Total Training Fitness- Beginner’s Review

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To start my awesome first week I chose Total Training Fitness in Laguna Hills. They are relatively new to an actual brick and mortar, owned by an amazing couple that TRULY cares about the people who come to work out with them. I honestly cannot say enough nice things about Tammy and Gregg!

As a beginner, make sure to show up a tad early for your first class of your trial- you will sign into their system and you get to use a heart rate monitor. These things are AMAZING for 2 reasons- they tell you if you’re in your target heart rate and they tell you how many calories you’ve burned. If you’re like me, knowing how many calories you’ve burned is a motivator. Every time I felt like I made a mistake by doing any type of activity I just looked up at the tvs above the treadmills and had a little competition with myself! Hint: Don’t compare your calorie burn to any of the men in the room, it will possibly make you wish you were a man for a brief moment.

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Once hooked up to the heart monitor, Tammy explained how they work. You’re doing 6 minute circuits switching from treadmill work to “on the floor” which is where you get to use weights, mats and bosu balls (things that were created to show you how terrible your balance is). I am not a treadmill fan but this was great because they don’t tell you what SPEED to use, only what level and incline you should stay at. There are guides on each treadmill so if you’re lost you can get right back on track!

Their classes were SO motivating you guys…when I go to the gym on my own I just do NOT get the results and burn that I get from classes taught by instructors!

NOW ON TO THE RATINGS!! ( 1 star- 5 stars, 5 being the BEST!)

1. Affordability–  5/5. They have pricing for ALL budgets and the best part is that you can choose auto-pay and get some ridiculous discounted classes, i’m talking a little under $9 per class if you choose their 16 class per month package! You can cancel at any time with a 30 day notice and you’re not bound to it like most other gyms! LOVE that because life DOES happen, trust me, I know!

2. Availability– 5/5. Classes are all day at all times, the mornings and evenings are busier because of work but the 12pm class was a great size!

3. Difficulty– 3/5. As a beginner, some parts were super hard but I pushed through! The day after my first class I felt like a truck ran over me and the day after that maybe just a smaller truck…but still a truck. LOL! It’s definitely high impact but I absolutely LOVED that they gave modified options for the beginners! BUT I did burn almost 700 calories in an hour so…worth it!

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4. Variety– 5/5. Every class is completely different! I took a class by two different instructors and they were 100% different which I also loved because i’m one of those people that gets bored with at home videos because of the repetition!

5. Intimidation Factor– 5/5. I did not at any time feel like the fat kid in class even though I was.

They are centrally located in Laguna Hills right off Moulton and La Paz! Such a great, clean studio with instructors and owners that truly care about you and motivate you!

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Go check them out and try them for a week for free and tell them Nicole sent ya! It’s worth it!! Oh yeah, and ask them about their Rewards Program 😉

Total Training Website

26552A Moulton Pkwy, Laguna Hills, CA 92653

Total Training Fitness – Laguna Hills

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I got a chance to take a class at Total Training Fitness in Laguna Hills. The owner, Tammy Neiman, has been a leader in the outdoor boot camp fitness , running a very popular, Irvine based one for nearly a decade, and has now opened her first indoor location.

It is beautiful inside – brand new, state of the art, with treadmills across the board. The classes are run in groups of 15-20 people. It is a circuit, you will be on the treadmill for five or six minutes and then swap out on the floor for weight training. and go back and forth between the two. This is a great workout if you’re someone who tracks your heart rate and try to get that extra caloric burn – you can full sprint on the treadmill, and then use heavier weights, and try to increase the rounds completed. You can also scale the workouts given to make it more intense if you would like.

The trainers are not only extremely motivating but are highly trained and experts in the in their field. Your form will be addressed and corrected. This is not common in most boot-camps and circuits, they are usually run like aerobics classes with everyone doing the same workout. Here the trainers are there to help, but the workouts are also projected from a Power Point on a TV screen so that you always know what to do next.

The Breakdown:

Skill Level: Although this is a circuit/boot camp style workout, it is aimed at the older, less fit population. You’re not going to walk in and see an instructor in a sports bra, flexing their six pack (not that there’s anything wrong with that), they are more concerned about getting you through your workout and getting to reach your full potential. No one is going to be yelling at you, drill instructor style, to bring “beast mode”.

Injury: They won’t address your injury or fix it, but they can work around it.

Daycare: No daycare is offered

Music: Loud! It has a set volume, and though it is turned down while the instruction is given, when the workout begins it is turned up to a set level they have for all the classes.

Final thought: Overall a great experience, a lot of fun energy, and they do a great job.

CKO Kickboxing – Laguna Hills

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Yesteday I went and checked out CKO Kickboxing in Laguna Hills. It’s brand new, just opened May 5th. All of the equipment is brand new, state of the art. It is a smaller studio, with fifty-five bags lined up down the row. They have combo classes where you do kickboxing and then weight training with ropes, tire flipping, and sandbag work. The workout is done in rounds to some really fun music.

The instruction was great, Allan does a great job of keeping the class moving. It is alot of fun, but more intense, so more for people who have a somewhat active lifestyle. I would say a beginner could try the class, and lower the scale as needed, but understand that there is impact to the hands and legs, and twisting of the hips. So if you have an injury, especially a back injury, you don’t want to go to this type of studio.

The first class is free, and then it ranges from $95-$150, depending on how often you plan to go and the length of the contract. You will need to have wraps and gloves, even to participate in the free class, and they can be purchased there for $20, or you can get them anywhere fitness supplies are sold, really.

The breakdown:
Childcare offered: No, but they do offer a kids class every Thursday from 4:15, a 45 minute class for 6-12 year olds. Fifteen is the youngest that they will allow someone to work out without an adult.