At a Glance:

Website: http://goldenstatecrossfit.com/
Address: 11174 La Grange Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90025
Class Length: 60 min
Price: one class/$20, 10 classes/ $199, month unlimited/$159
Sweat Scale: high
Energy Level: high

Pre Sweat

I was sent a waiver the night before class and filled it out online, but you can also fill it out at the gym–it takes roughly 10 minutes. This waiver was very thorough (I’m newer to ClassPass and from the ten studios I’ve visited, this was a little longer than usual). It made me feel bit more timid but you should be aware of what activity you are signing up to do. Luckily for me, this studio is within walking distance, so I made the short walk over. I immediately felt welcome there. The gym is very relaxed, but also serious about fitness. I put my stuff in a cubby hole and got ready to have my butt kicked.

Sweat

This was only my second class as at a crossfit studio and I have jokingly named cardio bootcamps as “baby crossfit”. It’s pretty much a modified version of crossfit without the heavy weights and lifts. Right before we started gathering equipment, a girl from the previous class ran in almost crying, having finally finished her workout. Color me terrified.

We stretched longer and harder than I almost felt necessary, but boy am I glad we did. After that, the workout was broken into three sections with a two-minute rest in between. We did rounds of clean squats, kettlebell swings, lunges, then headstand burpees, wall balls, and sumo deadlifts. Kettle bells became my new best friends, the moves involving them were my favorites. Eli, who was a fantastically calm, cool, and collected instructor, broke down all the moves and had us demonstrate them to him a few times so we wouldn’t hurt ourselves (safety is very important here- which is another major plus). I admit, I wasn’t the best at everything I tried, but I felt like I fit in! I loved how the mood isn’t competitive, but encouraging and positive. The final round was made up of jumping rope, more burpees, box jumps, overhead weighted lunges and then ended with a challenging one mile run (which explained the frazzled girl from earlier).

Overall, I pushed hard, sweat hard, and ended up being really proud of myself. The picture below isn’t me, but I hope one day it is!

Post Sweat

This studio is right off the 405, and close to Sawtelle Blvd. (so much great sushi there) and only a stones throw from Westwood Blvd. where you can find California Chicken Cafe, California Fresh, and Feast from the East. My favorite thing though, in my humble opinion, is to go to NKLA (No-Kill Los Angeles), conveniently less than a block, to see all of the loving animals. It opens at noon.

Tricks of the Trade

– Be sure to bring an extra large water bottle! There is no water fountain, but water can be purchased.
– Parking spots were easy to find, it was recommended to me to park on Cotner Ave.
– This is a great workout for anyone who is willing to push themselves and be in a non-competitive environment!

About the Author: McCall is an Actress/ Makeup Artist (currently working for Sephora), living in the heart of West Los Angeles. She is addicted to dark chocolate, Arctic Zero Dairy-Free ice cream, and a good dose of movie theater popcorn (specifically at The Landmark). Her ultimate ClassPass adventure would be either trapeze or horseback riding lessons. But overall, she’s down to try anything. If you see her at a class, or even at work, feel free to say hello!

Follow McCall on Twitter and Instagram: @mccallschenthal