I have a problem with purchasing LivingSocial deals and Groupons. I have tried to quit, but I just cannot resist. I can only purchase so many monogrammed necklaces and photo books, so I usually go for the gym classes! On an aside, I do not purchase massages from either of these sites, and I encourage you to also resist that temptation. If you plan on having a stranger touch you while you're naked in a confined space, please pay full price. This is not limited to massages. No one has ever boasted about their fantastic discount prostitute experience or those perfect breast implants they got in a Mexican hotel. Pay full price under those circumstances. However, as I said, go nuts with the workouts! (That was my PSA)
As I mentioned in the title, this was a sensory overload. FO Fitness is located in what I think is a strip mall in Alexandria? It was hard to tell because I got there after dark, and the only thing that was really lit up in the parking lot was the adjoining Cigar Palace (cigars, synonymous with "good workout"). When I walked into the gym there was a guy in a lot of black Under Armour. You know that guy - head-to-toe spandex because otherwise you might miss how extremely jacked he is. The gym was pretty bare bones, as evidenced by the picture. I couldn't get any other pictures, so I included a picture of my sweet comic strip workout pants. My husband is not a fan, but they are awesome.
I have no problem with a gym that lacks bells and whistles. I find that sometimes it is actually an indicator of a better workout because the gym and trainers are getting right to the point. They don't need to dress things up. It is kind of a like a dive bar. You just need the drinks and the good company for a good night - no frills. The workout room was also tiny, so I knew there was no hiding behind any of the fellow attendants. At that point, I had one of those "oh, shit" moments because I realized that my Wednesday night was going to be more intense than expected.
The ten of us followed the spandex-ed man (oh, did I mention he was wearing a beanie, naturally) into the workout room, and the music started...Katy Perry's California Girls started blaring, and the man in the spandex started doing his only little jig to KP. I was totally confused. Did I completely misread this situation?
I did not. Despite working out the entire class to Katy Perry's greatest hits, the workout was very difficult. The workout was done in a bootcamp format at a fast pace. For example, we carried 30-pound weights up and down stairs while our partner did a series of wind sprints, and then we switched places. We also took turns holding our partner's ankles while they tossed our legs 100 times for ab work, and then we switched. This leads me to an important point - the entire workout involved pairs. I liked this because this pushed me. There was no way I was going to tell the linebacker-esque woman tossing my legs that it was starting to hurt. I had to suck it up and hope that "I Kissed A Girl" could push me through the pain.
Aside from the gym being...well, unexpected, I received a solid workout. However, they could invest in some fresh equipment. They have everything you could need, but their benches are a little torn up, and we will just say the mats look a bit...vintage. I'm pretty sure they were once yellow?
Though I was slightly befuddled by the mix of spandex, KP, and the Cigar Palace, I would return...if only not to waste my Living Social deal...and to get my ass kicked by a lady linebacker.
