Fitness First

THIS GYM IS NOW OWNED BY GOLDS old review, don’t know if it has improved any

Went to cancel my membership because the machines are always broken. Filled out the form, they said I would be charged one more time because of the 30 days notice and I was charged a second time. Called corporate (where you have to wait on hold forever) they said they have no record of me canceling and if I want to give my 30 days notice they will cancel for me. Now I will end up paying for 3 additional months.

This has been the worst experience by far! I enrolled because I found the classes offered interesting and while joining a man called Chris who manages new members was extremely polite and understanding. I told him that I was new to the country and was not keen on a contract that would be hard to get out off since I wasn’t sure where I would find a job or if I would even continue to stay here. He told me that although they have a year long contract all I had to do if I wanted to leave was pay the penalty (the cost of another extra month).
When the time actually came for me to quit they made the biggest issue! They said that I CANNOT CANCEL MY MEMBERSHIP! Why? Because according to them there was some miscommunication and that the penalty does not apply. They wanted all these documents like, if i’m moving then they wanted to see my new lease??? or my flight tickets!!? etc etc. I have been a member of a few gyms before this and never had such bizarre requests! Then I get a call from the corporate office, not only was the lady rude about my leaving but also hung up on me!!! They continue to charge me till this day…
I hope this review helps someone. Please avoid this gym, the low monthly fee is just not worth all this madness!

I’ve been a member at this gym for about 18 months now. The staff is friendly, the trainers are talkative and helpful if you have questions. The equipment is okay, no real complaints about that.
The price of $ 30 a month is pretty good, not too many gyms in the area can match that. Big upside to it is the location. It’s right next to a Whole Foods, Tropical Smoothie Café, and Subway. So you can eat pretty healthy right after a workout. Just try to avoid going to Five Guys!
My biggest complaint, is that they seem to move around the equipment at least once a month. You end up losing track of where machines, weights, racks, and benches are.
I think it’s a pretty clean gym. The locker rooms are okay. As expected, they smell like locker rooms, so don’t expect it to smell like roses in there.
I normally go around 8pm, from 5pm-​745pm it’s pretty crowded. The gym is kind of small, so you’re best to try to avoid the crowds.
If I were looking for a good, cheap, convenient gym, I’d sign up here again.

I really like Fitness First. It’s a great gym and I always feel comfortable here. It’s clean, bright, and has machines and classes — exactly what I need! Wouldn’t consider it fancy though, but for my purposes, it is perfect.
I looked at some of the other reviews and some people complain about things that happen at all gyms and sound like one-​time experiences. I’ve been a member at FF since 2005 and I’ll stay a loyal member.
The Reston location is great and I especially love the group exercise classes — always have good experiences.

Good. Clean. Bright. I like this Fitness First branch.
It’s in the same shopping center as Whole Foods, so parking can be a little hairy.

I wrote a glowing review nine months ago, but this gym has changed. They’ve added so much equipment that you keep bumping into people and the helpful friendly trainers are long gone. The in-​house trainers used to walk around providing advice and making sure the equipment was working properly — now the experienced trainers are gone and the remaining ones seem to have one goal — signing you up for private training.
The equipment isn’t as well maintained as it used to be and the gym is frequently too warm. After being a member for 7 years, I cancelled my membership.

I recently joined this gym and so far I am happy with it. The staff has been really friendly and always say hello and good bye. The equipment is a little close together but you also get a lot more choices and chance to get on a machine that way. The variety of classes is also great. In the evenings it can get pretty busy but I have never had an issue getting a parking spot. The location is so convenient that you can’t complain about a busy parking lot, it comes with the territory. My only complaint is that it smells a little more stinky than most gyms I’ve been to. They recently updated the locker room and has a sauna in there was well.

I came to this location when I moved from Tysons. When in Tysons I worked out at the Gold’s Gym there on 7. It was spacious and had plenty of equipment to keep everyone busy even during peak hours. The staff was friendly and the trainers were pretty nice and welcoming (I never hired one, but they are still polite). I then moved to Reston and checked out a few different gyms. I was taken aback when I first walked in as it is very small and very cramped but for 25 bucks/​month and location convenience I thought I’d give it a shot. BIG mistake.
First, I have been lifting pretty seriously for about 3 years now. I know what I’m doing, I know what I want to do and I am in and out fairly quickly due to my preparation. That being said, this place is an absolute nightmare. There is a serious lack of space in the free weight section which is a HUGE drawback. I don’t use machines at all so free weights are very important to me. I often find myself standing around waiting for other people to finish.
Next, the personal trainers are awful. I don’t use them and I honestly don’t think anyone should ever hire one of these guys. They lack any serious motivation or enthusiasm for their jobs. It feels like a retail atmosphere where employees are there because they need a job. It’s sad. I would use the word «punk» to describe every single one of them but that wouldn’t be accurate enough. As I said before, the trainers at my old gym were polite and always welcoming. These guys stand in your way, refuse to move to the side to let you walk past and I’d literally faint if one of them said hello to me. They also move extremely slowly while using equipment with their clients. I understand that I am a high intensity guy at the gym and not everyone moves at the same pace, that’s fine, but at least put a little pep in your step when you know other people are waiting. It’s called common courtesy. Not to mention your clients will benefit from a little rise in their heart rate. They also allow private trainers who are just as inconsiderate and crowd the place even more.
That leads me to my final complaint (that I will write about anyways) about cleanliness. I have watched off the clock trainers work out and literally leave benches soaking wet. How hard is it to clean up after yourself? While it irritates me when other members do the same thing, there is no excuse for an employee. I would use the word «punk» again to describe their attitude about this.
I could go on about other stuff but there is no point. If you are OK with cardio, classes and some machine work for a bargain than this is the place for you. However if you are a serious lifter, appreciate a courteous staff or just don’t like dealing with young punks that also happen to be employees, pay a little extra somewhere else. I will say that the female staff is always very kind and polite so they deserve their credit but I will be trying to get out of my contract in the near future. It’s just not worth the frustration.

I’ve decided the Reston location is actually worse than Reston Sp&H. Its muggy in here all summer and not enough AC. Everyone is dripping with sweat. If there were a better, conveniently located gym, I’d be outta here in a heartbeat.
But…absolutely awesome Turbokick class Monday nights @ 7:30. How the $#%$ do people have energy for an hour of this and THEN another hour of Zumba at 8:30 pm? (Insanity!)

It’s cheap but you get what you pay for.
Also the customer service at the particular location is lacking. They charge you for stuff that’s not in your contract (an extra $ 50 here and there) it really ads up. If you have a dispute they make it VERY difficult to resolve. The classes are pretty bad and its SUPER crowded all the time, not just after work. I’m quitting this gym. IT SUCKS!

Have been coming here for 6 – 7 years. I like the crowd it attracts (25−55yrs, a very even gender split, and, comfortingly, a huge range of bodies from rock star to rock bottom and everything in between). But as gyms go it desperately needs new management.
— No towel service. There used to be one but they canned it. Begging people to wipe down the equipment with a Lysol wipe isn’t the same.
— Locker rooms are horrible horrible horrible. Dated, cramped and tired.
— The equipment is far too crowded. They’ve tried to put far too much in.
— Some of the equipment is getting tired, eg the seat padding is fraying.
To my mind they were very successful in signing up members and so felt obliged to cram in lots of equipment so people weren’t waiting all the time. I suggest instead that they change the layout of the gym, and remove/​rotate the less-​frequently used equipment so it’s always fresh.

Nothing special. Very tiny gym with your standard manly/​weights section, area with dozens of treadmills, bikes, stairclimbers, even some upright rowing arm machines, and then one room for all their group classes and one room for cycling classes. Whenever I go, random water fountains are out of service. And both the sauna and steam room in the woman’s locker room have been out of service for a couple months. Very frustrating. The only pros are…
1-​rows of (functioning) tv’s mounted above exercise machines.
2-​random group exercise/​cycling instructors are pretty good. I took a spin class with Jeff and a turbo kick class with crazy, super high energy Vicky. Both were good, but Vicky was downright fantastic. I’ve never seen such energy from anyone during an exhausting class. I had to laugh and wonder at how she did it, she was wonderful.
But a few good instructors are not worth joining a dumpy little gym for. I even swung by the front desk to see if I could get membership info once, and they made me wait 5 minutes before someone spoke with me. Talk about bad customer service. I thought gyms usually jump at the chance to get a new member. The worst service though was Kara on the phone. She was SO rude and abrupt, and promised to call me back and never did.
Also, parking’s a pain since Plaza America is always so crowded!

Was a member at this gym for a year. Just cancelled because we moved & our contract was ending (before going month to month). Can’t complain. had everything we needed (except a pool & hot tub *sniff sniff* that would have been nice). It had all the equipment we needed, all were in good working order. The aerobics/​class room was useful when a class wasn’t going on for me to do some private stretching and whatnot. But it sucked cause I had to go around the schedule. Zumba w/​Alexa is awesome! And that’s not just because I know her personally ;) Other than that I haven’t tried any other classes. My membership ends this week. Maybe I ought to try a cycling class & other classes. I recommend if you need a gym w/​more equipment & machines than say, your apartment complex’s gym. =) And if you want one close to you. And if you want a good price!!! I loved how Whole Foods was a few doors down too (oh but the Five Guys being next door? big no no! heheh).

A lot to offer, but many areas to improve, such as providing towel service, crowded space, ongoing maintenance issues, and sneaky fees like the annual «facility» fee, varying join fees and varying monthly rates offered (they never publish a set rate),
Memberships start with a 12-​month contract. A join fee is asked for up front, which ranges from $ 0 to $ 150 but is negotiable (commission based). From friends experiences, a higher join fee is if you want access to the other locations in the chain. Sneaky! Then you start paying the monthly fee which doesn’t go up over time but is based on the promotion in effect when you sign up. Then there’s the «facility fee» which they don’t tell you about until you’re about to sign the contract: an extra $ 25 – 30 charged to your credit card every year. So the ongoing cost is more than just the monthly fee. There’s even a fee of $ 5/​month for freezing membership, which used to be free and is n’t charged at other clubs.
After the 12-​month contract expires, you become a month-​to-​month member. Your monthly fee will not change, but you still have to pay the facility fee. Once the contract term is over, you can cancel the membership with 1 month notice.
A short-​term membership option is to join on a monthly basis, which is higher, or even come in on a drop-​in basis. The drop-​in cost for non-​members is $ 15 per visit.
There are discounts of 10−15% for spouses and some corporate rates, and a loyalty program which accrues awards extremely slowly. It takes a few years to earn 1 free month of membership.
The guest policy is that Members can bring an accompanying guest in a couple of times [per year at no charge. Nice if you have people visiting from out of the area. But sometimes they push sales techniques on your guest.
This place has a friendly environment. Most of the people who go are regular folks trying to stay in shape, not intimidating bodybuilders. It seems to have a lot of women who come for the group classes. It’s also family-​friendly. There’s a nice, secure playroom with childcare staff there babysitting for a fee.
The entire place is on closed circuit TV for safety. Besides the front desk, there’s usually one or two staff members roaming around to keep an eye on things. Staff are friendly but I haven’t seen them take initiative to help people who are unknowingly using the equipment the wrong way. On the other hand, you can get a limited amount of free personal training from staff members including an exercise program and one-​time instruction on how to use the equipment. The level of expertise varies widely. You can also hire your own personal trainer by the hour. Many outside trainers work on site with their private clients.
The unlimited use of group classes is one of the best things about the club. There is a large selection of group classes. Some are so popular that you need to sign up in advance. I’ve found the class instructors to be very good overall but must apparently get paid bottom dollar because they are constantly changing. So the one you like may be gone next week.
Some shortcomings of this club are: overcrowded workout area, no towel service, no sticky mats, and closes at 8PM on some nights. The locker room is very cramped for space at peak times and needs to be cleaner and better ventilated. Most women I’ve spoken to felt it wasn’t clean enough to shower there. Hair drier is provided. Shampoo and conditioner is provided, but low quality so a lot of people bring their own.
The lack of a towel service is a serious shortcoming. It means members are less likely to be clean and more likely to leave sweat on the equipment. If you bring your own towel you’ll end up driving around with a wet towel in your car all day. I’ve forgotten to take the wet towel out of my gym bag and ended up with mildew.
On the positive side, this place is friendly, has many good group classes, pretty good hours, and is the cheapest in town.

Think twice before joining here! I have been a member almost six years, with a gap during the time I was in Iraq. It was cheap, and I was working in different locations, so I could use several of their gyms.
As others have mentioned, this place is small, and the locker rooms are even smaller, with both the sauna and steam room broken down more often than they are working. They used to put mats in the locker room, but eliminated those, so you often have to get dressed where someone else has left a puddle from the shower. Nice! No towels, no amenities in the men’s locker room. Only three shower stalls, so better go during off hours!
As to the low price, OK, but when my credit card was stolen, and so my monthly debit rejected, I couldn’t reach the finance office by phone, and when I finally did and told them I wanted to cancel, they would not let me cancel by phone, saying I had to visit the club and fill out a form. Since I no longer work near the gym, this meant waiting another week till I could get in, and so they billed me for another month, and a $ 25 fee for the rejected debit, plus a second $ 25 fee.
Can you say «rip-​off» ?– I thought tactics like these went out the door after the class action lawsuit against Bally’s and the other high-​priced, long-​term contract gyms.
Avoid! Unless you want to be tied to a long-​term contract to a poorly run, small and not very clean gym.

Ok, I am a member of this chain and I’m writing in regards to the RESTON location only. This place offers a helluva deal on it’s membership; you really can’t beat it. The bad thing about this location is that it’s tight on space and it makes extremely poor use of the space it does have. It’s two levels – the lower level is strictly a entrance with a small area to buy drinks, swipe your member card, and take either the stairs or escalator to the workout floor. The aerobics room seems to be decent in size. I have taken a few classes there and have always made sure I got there in time to set up. I am a fan of the Spin classes and take Saturday morning classes. If you like Spin and you like to be in a good mood, you need to take Michelle’s class. She is so full of energy and makes everyone feel great. I’ve never seen her not smile! However, here’s one of the bad things about Spin. The room is too crowded and I think if there were an immediate need to evacuate the room, it would be a disaster.
The cardio area (where the treadmills and other machines are) is a little better now than before, but it really is crowded. The rest of the floor could be better situated, and where the fire exit is, there is a punching bag that’s in the way. I worry about what would happen if people needed to exit very quickly!
**Update 8/​3/​07** There is one area where the members could do ab work, be it it was one of the only areas to do ab work, that is now crowded out by a machine that no longer allows ab work. How terrible is that??? Now there is no ideal place where we can do ab work without that big machine in our way.**
Luckily there are other locations I can stop at when I have the chance, and I plan on checking out the Asburn location, which is brand new and just opened. It is a great deal, but I really wish the Reston folks would consider how they use their space.