Fit Body Boot Camp

Simple you put $ 500 down if you lose 20 pounds in 42 days, check in at least 30 times on Facebook and keep off the weight for 10 days, you will get your money back, sounds fair, right ?, other business do the last weight in as soon as the challenge end, and you get your money back but not here.
Here was the trick she told us for our very last weight in we can be within 10 pounds so you think you have some room until you come back for the very last weight in, still fair right?, but when you come back she tells you. Ups you should have kept your weight off… Well I guess You may think shame on me for not reading the contract and trust my «coach» faithfully, but I can say shame on her for doing anything even lie in order to keep your money or better way to say it steal your money.
In a professional agreement everybody wins, you lose weight and get your money back in exchange they use your results, pictures of your achievements as advertisement, we help to build their reputation.
But when you tell Irma Sandoval you can’t commit anymore for whatever is your reason, you will get a dirty look, sarcasm and a very disrespectful and pathetic attitude from her.
She never answer your questions.
But the worst thing they do is talk very poorly about coworkers, clients everyone who doesn’t stay with them.
I have seen what they’ve done and is very disgusting.
Don’t you know that when you thrash other people you’re just trashing yourself and digging your own hole.
She lacks empathy, I understand they’re not charity someone needs to pay the bills, but they way Irma conducts her business is very poor.
Theres nothing good about this business, not even the installations.
I refrain to do this review before because I didn’t want to hurt some good trainers and I meet some good people who struggle with weight issues like me, but we as consumers deserve better experiences in exchange of our money.
I want to be fit and happy, but I rather to be fat and happy, than fit and miserable.
They need to stop playing with people who struggle with weight issues.
Very poor management, unethical and unprofessional way to conduct business.
I hope this review help other people to avoid an epic failure.

The fitness transformation Academy is not your ordinary bootcamp. It is extraordinary. It’s a family. A family that helps you prosper and reach your goal. All the trainers are motivating, supportive and simply encouraging. They believe in you the times where you doubt yourself. They’ll push you to your limit and then ask for more Bc they BELIEVE IN YOU! I cannot emphasize this enough, they really want you to succeed and seeing you succeed is their goal and I love them for that! Irma has created a great environment that makes you look forward to coming to the gym everyday! Maybe even twice a day ;)

I did not train with these people. However I did have a direct experience with them, and based on it, I won’t. I responded to a Facebook add by mistake — thinking it was a CrossFit one that I’d been looking for. I checked them out on Unilocal before they responded — and saw some *very* mixed reviews, many of which said someone named IRMA was rude & nasty, non-​communicative, or both. But that’s not even what made me decide this wasn’t the best match for me. The «challenge» is to lose 20 pounds in 42 days, biggest loser style. The $ 500 program is free if you can lose those numbers, AND stay below that weight for a period of time after the challenge ends, AND make post on social media several times per week, AND write them a shining testimonial — BEFORE the program is over. I see that some Unilocalers said that they did all of the above and found that the owners of this company didn’t hold up to their end of the bargain. That’s quite sad — since the conditions are near impossible already.
I don’t want:
* To pay $ 500 for a 42 day program even if I DO lose 20 lbs.
* To pay $ 500 for only 6 weeks of group classes. This is actually only $ 16 class if you do their required 5 classes per week for 6 weeks, but still, that’s too rich for my blood right now. If you miss ONE class — you are ineligible for the refund in the promo — no matter what your weight loss results.
* To pay for a $ 500 program whose economic success is based on that it is nearly impossible (not to mention not necessarily healthy) for a participant to meet all of the above criteria.
* To be forced to use my social media outlet to push a program. That’s just yucky. You must check in on your personal page AND the company page at least 30 times (five times a week /​6 weeks). The check ins have to happen Mon-​Fri. Failure to do so disqualifies the participant.
* To be forced to write a testimonial to their specifications, before I’ve fully experienced the program. You must write an «amazing» (their word choice) testimonial in week 5 (even if you are unsatisfied or can’t really know what you think of the program until you finish it).
* To engage in a program that has rapid weight loss as the sole measure of success. Getting stronger and faster, and losing inches will likely happen to anyone who does this program, but rapid weight loss — on a program that should encourage muscle development — is unlikely, is probably not healthy, and is definitely not sustainable. This kind of fixation on the scale is, for me personally, demotivation. So on this point alone, I’m not a good match for this program.
For all these reasons, I told the person who wrote back to me (addressing me by the wrong name) that I’d realized we’re not a good match, thanked them for their time, and encouraged them to keep up the great work. THEN days later came back with some RUDE response that would not make me, or anyone, want to pony up $ 500 bones when they’re betting against me.
#nothankyou

I absolutely love this place! It has changed my whole life. I have become stronger physically, mentally and emotionally due to completing the 6 week challenge twice. I even became a member after because I love the support and encouragement I receive from the all the trainers, fellow challengers and gym members. If you want to jump start a healthy lifestyle change, learn how to eat healthy, about meal portions, meal prepping and the many benefits of drinking water, while doing fun workouts that challenge your endurance, capabilities, mind, body and soul, and make amazing, encouraging, motivating new friends, then this is the gym/​fitness program for you! We Are A Movement! Come Join us!

She sent me a private message saying:
«need to lose weight? put your money where your fat is.»
EXACTLY.

On the bright side, any company that motivates people to be fit and healthy is great, however, I am not convinced that is the real motivation going on here. I had an awful experience in my twenty min meeting with who I assume is Irma based on other people’s description of her. Irma, if you are reading this, just know I have compassion for you as you must be in financial desperation to run your business in the way you do, and I pray you can have the faith thag treating people right and fairly will lead to financial success, not running scams, misleading people, or being hurtful and rude.
So I came in to hear of the «free» 6 week challenge. The first girl I spoke with was nice enough. I started asking some questions, as obviously I am not going to commit to something for six weeks when I don’t know anything about it except that I have to come to class five times a week (no info was given on type of class, if they accommodate for injuries, etc) what ti speak of why would I commit to a diet for six weeks and you won’t even tell me anything about it except that it is natural and organic? All they said was over and over, you have to post on facebook five times a week, etc. Like all they care about it publicity.
So I said ok I am going to think about it and research it, meaning I can get back to you tomorrow and the lady I think is Irma went off on how this program is only for committed people who really want it yadda yadda yadda and asked if I have heard of Harvard or Yale, as you have to really want it to get in (saying they are the Harvard or Yale of fitness) bullshit!
So I explained that I am a committed person but not a fool and no intelligent person commits to something they have been given no information about. Then they tell about the $ 500 deposit. Her tone was very rude and condescending. She kept saying how she only takes positive people etc. Anyway, don’t be fooled… maybe you will get results, but is it healthy to eat no carbs and protein shakes and will those results last? Better to go on a sustainable long term diet that is healthy and balanced I think.
Funniest part, they left me a voicemail thirty min after I was there saying, «you had an appointment today but never came in… we really want to help you meet your goals so please call back». I called back and said I am shocked that the Harvard and Yale of fitness is so clueless that they called me to say I missed my appt, thirty min after we met. Anyway, $ 500 for six weeks? Just join a gym, buy a yoga works unlimited class package or another boot camp groupon, and be happy. But don’t be scammed or treated poorly here. The lady here was very condescending and not good at business… who spends $ 500 on something they are not told about the details? Insanity.

After preaching about positivity and support for an hour… I was extremely disappointed to see how rude and nasty they were once they realized that I wasn’t going to give over my money so easily. I explained that I was going to think about it and would comeback after talking to my husband about this commitment, financially and time. Irma had the nerve to question why I had to go ask my husband… And implied that she wouldn’t want someone who had to ask a man for permission. I was going to respond but realized quickly that This whole situation was wrong, and to top it off as I turned to leave her employee lightly put her hand on my shoulder and pushed me towards the door! Now, I think $ 476 is a reasonable amount for the services that they would provide, but I’m the type of person that needs to process and talk to my family and friends. I’m sure that I would have been back the next day with the full commitment and maybe i would have brought a friend with me… But now that I’ve experienced this treatment … I wouldn’t give them a Penny. The positivity is fake and I’m offended after my experience!!! … Oh and I should have punched the woman who shoved me… But I let that one go!

I’m going to list the Pros (very few) first then explain why this place gets 1 Star (the MANY CONS)…
Pros:
–good for people who have NO CLUE how to work out or diet and have never had success in this before. Period! That’s it ! & Even then, there are so many cons this place is NOT WORTH YOUR TIME!
Go to a REAL gym, not this fake gym.
CONS:
–bad, BAD LOCATION: NO parking, terrible flooring that rips up your knees/​hands/​elbows etc., and rude neighbors
–The Owner Irma is a SNAKE! She is clearly uneducated, doesn’t spell correctly EVER which is nothing to do with the quality of the gym but just goes to show the lack of professionalism at this place. She claims to provide all the support and blah blah however WILL NOT answer any questions from her clients. In fact she told me to stop asking her questions when I contacted her one time!!! BTW, Irma NEVER EVEN TRAINS YOU!!! & SHE MAKES YOU POST ON FACEBOOK #MASTERTRAINERIRMA … AFTER EVERY WORKOUT?!! UMMM … WHAT??? Not to mention, when you do see her around she has such a negative tone, acts like she doesn’t have time for you and doesn’t even want to hear your questions… excuse me, I am your client… Last time I checked, business owners should be working hard to provide the best service NOT the WORST !!
— FALSE ADVERTISING !!! All over this business. They try to lure you in with their FREE Weight Loss Challenge… Guess What?! It’s not free. It does not work for EVERYONE like they advertise. The name of the business on this Unilocal page is not even real. LOL. It is really called Fit & Fun Fitness Transformation Academy. (Maybe trying to hide their bad reviews)… Once you sign up (its $ 500) then they try to get you to buy their supplement package (an EXTRA $ 200). Who the hell has $ 700 to drop on a shitty gym!!! Like I’ve said, spend your money somewhere else !!
–Their trainers are previous challengers of their gym. They are mostly all not in the best shape. I don’t know about you but if I am paying for a personal trainer I want someone that looks AMAZING themselves… duh~!
–The gym is overcrowded every single day!!! It is SO SMALL! Don’t have enough equipment…
***I HAVE NOTICED MOST OF THE POSITIVE REVIEWS ON HERE WERE WRITTEN BY IRMA’S PERSONAL FRIENDS IN HER GYM***
I SERIOUSLY COULD GO ON FOREVER PEOPLE! BUT JUST DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME! DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT THIS PLACE! PUT YOUR MONEY INTO A REAL GYM WITH REAL, EDUCATED TRAINERS THAT WERE TRAINED TO TRAIN YOU! IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR BODY AND ACTUALLY LOSING WIEGHT THEN DON’T USE IRMA’S GYM, TRUST ME!!!

I had heard about the «FREE 6 week transformation» through a friend that posted it up on Facebook. She hadn’t tried the challenge but we were both very curious and pumped up about getting fit and getting advice so that we could work out better and learn about fitness. The link did not provide many details so we signed up and attended one of the night orientation dates. The address was easy to find however there was no sign outside saying «LA transformation academy or fit and fun fitness transformation academy, or whatever it is called. Once inside the gym looked pretty nice, just one huge room on the 2^nd floor with superheroes printed on the walls. We liked the vibe, and the workout music but once we heard the details we were disappointed to hear about the $ 497 deposit that is not guaranteed you will get back. There is criteria to be met including going 42 days without alcohol, checking in on Facebook 5x a week, and you must lose 20lbs in order for your deposit to be refunded. Some people just walked out while others filled the paperwork (you MUST give your bank card info and have paid the $ 497 before the 1^st day of the challenge). We told Irma we did not have the $ 497, we believed it was a TRULY FREE program but of course there is always a catch. She did not seem so nice when she knew we could not deposit that much and instead said «oh maybe you can sign up for the challenge a month ahead instead just fill in the paperwork and we won’t charge your card until then it’ll save you a trip». Of course now I knew what people meant about her being money hungry. The right thing to have done is for her to talk to us on the side and perhaps discuss our financial situation or what else we could do. This program is biased and unfair to those who are really committed, willing to learn and get pushed in the right direction, but do NOT have $ 500 to be throwing at Irma’s bank account. Wish she would’ve stated that before and saved us from the trip, time, effort and excitement for nothing. She is bad at replying and getting back to you on Facebook. The fact that she hides requiring the $ 497 deposit makes me feel like there is something weird going on, fraud, or another catch we are not aware of.
When we left and Irma knew that money was an issue, she gave us a very sarcastic «have a good one guys» and her smile was very fake as if she was thinking «that’s $ 1,000 out the door!!» haha
I will not be returning .
A person that really wants to help will help ANYONE wanting the help regardless of their financial situation.

Irma doesn’t even respond to emails. I didn’t have the chance to find out why SO many people don’t like her and this program.
Great job Irma!!! Keep it up! (note the sarcasm)

I absolutely love this place. This is the only bootcamp that has a 5am class, to fit my schedule. Irma is truly passionate about helping people and pushing you harder. I started out on a 6 week groupon and feel in love with the atmosphere. I would recommend this boot camp to anyone.

Yo the 1 stars on this site need to chill out. Irma built her company up from nothing, so yes, it’s in an odd location, and sure, parking may be shitty. But if you encounter someone stoked to motivate you and you take that as them being «creepy», you’re really not there for serious fitness. You are looking for a yoga class where the instructor won’t speak to you personally, ever. You’re looking for a PopPhysique where everything looks flashy and you don’t have to hold yourself personally accountable for anything.
Irma’s transformation academy is exactly that. If you do the 6 week challenge, and you commit, you will get results. It is literally impossible not to. And if you are confused about the process, ask questions! Every day is full of high-​fives and motivation in this space, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Especially not after the weight I’ve lost and the friends I’ve gained.

Hasn’t this place had a name change? Fun and Fitness Transformational Academy?
Mediocre at best. At first you think you are part of a family based business .next thing you see the owners greed Kick in. She is full of spite and is petty. She is nickle and diming herself to death. Bad energy, low self esteem and mediocrity run her daily life. She uses groupon but gets upset when the Groupon people do not renew. How do you expect them to renew when they are not impressed with you. You will not last for up to 5 years. Your fake nature and inability to have compassion for others will show you your rode to failure. You are so unkind and flippant. That is bad for business. Buyer beware

This place is more like a family than a cookie-​cutter gym chain. It’s a little off the beaten path and it’s got some personality. The owner, Irma, is extremely passionate about helping people with their fitness goals and creating a motivating, fun environment.
The training staff, including Lauren and Taka, are great. They all have their own unique personalities and styles, and they will push you beyond your comfort zone. But guess what – you’ll realize that you can do more than you thought, and you’ll be on your way to getting results.
The classes are intense and they keep the energy level up with good music. You’ll find yourself high-​fiving strangers to get pumped up. It’s great.
At the end of each class, we sit in a circle to stretch and chat. People will say that they’ve lost 20 lbs in six weeks, which is pretty amazing and I do not doubt it. Personally, I go just to keep my cardio up and because it feels good, but if you’re looking to lose some weight, this place will make it happen. Way more than trying to exercise on your own.
If you’re looking for a bland gym where everything is carefully approved by a corporate marketing team, this might not be the place for you. But if you want to get in killer shape and have some fun along the way, you should check it out.

Update: a bunch of left FBBC last October (2013) after getting fed up with the owner’s business practices detailed in other reviews. We were all committed to staying fit, so we looked around together in the area for a new boot camp and are all so happy now! We joined a nearby workout venue that is very clean, has amazing and the most up to date equipment, highly professional trainers, and straight up pricing. It also has parking, spinning classes, private training, and innovative boot camp type workouts that are not crowded and where the owners pay attention to your form and are cautious about injuries.
I guess I didn’t know what else I could get for a fairly steep monthly fee. After seeing what else is out there, I am very happy I left FBBC. One positive thing I can say is that Irma’s workouts prepared for even greater physical challenges, and that I left feeling strong. I think buyers should beware. While FBBC is a great workout and you can obtain good, results, there are way better places for your money– even right in culver city.

I went to this place last year because I received a Groupon for their 6-​week bootcamp. I checked out their reviews and didn’t have high hopes, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Yes, parking sucks, but other than that it is not a bad location or setup. The studio is located at a pretty central spot, and though getting to the evening class will force you through rush hour traffic, it could be worse.
I took 4 classes total before I moved on to another studio, but based on those few sessions this seemed like a great place for someone who is committed and would like to have the type of daily routine a bootcamp provides in their life. The exercises were varied and challenging enough, one could adjust the speed and difficulty according to their individual abilities and the exercises were pretty easy to remember and safe for all ages.
I enjoyed Tiana’s class and teaching style, she made the class really fun. I didn’t continue because the timing was not great for me.
My only issue was with the marketing and sales style of this place. It is a very high pressure sales style, reminiscent of a used car sales lot. You will get tons of phone calls, text messages and emails long after leaving the studio, which at first won’t seem bothersome, but eventually it becomes a little too much. After unsubscribing from their email list I continued to receive emails (I just unsubscribed again today, maybe this time it will work…), and I also had about 4 voice mail messages from Irma and her assistant about the nutritional program, consultation, et cetera. Then I received a string of (heavily typo-​ridden) text messages about their special. I responded that I appreciated the info but I was no longer interested. The calls and texts stopped, hopefully the emails will stop soon too.
Overall it’s a place worth trying and if it is for you, you will probably sign up for their long term commitment program and get great results. If you find that it isn’t for you, you will need to deal with some high pressure sales but eventually you will be left alone.

If I had the option to give this place a ZERO, I would…
First off, I was considering giving this place a shot. I’ve been looking for a boot camp near me, and found this place. So I liked their page on Facebook, and joined their mailing list… I received an email a few days later, from Irma Sandoval, and it went a little like this…
From Irma:
******** let me tell you a little bit about President’s Day deals…
WE DON’T HAVE ONE…
AS A MATTER OF FACT WE ARE RAISING OUR PRICES EFFECTIVE APRIL 1ST.
I am sorry to inform you that effective on we will be raising our membership prices. This will not affect our current member’s contacts.
As you know the price of water, power and utilities go up every year, but in my case even rent goes up 4% every year so have a choice to make. Raise my rates a little, or let the riffraff in to my family. So hopefully you can understand my situation and my decision.
We are NOT interested in «Daily Deal Hoppers» who jump from one daily deals to another for their fitness but yet drive a Mercedes Benz and carry a Louis Vuitton bag. (As a matter of fact we will not be accepting anymore Group-​ons in the very near future.)
Was that a Rant??? OK… sorry. Don’t get me wrong. I have some awesome clients who have come in on Groupon deals, but it does feel like a needle in a haystack situation most of the time.
1) We honestly are getting pretty full and I don’t care to have a billion people in our facility.
I always believe in quality over quantity and right now I have real quality people.**************
Ok… I was seriously mind blown and disappointment with the way these people conduct their business!!!
I’ve never seen any type of deal for this place, so the reason I am bothered by this email has nothing to do with me considering purchasing a deal to try out this place.
First off, what business is it yours what people drive or what type a bag a person owns? I mean, REALLY?
The owner decided to offer special discounts on Groupon or anywhere else. So why are you mad now???
I truly hope Irma is not the owner of this place because if she is, How EMBARRASSING!!!
I see this place loosing a ton of business after that email.
Irma should have thought twice about sending this email. Especially to people who are NOT members of this club.
Very upsetting and I have ton to say, but, I will bite my tongue and I will say no more.

So after my groupon I decided that a membership was definitely worth it. I am seeing some really great results and Irma is really helpful. With her motivation, myself as well as fellow bootcamp buddies have done a spartan race! This is a great place to workout because it is full of some amazingly positive people as we all motivate each other to push ourselves farther every day. Becoming a member was a really great decision and a decision that I appreciate more and more with every workout. I love my results and want to keep it up!

Look, I empathize completely with the people who have had some bad experiences here. And a lot of it sounds really frustrating, even when I read them! I too, did the groupon thing about a year ago, but I was totally uncommitted and really only ended up going maybe twice a week for the period I had it for. This place really is for people who have to be 100% committed not only to themselves, but to spreading the word in social media and to friends too. It’s not a place for people who like gyms, at all. This is a group class setting, where you can’t really just do a workout in the corner and not say anything the whole class. If you’re a shy person, I wouldn’t recommend it to you.
If you want to check out what we do there, the instagram is fitbodyculvercity
They offer a 6 week, 20 lb challenge that I am currently participating in. The long and short of it is, you commit to working out 5 days a week and sticking to a nutrition plan created by the owner Irma and you are guaranteed to lose some weight. I mean it is kind of hardcore, no carbs, high protein, lots of veggies, and protein shakes. If you reach the 20 lb weight loss by the end of your 6 weeks, you get your amount you deposited, reimbursed. It is true, this program also isn’t cheap and you do have to throw the $$$ down up front, but to me, it’s even more motivation to get to the goal. You’re really paying for group atmosphere, motivation, and high intensity workouts that are created to really help you get healthy, lose weight, and just feel good about the whole process.
There are around 25 of us in the challenge currently and we’re all a part of a facebook group where we can post concerns, help motivate each other, etc. Irma, the instructor almost always comments back and gives us advice. You start seeing the same people in the classes you come to in the mornings or evenings which is nice. You also have a scheduled weigh in and nutrition counseling once a week during this 6 week program. Can’t argue with scales, I’ve lost 6 lbs in one week!
I sound like an infomercial, but seriously it’s worth at least checking out if someone told you about it or you heard about it. I think a lot of people’s negative experiences came with wanting to treat this bootcamp as a gym where you can kind of come and go as you wish. Like I said above, it’s really a commitment to sign up and they hold you accountable for being consistent about your workouts. I’ve talked to Irma a lot about how realistic this weight loss is and the work outs in general, and she has been really helpful to me, personally.
I’m sorry for those of you who had such bad experiences! All I can say is maybe Irma has improved the way she does things for the business and client relations? Because everyone I know who is taking these classes with me is really happy with this process.
Hope this helps and gives some insight!

If I could give zero star I would give zero star for this place. Irma is the rudest woman I have ever met in my life! I lived in 4 different countries by the way.
Only nice thing about this place is Tianna afternoon class.
Owner Irma is the unproffesional and rude and very negative.
I got this deal from gropoun! and I was really excited about it. I got 6 weeks deal to try and my intent was to continue for at least 1 –2 years.
I asked about the nutrition plan to Tianna and the guy works with them. He told me that Irma will call me and make an appointment.
I said she did not. He said she will call you.
She did not call. One day I attended to morning class. Tiannas classes are far a way better and more fun!
Whatever after the class I told her I have a question on the nutrition.
She told me if I am not planning to commit myself. She is not going to make an appointment and talk to me! I still don’t know what this means. Should I sign a one year contract with her to ask her which protein shake I use.
Next day I checked my groopon voucher and I saw that: it includes nutrition guide and weight loss report. that’s what it says!
I emailed her. and I told her the situation and I asked her to clarify if she is discriminating the goruopon users. That was my birthday so I said it is my birthday I will be not able to come today.
She sent me 2 awful voice mails on my birthday! She says I am stressing the environment! — How am I doing that by an email Irma??? —
She says she is loved peacefull awsume person! If you check the reviews of her ex clients the only fact is this place got the worst reviews because of her negative attitudes!
I did not mind the reviews I said no worries I will just work out!
but guess they are all right!
Irma asks me to refund my money and recommends me to go Los Angeles Fitness or 24 hours fitness. I really wonder if I she did not know that I am a lawyer would she still offer a refund???
I called her today. I told her I don’t want refund I just try to understand. She keeps talking her own way and she does not listen!!! She says that’s my business that my rules.
She is responsible for everything her employees say! She just turns of the phone to my face.
I don’t like writing bad reviews but she really asked for it!
I also complaint to groupon and I will also take other legal actions.
Maybe she can learn that this is not her city. Laws exist in California this is not your kingdom and we are not your slaves.
And if you guys want to get a real work out and okey to pay 375 dollars for just working out. — without 1 – 1 nutrition guides– Beilieve me you can find better places in Los Angeles for much more cheaper. This place is just a room. .
There are a lot of boot camps they have better reviews and nice owners! Pay more be happy!
But if you really want to go to this place ! Work with Tianna in afternoons, she is really positive, friendly and nice. I think she should have own place. and stay away from Irma and her negative aura!
Note: I wrote the situation to Gropoun and they refund me in 10 hours! If you have a problem with Irma not try to talk to her. Leave her to her own world. For others there are a lot of lawyers out there. and for free services call services to help you to get your money back!