CrossFit Chamblee

My wife and I visited CrossFit Chamblee over the Xmas holiday and had an absolutely fantastic experience. We’re active crossfitters from Arlington, VA, and always look for workouts when we’re out of town. CrossFit Chamblee did not disappoint as the coach tailored the 12 Days of Xmas WOD to my wife’s and my ability, and then cheered the whole class (and us) on as we chipped away at this long workout. We’ll definitely be back the next time that we’re in Atlanta!

Dropped in last week– Steve, the owner was super responsive and accommodating. Welcome environment and sneaky tough wod made for a great time. A pleasure to drop and now definitely on my radar for future visits.
Facility is perfect and what you’d expect, remember to park around back for the entrance.

This is one of the best Crossfit gyms! I dropped-​in to a class and it was a fantastic workout! Steve is one of the greatest coaches. He really pushes you to be your best and encourages you to push through the pain for results. I highly recommend Crossfit Chamblee. They are so friendly, encouraging, and even go to social events in the Atlanta community together. It’s a great Crossfit gym with a positive «team» atmosphere and I will definitely be back! Thank you, Steve!

I’ve been a CFC member for a little bit over a year — and absolutely love it!
Who should consider this gym:
I think there is a range of fitness levels at this gym and a good mix of men and women, but think it is mostly focused on people who are just starting out Crossfit and don’t want to feel intimidated, business people who are busy and need weekends /​odd times to go to the gym (early am or late night), and people who aren’t as focused on developing this as a competitive sport. Having said this, there are definitely a few ppl that are competition ready too, but if that is not for you there is no pressure. It’s all abt having fun and being healthy. I guess what I am saying is that this is a more laid back gym than other Crossfit gyms. For me — the above is a good fit, but it is not for everyone.
Why I love it:
I LOVE the people. I love the community. I feel safe. I don’t feel judged. I feel heard. This is a very welcoming gym, so we always have drop ins and people who hear abt it through word of mouth. Saturday’s there is one WOD (workout of the day) so is a good opportunity for a lot of people to catch up and connect. There are lots of social activities we do together, planned and sporadic. Recently we’ve done Trivia nights /​happy hour, hiking Stone Mtn and laser show watching, brunch etc.
Programming:
I have found the programming has changed over the last few months, for the better I think. They are tough, but can be scaled accordingly per each person’s individual level. «Typically» we spend the first part of the workout working on a strength or skill, and the second part hyperventaliting to some timed exercise and praying to dear God that time moves quickly and or/​that we don’t pass out, followed by laying in the fetal position on the floor until you can move again (Or is that just me???)
CFC has also started to do Skills classes to work on tougher Olympic movements. The whole hour is focused on learning the basics and moving up into the tougher combined movements. Regardless of experience these are always very helpful. It seems like there is one every month on average.
We also just kicked off an optional Fitness Challenge where over 30 ppl signed up and are sharing goals weekly to keep each other accountable.
Logistics:
There are classes from 6am to 7:30 pm with the busiest usually being at 5:30 pm (weekdays). There is usually 1 Sat class at 10am and 3 Sunday gym openings with 2 classes in the am and open gym in the afternoon. Check the website before coming to make sure there aren’t changes — as they do observe some holidays. On average there are abt 6 – 8 people per class — though it varies widely. With some having ~15, and some having 2. There are a few Saturday’s which have special events and we’ve had over 30 ppl turn out. But that isn’t the norm.
Feedback
Steve is the owner and I have generally found him to be very open to feedback. Over the summer I personally approached him on a few points and he quickly addressed them. I think that is the beauty of this gym. You get to be a part of the community and help this be an even better place than it already is.
Decisions:
Ultimately — I would recommend you visit a few places to decide where is the right fit for you. We look forward to welcoming you to our gym if you decide to try it out or stop in!

Great coaching, equipment, people, and attitude – overall a great gym. I dropped in a few times and couldn’t be happier with my experiences. Coaches Steve and Ali were super nice and knowledgable. I made several friends, and as an out-​of-​towner, I look forward to going back whenever I am in town!

I have been attending CFC for 2 years, and I am constantly impressed with the facility, coaching, and programming of the workouts. The workouts are always varied and challenging, and even after two years I still leave each WOD feeling like I accomplished SO much in the past hour. The coaches are extremely motivating, providing excellent instruction on form and technique (both for safety and efficiency).
Three things keep me coming back to CFC several times each week: (1) Perhaps most importantly, I see results!; (2) the staff/​owner are wonderful and inspirational; and (3) the community created by the owner and the members of the gym is unmatched. I have made very dear friends in the time I have spent at CFC, and knowing that you are working out with great people is just one more reason to get to the gym. I recommend CFC to anyone looking for an excellent place to get in shape and make great friends!
(as a side note, in my two years here I have never experienced any of the negativity detailed in the review below. To the contrary, I perceive it to be the best gym in the Brookhaven/​Chamblee area, so I would encourage anyone interested to experience it for themselves. :))

Phenomenal gym.
I joined CFC after hammerheading my way into injuries working out elsewhere and I cannot say enough good things about this place.
At a personal level, after hurting myself, I was worried (and fearful) about going back to the gym, but Steve Walker, the owner and head coach, was phenomenal at striking that delicate balance between hearing me out, validating my concerns, and then pushing me forward safely. And when I was a little freaked out and then didn’t perform as solidly as I wanted to, he stuck with me and didn’t let me give up.
The coaching is highly individualized, but never complacent. Steve has a knack for honing in on your strengths, while challenging you in areas where you might not believe you can even HAVE strengths! The other coaches are also excellent, watching my (sometimes problematic) form, and coming up with great cues to help me better understand what I’m missing.
Everyone there is supportive, and it’s just a great way to throw down and kick your own ass.

When sliding my cursor over the stars and reading the corresponding descriptions, «Meh. I’ve experienced better» is the best way to summarize the rating for this box. Initially, I was not going to leave a review, but it was not until I joined my new box that I realized how much I was missing out at CFC and others should know. I was at CFC for 15 months averaging 5−6x/week so I feel I can speak to the categories below.
If you are someone researching boxes in the area looking to drop-​in for a class because you are visiting the area, there are better boxes in the area.
Ownership/​Coaching Staff —
I can sum up this category in one word, «lackadaisical». It is not uncommon to have classes start late. I have waited in the back of the gym for the coach to start class before I just took my own initiative to start my own warm up. Coaches/​owner were known to show up late for class (even the 6am class which is when the gym opens, so we wait in our cars until someone arrives). Do not expect the gym to be open 15 – 20 minutes before a class starts. At my new box, the gym is open a minimum of 20 minutes before the start of every single class no matter what time of day. Most of the coaches offer minimal form improvements. It was not until I was at my new box that I realized how much I was missing out in my CF experience because CFC did not offer strong form-​critique or even movement strategies for the WOD. Only a handful of coaches offer any encouragement during WODs. I have seen many coaches/​owner on their phones during class — and not to video or instruct. I had attended classes where the coach did nothing more than open and close the gym for me! Also, do not be surprised if you offer any feedback about the gym, that it will not be openly accepted or considered. When I mentioned problems in particular coaching classes, the owner asked, «How I am supposed to know this without people coming and telling me?» The definition of a poor business model.
Programming —
The programming was proclaimed to be laid out 2-​weeks in advance and I even had a coach tell me that sometimes it was not programmed 1 day out in advance. The owner is also very defensive about his programming scheme and when questioned about it, he said that his gym is tailored to «CF beginners and overweight clients». Even when I brought up the fact that CF is 100% scalable, which could allow the owner to program harder, he replied «no». Basically, any person with a basic internet connection could create a better program by following other boxes than what you will discover here. The programming always seemed piecemealed with no real foundation. If you mentioned that we haven’t seen a particular movement in a while, it would magically appear the next day or week. We would make a game out of seeing who could influence the next WOD more. I will note if you are a beginner, than this will be challenging because all of the movements and WODs will be so new to you. If you are an experienced CFer, you will tire from the scheme and become disgruntled or leave. Many people at the gym complained in private about this same issue.
Equipment/​Location/​Cleanliness —
Pretty standard CF equipment set up. There are handy wipes for the equipment all over the gym and now there is a water cooler to fill up bottles. The gym was clean although some members did complain about the amount of dog hair in the gym, but I didn’t noticed it. Other than getting one more rower (4 to 5), there was little to no attempt to gain more equipment during the 15 months I was a member here. There are also no showers.
Availability of Classes Types and Class Times —
Standard WOD times. There is one Endurance class that is offered on Monday afternoons. This class was never truly endorsed by the gym as it was a knee-​jerk offering to the fact a bunch of CFC members decided to incorporate more endurance WODs on their own to account for the limited aerobic WODs offered in programming. As much as the website would like you to believe that there are Skills Clinics (new to the gym), Rowing Clinics, Paleo Seminars… these only happen once a blue moon.
Community Members/​Social —
The membership of this gym is the crown jewel of the CFC experience. It was the justification for me to continue my membership another 5 – 6 months after I grew tired with all the above-​mentioned problems at the gym. Fun, everyday people who are supportive of one another. There are planned social events at bars/​happy hours/​post WOD meals, which are always fun to attend. From my eyes, if the owner placed half of the effort he does here in the other components of the gym, the gym would thrive. But again, beware making the owner upset.
Summary —
You can find higher quality gyms out there for less $$.
**After leaving, 5 more members have left and finally some of the changes above began to happen at CFC, but like I said let’s look at the whole body of work and it will be short lived.