a space so small that you could roll over 3x and hit each wall. This is where you’ll be doing your classes. Bring shin guard, shoulder pads and other body protective gear because you’ll be hitting the person next to you throughout. Next to that is the pilates area with 2 machines. If you happen to take a class on any one of them smell the foot straps and you’ll wish you didn’t. Can we say ‘fungus?“
Downstairs in where your bedroom would be with a tiny open kitchenette included.
The owner makes up for what the studio does not. She is brash, loud, has a mouth like a sewer and according to the staff she has working there is not one to be taken likely. The girl informed me of the frequent turnover of staff who quit. I did as she said and kept an eye on Craigslist to see the frequent new posts asking for new staff and believe her.
I went there on a day pass and decided, intelligently, that this place is where fitness enthusiast go to die. I will not be joining.

Had forgotten about how awful this place is until I saw them on living social today. The gym is small, poorly equipped, and doesn’t offer much variety at all. In addition, the classes just are not good. The instructors are poorly trained and not to be mean, but the staff should at least be FIT! The worst is the owner, who seems to enjoy wielding «power» over people who just want a workout… aka the customers. She’s rude, abrupt, aggressive, unwilling to try to solve conflicts, and just basically awful. Add to that — overweight. I would give zero stars if I could.

Okay, so first let me say, this is not a negative review about the people there. They are really nice and make you feel welcome and if you are intimidated by a large gym or a lot of equipment this is the place for you.
I however really like bigger places with more classes, so I can workout while i wait for class to start or after class. This place had 3 treadmills from like 1970 and then it was in a small loft area where even I did a slow jog it would make insane noise and the pilates class was good but not the best I have experienced and there were like 4 other classes going on with people walking over us etc.
It may be the place for you and they do offer a trial class so at the least try it out and see for yourself :)

I actually am too poor to afford a gym membership in New York since I’m used to LA Fitness’ $ 20/​month standards. So I was only able to try out a few classes. This is definitely a very different type of gym! It’s perfect for me because I’d rather take fun classes than run for 2 hours. They offer over 30 types of classes: broadway dancing, ballet stretch, yoga, massage, etc. So you’ll never be bored!
The classes ARE very small, I’ve never even had a full 4 people in a class once! BUT the reason for that is also because there is NO space. The «room» that you are doing your dance workout room is the same room as the check-​in/​receptionist area. Not that it really matters in the morning because it’s so early and not nearly as crowded— but just FYI that when you are doing your morning yoga, people are stepping around you to get to the lockers, to the table, etc. It’s a bit odd, but I guess it works out in the end.
Some notes:
–most classes are only 45 minutes
–they provide lockers, towels, & cups of water, yay!
–feels like they cater mainly towards women who want to take fun, hip classes as a workout. Totally my «thing»!
–you can sign up for as many classes as you want!
If you’re looking for a huge Crunch-​type of gym space, this is not your thing. All the girls who led my classes had freaking awesome bodies– it did make me want to work out more!

Please do not do the Pilate’s Reformer Training Program
First off, I must tell you I am a classically trained Pilate’s Instructor. I love to workout and love helping others feel good about themselves. I feel the previous review of Smart Workout was made by a person connected to the gym. I am sure Smart Workout does have some great instructors but what really upsets me is when I saw an ad placed by Smart Workout saying they were a member of the PMA. PMA stands for Pilates Method Alliance. In order to be part of the PMA the director of the gym or studio must take a written test and also pass various training requirements. Smart Workout has advertised on Craig’s List for a Pilates Reformer Training Program there is no way you can complete a Reformer training program with 65 hours of observation and 46 teaching hours and be approved from the PMA. In addition to lying about being a member of an organization they are not part of. The gym does not even have real reformers with springs. Well they do have reformers but the kinds you would see on the home shopping network. You are better off training at a Pilate’s Studio. Please future Pilates instructors do not go there. I have worked hard for my training. Clocking in over four hundred hours and all the work has made me an even better instructor. There’s nothing wrong with taking a reformer class at Smart Workout but to get trained there is a different story. If you care anything about the real Pilates method you will not go there.

Most of us loathe working out. However, if you want to stay in shape, be healthy, have a better complexion, better concentration, sleep better… well you get the idea, don’t you? Staying in shape has many healthy benefits.
If you were like me as a young child, shivering, barely awake in your morning gym class, too bleary-​eyed to figure out what you’re doing or why you MUST climb that damn rope to the ceiling, you’ll appreciate Smart Work Out. And if you were like me, as you got older you actually appreciated getting sweaty and competitive…
Then the real world strikes and it’s hard to manage getting in shape/​staying in shape with all the other things that you’re juggling at the same time. Hey! Sometimes it gets so crazy, you have to pencil in shaving your legs, but I digress.
Smart Workout is a gym that isn’t intimidating in any way shape or form. It’s small, two floors in an office building. There are classes from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm — yoga, pilates on the mat, pilates on the machine, boxing, ballet burn, tred to shed… a lot. Classes are small– most classes have one instructor and four (4) students. You not only get individualized instruction, but if you have sports injuries (like moi), the instructor will actually take the time to show you an alternate way to move.
Instead of being intimidated by gleaming chunks of metal (equipment) that look like they’re going to eat you for lunch; you walk into an airy large white walled studio with blonde wood floors.
Pay a monthly fee and you can take as many classes as you like. Or use the resistance machines, the treadmill, whatever.
Smart Workout is a civilized way to stay healthy.
Oh yes, the pilates reformer classes will kick your ass!