Douglas Christensen
April 24, 2018 09:45
I had to wait 60-90 days to give a fair gym review and here it is. Well, it's day 64 and I have reached my body fat percentage goal of 12% just like I had told Nate Langley I wanted to do when I came in to get involved. Lost 10.5 lbs and 5.1% Body Fat in 64 days (9 weeks). Good for me, but what about you?
No matter what your shape going in I assure you the rectangle doors in the entryway are large enough to accommodate. There are two of them so you get a rep of low rows on each arm before to even get checked in for a killer workout. There are at least four different workout options when you get in: Weight Loss Solutions (WLS), Strength Solutions (SS), Fitness Solutions (FS), DIY (Full Access Room). For the purpose of the review I'll only talk about WLS and the coaching part which is the basis of the AFS concept.
The coaching like I said is the base and what makes AFS different. What is it and what do you get? A road map and a backseat driver. Jk. You get a personal trainer at you disposal for less than half the cost of what I would say is average cost, which doesn't include "trainers" at the purple and yellow gym because, well, their not as qualified.
"The road map" - You meet with the trainer (My Trainer is Jared Freedman) initially for a consultation and then regularly at intervals as needed. For me personally I took the upgrade option initially and did something where I was recorded on the iPad instead of the included initial screening. The point is you get evaluated to find your starting point. Are you starting in Rochester Hills or Houston, TX? Once your done with that it took maybe a couple days and I got my physical training plan for 16 weeks. Everyone is different so that's what happens in general. Your training plan may be of a different duration.
"The Backseat Driver" - So your off and running or jogging or walking or crawling, whatever you fitness level is and the first day your phone pops a notification reminding you you have got a passenger. There is an app for this. It's a very basic app with a message feature to reach out to your coach (trainer) but the one feature I want to highlight is the "tattletale" function. Everyday you get asked if you acheived your daily goal. Ie, did you drink enough water or did you get moving for 30 mins, etc. And on Sundays once you hopefully answered yes to reaching your goal it asks a few more questions about your week. It's simple yes or no answers but novels like this writing work too.
WLS: It's a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) class. Best 45 (Really 60) mins of the day! Thats why I go early in the morning before work like it's my job. I would do a full write up of the system but they offer a free class. It's like a picture speaking 1,000 words but instead of words it's drips of sweat.
Time to finish this pep rally with some shout outs. Nate was my second impression of AFS after seeing the pickup truck in the neighborhood for like a year and telling myself about how I need to go check it out. I'm not sure who was more pumped that I was getting involved with AFS. Haha. Can tell why he is the "welcoming team manager" because he is definitely a motivational speaker. Everytime I see him it's positive affirmations. Jared is my coach and the video model you'll probably see at some point doing high knees in WLS like an Olympic athlete. Always get a message back quick when I message him and the responses are always knowledgeable. You'd think we go way back with the welcoming reception he gives when I see him at AFS. I love Eileen and her WLS class in the mornings. I have never met anyone with such positive vibes at 5:55 am. She has pushed me waaay harder then I would ever push myself at any time of day to a HIIT class. She has an awesome mobility class too that would be awesomer if it was offered at different times of the day.