If you’re serious about achieving your best physical condition, I mean, if you are not screwing around at all, Blood Sweat & Tears is a fitness haven you want to be a part of.
I always heard good things about this gym and their unique (sometimes odd!) approach to fitness, so on a dare I jumped on the waiting list, decided to join up. About eight months later (yes eight), I got the call and well, holy crap. My first week there I knew that I was about to get my money’s worth. I also knew that my fitness lifestyle going forward was gonna be different.
To the big point, Blood Sweat & Tears is a place where elite fitness meets mind and body wellness. They bring a bonkers blend of high-performance programs designed for people who live (or would like to) a high-energy, active lifestyle, and mental and emotional well-being are treated as essential elements of the fitness journey. When I tell you, there are LAYERS. Clients walk away not just stronger, but healthier overall in ways that benefit them in other aspects of their lives, not just how many steps they got in for the day or how much they can lift.
Now don’t get me wrong. You can definitely come through the door with fitness goals, and you and your trainer will put together your programs to help you achieve those goals, but at BST the focus isn’t just on physical change, like weight loss or casual fitness, like trying to get a six pack or a bubble butt—this is a place where a more profound transformation happens.
So, being honest here, if you just wanna lose 20 pounds for an event or swimsuit season, this place is not for you. If running or dancing is your interest, or your passion, and you want to be the best possible version of yourself you can be, and you want to be able to do that thing you love and, grow in it, do it for the next 5 years, 10 years, more? This place is for you.
They also train you in other areas that compliment and strengthen that growth. Activities that you probably would have never even thought to try on your own!
Blood Sweat & Tear's attention to every detail is what's especially valuable, in every discipline they have on the menu like wrestling, fencing, and martial arts, archery (and incredibly much more) where proper technique and form are critical, this is where their staff shine. Trainers at BST are experts in their fields, employing in-depth instruction and adjustments to make sure you’re always improving and mastering the skills.
Trainers specialize in preparing clients for demanding lifestyles that mimic the physical rigor of professional dancers, athletes, and performers. This doesn’t mean you need to be an athlete to sign up, though. The studio welcomes anyone who’s willing to put in the work to get in top shape, including everyday fitness enthusiasts who are also determined to push their limits and newbies who want to get started. But it does mean that you will train like an athlete, a dancer, a performer. And the studio expects to see the fruits of their work as well. Clients who fall off or who prove to show lack of dedication are dismissed from the program.
Real talk, that was surprising to me. They basically fire you. I thought that was so crazy (don't they like membership money??) until I saw the program for myself, saw the results. (MIND and BODY wellness.) and realized yeah, their name is on the line, their reputation speaks for itself for a reason!
Not sure of the word I’m looking for here, but there's an emotional-centered ness (??) that you bring to your workout programs, like I’ve never had before when trying to work out at the gym, honestly. Somehow when you enter BST, before you even break a sweat, you do a kind of rewarding mental work, preparing your body and mind to get ready to do the physical work. I can't go into the details because each program is tailored specifically to that client, and also clients sign a contract about redistributing in any way BST's programs, methods, etc. Which I didn't mind at all, considering the benefits!
I never realized before, until I learned how to do this mental deep cleaning and focusing, how very distracted I often was when trying to work out. Any workout. At the gym, running outside, yoga in my own home, I was distracted as hell and didn’t really realize I was, and how badly that effected what I was doing.
Well no more! I'm sticking with BST. Will post an update in a few more months!
---reviewed by Maya