At a Glance:

Website: reebokcrossfitlab.com
Address: 8466 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA, 90069
Length: 60 minutes
Price: 1 class/$25, month unlimited/$250 with 3 month commitment
Sweat scale: high
Energy level: medium

After I heard about Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez photographed leaving this box, I knew I had to check it out. I mean who wouldn’t want to be brushing sweaty shoulders with some of the most recognized celebs in LA?

Pre Sweat

I attended an evening class and anticipated that parking was going to be difficult. The neighborhood streets on the southern side of Melrose are permitted 24/7 and the north side has unpermitted parking but it’s a little bit of a walk. I lucked out and found a metered spot right up the street on Melrose. The entrance to the studio is on the far side of the parking lot and once you check in you’ll have to fill out a waiver on an iPad. I brought a towel, but you can also borrow one there.

Sweat

The class took place in the back room away from the intimidating crossfitters doing their WOD. The room had six treadmills, floor space, and cubbies for personal items. Stations were already laid out and numbered/labeled on the ground and the instructor, Rush, started by explaining how the class goes—we travel twice through 18 stations, spending 50 seconds per station and then 10 seconds to move to the next. In between the two rounds we had a two-minute water/rest break. He went around and quickly demonstrated each move before we began.

The stations were a mixture of strength training and cardio. Some of the exercises we did were butt kicks, wall sits, bicep curls, squats, squats with a press, burpees, lunges, and push ups. There were a variety of weights at each station so you could tailor it to your own strength. Every third station was the treadmill and each treadmill was already set up and running. It was my first time getting on and off of a moving treadmill, which was kind of frightening! Rush encouraged us not to change the incline or speed during the 50-second interval. While each treadmill was different, the speed ranged from about 5 mph to 8 mph and the incline between 2.5 and 12.5.

Once the two rounds were done, we all came together on the floor for about ten minutes of core work that seriously burned. We did crunches, bicycles, leg lifts, and reverse crunches and then we were free to leave. Stretch on your own, I guess?

Post Sweat

Taste on Melrose is right next-door and LA Juice and Ink Sack are two blocks away. Ink Sack is a sandwich store owned by Michael Voltaggio, the winner of the sixth season of Top Chef. The sandwiches are surprisingly really reasonably priced, ranging from $4-$7, but beware, you could probably eat two considering their smaller size. If you’re from the east coast, you’ll love the homemade crab chips with Old Bay seasoning. Alfred Coffee and Beaming are right around the corner and there are a ton of designer stores nearby.

Tricks of the Trade

• According to some regulars in class, parking is easy in the morning/daytime so that may be the ideal time to visit.
• Reebok CrossFit Lab offers four classes via ClassPass and none of them require previous CrossFit experience. You can take martial arts, stretch and mobility, HIT, or EFx (Endurance Fitness Training).
• Bring water!