Monday, May 05, 2014

CrossFit DC Opens Saturday at 1365 H Street

CFDC Grand Opening
H Street's newest (and largest, at 4,500 sqft) gym opens its doors this Saturday. CrossFit DC has classes for beginners, as well as personal training, and offerings for more advanced athletes. They sent along a few photos, that you can see after the jump.


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29 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isn't there another crossfit 5 blocks away?

Anonymous said...

yeah and can we just have a gym where no one is telling you what to do constantly.
like one with just universal machines and a sauna please?

Dave B said...

people clamor for gyms.

we have rec centers.

they dont want those types of gyms.

we get TWO crossfit gyms in the fitness desert that is H St.

they dont want those types of gyms.

didnt realize i lived in a neighborhood of finely tuned athletes so in touch with their fitness needs.


Anonymous said...

A gym is rumored to be going in the Apollo development (3 years away thought), next to Whole Foods

Anonymous said...

I'd like something cheaper and more basic. The new Crossfit charges $190 to $225 a month, and Old City charges $195-$215. I don't think they're a rip off - rent and salaries aren't cheap - but they are certainly a premium product. It would be great to get something more basic, but it seems like that's not where the money is. The Sherwood gym is sufficient and very cheap, but unfortunately it has very limited hours.

Dave B said...

Crossfit is expensive, but effective and you learn a lot of shit. Invest a 4-6 months in it and then take your techniques to Sherwood for next to nothing.
Chances are you might even stick with it because it actually works (or because it is a cult, right?) and you only have to go 2-3 times a week for an hour each time and not go 4-5 days to lollygag at Golds or Results for less uhhh results.

Golds was like $40 a month a long time ago, not sure what it is now. Rsults and most others probably charge like $100 with a year committment

I dont think crossfit has any committments (oh yeah but its a cult so you can't leave). You could probably go a month on month off, pay effectively the same price as Results per month and be in better shape. Spend your off months doing half ass crossfit, run, or go to sherwood

Anonymous said...

defensive much, dave b? i also want a gym where i can do my own thing. i've tried crossfit, it's cool for some folks but just not my jam.

Tom A. said...

actually cross fit and personal training is for the "finely tuned athlete" the rest of us want a regular old gym. a bunch of cardio equipment, some free weights, and some weightlifting machines.

Anonymous said...

"I'd like something cheaper and more basic."

Try out the DC rec centers- they're free, have the basic stuff, and aren't crowded.

Anonymous said...

Yes, but the rec centers have very limited hours, as I mentioned. Sherwood rec is open Mon-Fri 10:00am - 9:00pm; Sat 10:00am - 4:00pm, which on my schedule means I'd be able to go maybe once or twice a month.

captcha crunch said...

"Yes, but the rec centers have very limited hours, as I mentioned. Sherwood rec is open Mon-Fri 10:00am - 9:00pm"

Being open eleven hours a day is not "very limited". Come on, people, check in your sense of entitlement.

Anonymous said...

11 hours a day IS very limited for a gym, especially when that's only weekdays with a few token Saturday hours. Results is open 5 AM - 11 PM weekdays and 7 AM - 9 PM weekends. Vida and Washington Sports Clubs are similar, though some of the more "office-y" locations have more limited hours on weekends. There are even 24 hour gyms, though I'm not aware of any in the city itself.

Why? Because people have varying schedules and are PAYING FOR A SERVICE. I'm not implying that the city should open a free 24-hour rec center, but it's not "entitled" to request a service you want, which typically offers more hours than currently available. Especially when you plan to pay for that service.

Anonymous said...

It's also really hot in the Sherwood gym. I could understand it if it was hot outside and they didn't have a good AC system, but they appear to be really cranking the heat even when it's a comfortable working-out temperature outside.

Anonymous said...

Expecting a $20 a month city run rec center to provide service comparable to a $100+ per month private gym is definitely going to leave you disappointed.

I'm glad to see CrossFit DC opening up in the neighborhood. Passing by, it looks very spacious and professional.

dave b said...

In theory people want to have a gym and work out, but nobody really wants to work out. Not having a gym gives them the primary reason to not work out, but they can act like they want to work out.

Not open at the very specific time they want to work out.

Not the right temperature.

Not the right equipment.

Not the right atmosphere.

Dont know what to do, but dont want to be told what to do.

Dont want to sweat.

Do you know where I can get a smewwtheeee?

Anonymous said...

you can get a smoothie at khepra's

Anonymous said...

dave b --

you sound like someone who has fairly recently drank the crossfit cool aid. over time you will learn that you dont have to disparage the characteristics that others look for in a gym, and recognize that there are other forms of exercise that also provide results, and can also be integrated with crossfit.

Annoyingmous said...

My only gripe about it is that I'm still angry at the landlords for this building, and will be for a very, very long time. That's not CrossFit's fault -- they're not the ones that screwed over the Robeys (and, IMHO, the neighborhood) -- but my stomach still turns at the idea of the landlords' profiting off their actions.

Anonymous said...

they're not the ones that screwed over the Robeys

Didn't the H Street Playhouse originally own the building and then chose to sell to someone else, and rented the building until their lease exired?

pat said...

the DC Parks department has a fitness trail, it's not machines but it is a lot of workout stations and they are open 24/7

Anonymous said...

Pat -- where?

Anonymous said...

What's the back story with the landlords and the Robeys (and who are they)?

As a recent transplant to the neighborhood, this gym is exactly what I want to see. I've bounced around a few crossfit boxes and these guys do it right.

Peter and Doron Petersan said...

Regardless of your fitness level, your preferences, your schedule, your pocket book, or your distance, having a locally owned and operated crossfit box in the mix is a great addition to the area and neighborhood.

But if it's not for you, the track at Gallaudet is open to area residents, and push ups are free. Also, rumor has it that Vida is negotiating space above Wholefoods but last I heard they hadn't signed yet.

Anonymous said...

Look, I'm not disparaging crossfit as something people want or that shouldn't be here, but it's certainly not a "regular gym," and anyone with eyes can see that the DC fitness centers have limited hours compared to other "regular gyms," which generally cost about half of crossfit options.

Personally, I'm physically incapable of doing crossfit in any meaningful way. I have a bum shoulder and ankle issues. I can't sling around heavy weights by hand, jump, or stand on my tiptoes without seriously injuring myself. I have done as much physical therapy as possible to get as much strength as possible back into those damaged joints, but they're just not that strong. Sure, I could have surgery that *might* (or might not) help my shoulder, but my ankles are inoperable (according to 3 different surgeons). It's not for a lack of activity or fitness, simply because I beat the hell out of myself when I was young and invincible and permanently damaged those joints. It happens.

But I'm perfectly capable of using strength machines on low weight settings, using an elliptical, walking or jogging on a treadmill, or even taking any number of different classes. Sure, I could get many of those same workouts with some outdoor fitness courses, some videos, and a walking trail (though there's no risk of turning a weak ankle on a wrinkle in the pavement on a treadmill, so the treadmill is a superior option for me), but I'd prefer something that didn't require working out in extreme heat, cold, or precipitation on a regular basis, nearby. As it stands, I go to Results because they're the most convenient. I'm looking forward to checking out the Planet Fitness when it goes in. Just because someone can't do one, fairly extreme, type of workout doesn't mean they don't *want* to workout, nor should they be relegated to something inconvenient or unpleasant.

dave b said...

If you read my posts, you'll see that in addition to crossfit kool-aid, I also drink Sherwood kool-aid and run outside kool-aid. But crossfit is a lighting rod for some reason.

Probably because some people get really into it and get into really good shape, make some friends and drink some beers afterwards. You probably know someone like this and you get jealous of them. So you kinda hate on it by talking about kool-aid and make up reasons why you can't do it. Meanwhile half the young adults in this city play f---ing kickball, cuz that is totally normal.

I do half-assed crossfit every now and then as part of a diverse fitness regimen that costs almost zero dollars.

Anonymous said...

dave b --

lol. not jealous or hating. spent 3 years stationed on the West Coast and was fully involved in crossfit in both Navy circles and out-in-town boxes. point is, your posts sound like those of a newbie.

Anonymous said...

For those curious, the Robeys were the family that operated the H Street Playhouse, which was formerly in the space the new Crossfit Gym is now occupying. As I remember, the Robey family originally owned the building, but chose to sell it to an investor in 2009, in part to cover some very expensive medical bills. At the time of the sale, there was some sort of implicit agreement that the investor would try to keep the space as a performance venue after the Playhouse's lease ended in 2013.

Unfortunately, by that time H St real estate began getting silly popular, and the investor landlord did not renew the lease and the Playhouse was forced to close. The space then sat vacant for nearly two years until a tenant came along that could afford the new rates. (A Yes! Organic was considered, but the building is registered historical and the loading zones weren't appropriate for a food store.) *I could be wrong about some details, but that's the gist of what happened.

Many felt, and still feel, that the investor should have made an effort to work with the Playhouse, which was very popular and credited with a lot of the "Atlas District" development (along with Joe Englert's places and the Atlas Theater, of course.)

Anonymous said...

Dave:

Why are you getting so defensive about sherwood? It's obviously worse than the gyms available in the rest of the city. This is really not controversial. It makes up for it by being cheaper, but increasingly people in the neighborhood are willing to pay more for better service, so it's only natural to wonder why there are 2 specialty gyms opening up before 1 regular gym.

For the record I'm not making excuses to not work out. I'm training for my third marathon now and spent 6 years in the Marine Corps.

Anonymous said...

The Robeys have opened the Anacostia Playhouse and Adele and Julia were just honored at the Helen Hayes Awards
http://theatrewashington.org/content/forging-%E2%80%93-anacostia-playhouse
http://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/wp/2014/03/11/anacostia-playhouse-co-founders-win-the-washington-post-award-for-innovative-leadership/