CrossFit Haven

In town for a family event, I reached out to owner and head trainer, Dylan, about dropping in for a few classes with my wife. Dylan made it very easy for us to join a morning class. Everyone was very welcoming and helpful. The strength training and WOD’s were challenging and fun!
Would absolutely return when in town.
Thank you Dylan and the CrossFit Haven community for being great host.

As a runner I’ve been telling myself for years that I need to put muscle on my body, so my husband and I decided to try this method. Here’s why we love this place:
***Dylan gives a free session/​consultation
***Any activity level can do this and all exercises can be modified
***the experienced people are super welcoming
***You will learn what you are capable of and feel empowered to be better
***the cost is reasonable considering what you get
***no intimidation… just bring who you are and get ready to be inspired. You deserve it.

I’m not one to go out of my way to write reviews for anything, so I think that goes to show you how much I love this place.
Let me start off by saying that I’ve never been able to stick to anything fitness related. I would try a bunch of different things only to quit a month later. A friend of mine raved about Crossfit, and on a whim, I decided to check out Haven.
When I started, I couldn’t even lift a 15lb bar over my head. However, I never felt ashamed or embarrassed by my performance. Dylan was extremely supportive and always willing to work around my limits. If something was injured or overly sore, he would find a new movement for me to do that was equally as challenging. Dylan is very conscientious when it comes to proper form and technique. I started off completely ignorant to Olympic lifting, and I am happy to say in that my 1+ year here I have never sustained a Crossfit related injury. I’m also happy to say that 15lb bar is no longer a problem… I’m now able to press 100+lbs!
So why was I able to stick with this when I quit everything else? The people. Everyone knew my name on day one, and I felt like I belonged. I was never just another face in the crowd. Everyone was extremely friendly and always willing to offer advice. I’m a naturally shy person, but the atmosphere was so warm and welcoming that I never had a problem reaching out to anyone to ask for help. I actually came down with pneumonia last year right around the time when I first started and had to leave for several months. When I e-​mailed Dylan asking if I could come back, he not only remembered who I was, but he was excited to see me again. That was the moment I knew I was in the right place.
The workouts themselves are challenging, but doable. Although they may look intimidating, they can always be scaled for different levels and abilities. The team is excellent in working around previous injuries and limitations. I’m definitely challenged each day I go in there, but I never leave thinking that I was pushed beyond what I was capable of doing. This place has truly become my second home and the people there have become my second family. They make me excited to wake up to my alarm each morning, and that is no easy feat.

I’ve been working out here for almost 2 years. It’s my home away from home. Dylan pushes, inspires, and motivates me every day I’m here. Believe me, it’s not easy. But the results are very apparent. It’s changed my life. And now I have my 11 year old son is working out there too. We love this place. Seriously love it. You will too. Give it a go. Don’t be intimidated by «crossfit».

Try it, you’ll like it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re just beginning a workout régime or you’ve been at it for years. The WODs are a great challenge and are customized to your own fitness level.

I was in town for business and decided to drop in to this box. First and foremost the coaches were great, attentive to form and really helped push me to bring it to the next level. Super friendly crossfitters and solid equipment. The gym has two rooms, both with great music
If you are interested in trying crossfit this is a great gym to get started in. I would definitely go back!

This is a ridiculously long overdue review of «The Den». I’ve been meaning to write one but it’s so hard to put into words what I love about this place. I’ve been crossfitting for about a year and a half now and I absolutely love it. Some people consider crossfit a cult, I prefer to call it a close knit community!
When I first came here with my sister, we took a free intro class to gauge our fitness level. Since we weren’t complete newbies to olympic lifting, we were able to join the regular class the following time. What I love about crossfit is that it pushes you beyond your limits and forces you to achieve what you never thought you’d be able to. I have come a long way from when I first started especially in terms of technique and strength.
The coaches, Dylan and Nick, are great and extremely knowledgeable. They explain proper form and technique for all of the movements before you start each class and will offer advice and guidance throughout the workout of the day (WOD). The WODs vary on a daily basis but will almost always consist of a warm-​up, strength/​skill portion, metcon (metabolic conditioning), and lastly stretching. The workouts tend to be on the shorter side since they are high intensity. Some typical movements you can expect are rowing, jumping rope, weightlifting, flipping tires, bodyweight exercises, and running. Sometimes you will feel like you can’t catch your breath or maybe even feel like puking, but that’s only because you’re pushing yourself to the max. No pain, no gain!
They recently expanded and now the den consists of two main rooms, four bathrooms (Thank god they finally have separate men and women’s bathrooms!), and a small kitchen-​like area. There’s nothing glitzy or pretentious about this box since you’re here to work out. Everyone who comes to Crossfit Haven is very friendly and welcoming so if you’re unsure if crossfit is for you, just come in and give it a try! I promise you won’t regret it. You may even get to see Nick or Dylan’s dancing skills if you’re lucky!

What a great Crossfit gym! It has become my home Crossfit gym whenever I travel to Park Ridge to visit my family. I was there for about 2 months over the summer and can’t say enough about all the coaches. Coach Dylan and Coach Bridget are who I saw most often and they were a great help in keeping me motivated and challenged, while respecting my physical limitations (previous ACL reconstruction and tight shoulders). You are always learning with everyone WOD. There are no egos here. I have been Crossfitting for 2 years now and love it. This gym is a great place if you are looking to learn, improve technique and enjoy a community feel. The gym has also recently undergone an expansion to another room. It looks awesome! I will certainly be back.

I came to CrossFit Haven because 1) I wanted to finally kick the weight from baby #2, and 2) I have several friends who swear by CrossFit’s ability to whip a person into the best shape of his/​her life. All of them look amazing and say they also feel amazing. Sold.
I’ve only been at it for about three weeks, but I already love it. Yes, I am one of the most out-​of-​shape, pudgy people there, however, I don’t plan to remain one for long. It helps that I leave every workout feeling like a sweaty badass.
The owner, Dylan, is great. I like the fact that he gained extensive experience in the fitness industry prior to starting CrossFit. He will push you — hard — but he will not kill you, I promise. Since I’m new, he always asks how I’m doing in the middle of workouts to make sure I’m not on the verge of collapse, which I appreciate greatly right now. In addition, both Dylan and his wife, Elaine, are very knowledgeable with regard to nutrition and supplementation.
The members are all extremely friendly, and very willing to help newbies feel comfortable and welcome. There really is a community feel here.
For me, the CrossFit atmosphere — community + fitness — is ideal. I like feeling like part of a community that «suffers together.» I like being pushed hard to accomplish something I never knew I could do. I like that the work is always evolving. It may not be for everyone, but it’s definitely for me.

This is my «home» crossfit gym. I first started a crossfit endurance class at Crossfit Rise as a one month Groupon deal. It’s slightly different than your usual crossfit class, but I was hooked. I liked being pushed to my limits and working out in a group setting. The only thing I didn’t really like with Crossfit Rise is that there was not a sense of community. People weren’t very friendly.
Once my month deal ended at Rise, I decided to look for a crossfit gym closer to my house. Two came up in my search– Haven and Impact. I went to both gyms to talk to the coaches. The coach at Impact was young and not very personable. The coach (Dylan) at Haven was much more approachable and had more experience in the fitness field.
My sister and I chose to go with Haven and started our intro class with them. Dylan said we might not need all 3 intro classes since we already knew most of the movements/​exercises. We ended up only doing one and he didn’t even charge us for it.
I’ve been crossfitting for half a year now and I have definitely seen progress. I’ve gotten stronger and am more comfortable with all the movements. The coaches (Dylan and Nick) are there to monitor/​correct our form and push us to work harder. It’s a fun, goofy atmosphere with the two of them around. All the other people who workout there are really friendly and made my sister and I feel welcome. It’s more like a family than just a gym with strangers.

Crossfit is one of those now-​integral parts of my life where I wonder why the hell it took me so long to check it out. My friends T and E had joined the «cult» long before I had, raved about it nonstop, and suggested I add it into my exercise routine. «My time» came when a Groupon was offered for the relatively new crossfit gym in Glenview. The heavy Groupon user I am, I immediately snatched it up and started a package of 10 boot camp classes at Crossfit Haven.
Eight months later, I can now tell you that I’ve become a regular at the gym, hitting it up 3−4x per week to put my body through shear, glorious pain… I mean, the WODs (workout of the day). Each WOD is like a chameleon: it’s different from day to day… and you will leave like one too, slimy and sweaty. Coach Dylan posts the WOD on the Haven website in the morning, so you don’t know until the day of your workout what’s in store for your body. Short, intense bursts of activity are at the crux of the concept, and the workouts range from 7 minutes to almost 30 (which would be a long one). Different muscle groups are activated in each WOD, and it’s always a combination of strength movements, cardio, and gymnastics. Critics warn that it’s dangerous to perform such complex movements (some are Olympic lifts with heavy weights) at a fast rate, and I agree. So be careful, ask for input on your form, and the great thing is that crossfit can be scaled to any skill level. Dylan is knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and has the credentials to help you ease in to any new movement for you.
If you’ve never been to a crossfit gym before, it’s no frills. One of my first questions before stopping in here for the first time was whether there were locker room showers, but you will quickly see that it’s a relatively small space for a gym, and this one has 2 bathrooms that act as makeshift changing rooms. All the gear you’ll need is available here: barbells, foam rollers, medicine balls, pull up bars, jump ropes, benches for lifting, ropes to climb, and you know, the standard 180 and 300 lb tires you’ll learn how to flip. The one component that’s not readily available at all gyms is weight plates you can drop on the floor without batting an eyelash. Awe — wait for it – some!
Lastly, on a pricing note, the cost depends on how many classes you purchase at a time. The more you buy, the less each class costs. Each one is about $ 15. I say it’s totally worth it. Not only is your body going to experience an effective workout, but you get to do it in a surrounding where there are others alongside you, sweating and breathing just as heavy as you are, to motivate you to beat the clock. Camaraderie doesn’t grow off trees, people! You have to find it, and it’s here at the Haven. And this is coming from someone who has a free, accessible gym at my workplace.
Crossfit and the Paleo way of eating (the caveman regimen that focuses on the intake of lean meat, veggies, fruits, nuts, and seeds and excludes grains, dairy, and sugars) have transformed my life! I’m at a stronger fitness level than I’ve probably ever been, am lifting weights I never thought I could even budge, my energy’s better, and the endorphins are just an added bonus! So in a (Paleo) nutshell, check crossfit out! But be warned: it’s addictive!