This post is sponsored by 24 Hour Fitness
During my trip to New York last week I had the chance to try out a 24 Hour Fitness. In the city that never sleeps, I can imagine that having a gym open for 24 hours a day is quite necessary! There are several locations throughout New York, as well as over 400 locations across the country (which is great if you’re a member and traveling). Have you ever been to one?
I went to the 5th Avenue UltraSport location, which was just a few blocks from my hotel. After a long train ride, I was itching to do burpees sweat. (And I am never in the mood for burpees!) The club was really nice with a ton of cardio and weight machine options, TRX, a steam room, towel service, free WiFi, group cycle, barre classes, BodyPump, and more. Some locations have a kids club too, which I know from experience is so valuable to have as a win-win as a toddler mom!
I rolled in with my headphones and a magazine thinking I’d do a nice little cardio and weight circuit so that I could try out as many machines as possible.
But much to my surprise, I was paired with personal trainer Brandon for a first-timer free fitness assessment – a.k.a. a killer Tabata workout!
Brandon was both a challenging trainer and a funny guy. I had tired legs from the previous night’s soccer game, so we started with a warm-up and foam rolling. But I was once warmed up, Brandon didn’t mess around and put me through over 45 minutes of exercises covering my whole body.
I had to do this set of four exercises 12 times x 3 sets. Note my concentration face 😉
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- Row
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- Curl
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- Squat
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- Press
We used the TRX for jumping squats, cones for lateral sprints, benches for high-knee high step-ups, boxing gloves for some punches, and free weights for arms and abs to work a good variety of muscles. In the end, I was SO glad I didn’t spend an hour on the elliptical! Brandon gave me a great taste of all the variety that the UltraSport location offers.
As an All-Club member, you can visit any 24 Hour Fitness (most open 24 hours a day!) to get your workout in anywhere, anytime. Try it out for free with a complimentary day pass before you join. Right now, 24 Hour Fitness is offering a couple of great promotions – $0 initiation fee (based on club type and location) and monthly dues as low as $29.99 (also based on membership type, club type and location).
Thanks to 24 Hour Fitness for sponsoring my workout and this post!
Kori says
Years ago, my dad used to work for 24 Fitness in TX! Your workout looked amazing. I miss having a personal trainer at the Y. I loved being pushed and realizing my potential!
Linda @ The Fitty says
I’ve been dying to try the TRX–never had a chance to yet but I can tell I’d love its versatility and how it engages the core no matter what you do.
Houston Electrician says
Brandon seems like he knows what he’s doing! Great post! I also like the site change!
Stephanie O. says
Not to snark, but you really should keep your chest upright and stack the weight over your spine and hips when doing those squats. Leaning forward with weight like that is a recipe for a back injury. Looks like a good workout though!
Melanie says
Hi Kath,
Just wanted you to know that when I went to your page to read your post, some ad started blaring from my computer and it was very annoying– and it didn’t just play once, it played several times. I couldn’t even find which ad it was coming from and to be honest, was just so annoyed I clicked away from your page and didn’t even read the post. Just thought you should be aware, and is there something you can do about that? Thanks so much! 🙂
Melanie
KathEats says
I’m sorry – these shouldn’t be auto playing. I’ll send a message to my ad team.
Stacie says
Hi Kath,
Long time blog reader here. I’ve noticed a few comments lately that say your blog has changed. It has, but you know what? That’s just fine. Life ebbs and flows. We ebb and flow with life and your blog is a reflection of this. I’m so happy for you that you have had continued success throughout all these years! Keep writing and sharing what you want and are comfortable with. You work so hard and know that whatever you choose to share will always help someone in someway. Keep up the great work and know you are always supported. <3
P.S. Love the new look!
KathEats says
Thank you so much : ) As I know many of you know, this has been a big transition year for me so thank you for supporting me through!
ShouldBeSleeping says
A brief explanation of what an UltraSport location is vs Super-Sport, Sport, or Active locations would be helpful.
No 24 Hour Fitness locations in my area…Lots of PlanetFitness and RetroFitness locations, though.
Erica says
I live in Denver, CO and have a 24 hour fitness membership. I’m all about the group exercise classes so I love having multiple clubs to choose from in the city and beyond! The instructors are wonderful, the facilities are excellent, and you cannot beat the price.
Liz says
I know this post is older now, but I just got around to reading it! I would be really interested to see how you thought this compared to your gym at home (ACAC, I think it is?). We have a gym that seems kind of like yours (waterpark, social activities, nice cafe, etc) near me but I have never pulled the trigger because it is SO expensive. I was a 24 hour fitness member for years, but gave it up after my baby was born because the childcare at the location near me was so bad. Since you were at an Ultra Sport location I bet everything was super nice, but the quality of the Active and Sport level gyms really varies. Anyway, I have been tempted to bite the bullet and join the more luxurious gym, but I’m not really sure if it’s worth the money and it’s hard to compare with other gyms since it offers a much different set of services. I realize you might not be comfortable sharing what you pay per month for the ACAC, but do you know if the cost is comparable or much more than other gyms of the 24-hour-fitness variety? Do you have to pay extra for any of the classes or for kids activities? If it does cost much more, do you feel that the expense is worth it for the extras it offers? I’m just trying to get a sense of whether the “luxury” gym near me is a rip off or if it is comparable to others like it, since the ACAC seems similar.
KathEats says
ACAC is worth its price in gold just for the childcare alone!! The Kidszone is SO nice, spacious, friendly staff. It’s more like a camp (minus the structured activities) than a daycare. But they do have classes for the kids a few mornings a week, so they go above and beyond. I really can’t say enough great things about it. Mazen has always loved it because so many of his friends go and he has always been used to it. So I think if you’re deciding between gyms, going with the one with the nicer/bigger/better kids option is worth the money alone. Everything else is just icing on the cake! We can go to any location for free, and the family membership now includes everything for free (waterpark events, kids night outs, special events like pancakes with Santa). We pay about $2,000 a year for a family of three, and everything is included. Haha – notice how I didn’t mention exercise at all! The classes, equipment, etc are all top notch. So I think if you’re just someone who needs a treadmill, elliptical or group classes, you’d be better off joining a 24-hour-fitness variety gym and putting extra money towards other outdoor activities, but if you have kids and want the social aspects, then paying for a “fancier” gym would be worth it. The 24-hour Fitness I went to was really nice, and the equipment and classes and things was comparable to my “fancy” gym, but the difference was all the social and family stuff, which I think is priceless.