The Camp Transformation Center - Los Angeles Mid Cities

Saraswati Kaur

Great workouts, great schedule.

Richard Day

I got a Facebook ad promising a 6 week transformation of either 20lbs lost or 5% body fat reduction for free. This intrigued me and I did an intro class. This is not a typical gym, it is relatively small (The mid city location, other locations are bigger) with specific hours. This gym is class based with classes from 5-9am and 5-8pm M-F, sat and sun 7-9am. This works for people with 9-5 jobs since they can go before or after work. There are also a couple hours that the gym has no classes and you can use the equipment without a class going on around you. The lack of space does make it very hard to use weights while a class is in session. The days rotate the workout, either upper, lower, or full body. The gym itself has everything you would need, there are enough free weights, medicine balls, bosu balls, resistance bands, kettle bells and plates to get anything you want done along with a squat/pullup rack. In addition they have a small cardio room with treadmills and bikes. The cost at the time of writing this was $300 for the challenge, $147 monthly, or $1000 if you buy a whole year. If you accomplish the challenge, you get the $300 back and basically got pushed to lose 20lbs for free. For me that was incentive and accountability. The classes are station based. A usually class involved 5-8 stations, you would do a 5-15min warmup and then a trainer would go through each station explaining what you do (one station could be 10 box jumps and then 10 burpees) and then you cycle through all the stations 1-3 times. The trainers are all great, they will help you if you are struggling (can’t do a box jump, how about a step up or squat) and will push you through out the entire workout. The challenge has specific things you need to do in order to get the $300 back. The main two are that you need to check into each workout on fb and attend 30 workouts at the camp.They also have a diet plan since diet is 80% of weight loss and “homework”. 6 weeks is 42 days, I did 34 workouts in the 42 days, some of which being double days. The “homework” is addition weight lifting outside of the camp workouts. So the challenge instructions require approx. 90-120 min of working out for 30 days within a 42 day period along with a restrictive diet (no red meat, unlimited vegetables). If anyone thinks this is easy, it is not. I thought I was in good shape, I could do an 18 mile hike, run 3-5 miles, and bike 30+ miles. The first 3 classes literally destroyed me. I was using a lot of muscles that I don’t normally use. I stuck with the workouts and did the homework at a separate gym closer to home and cheap. The diet is equally challenging for anyone who hasn’t meal prepped. You need to eat every 2-3 hours if you’re awake, and trust me you will need it. I would eat 5-6 meals a day, 3 main meals and 2-3 snacks in between. A snack is just a meal without a carb element or a scoop of protein powder. The trainers can help you with any question regarding the diet and recipes. So did I accomplish the challenge? No. but I lost 3% body fat and 16lbs and I have a pretty good cardio base now for hiking, running, and biking. Do I think I wasted the $300 deposit? Also no, I went to about 37 classes from when I first started to the end of the challenge, that means it was about $8 per class for me to take. I haven’t lost this much weight in 5 years and would always get stuck around 215lbs. I started at 225lbs and at the time of writing this I’m 207lbs. I have never lost this much weight in such a short amount of time and that is testament to the effectiveness of this program. These classes and the diet helped me break that barrier and it was totally worth it. There were people who did complete the challenge. Some started at a higher weight than me and the workouts and diet helped them more than me, but they had to push twice as hard with all the extra weight. A lot of this challenge is willpower to show up, follow the directions, and don’t quit. So if you have those qualities then anyone can do this. I am currently on the next challenge to continue to push myself.

Chris D

Best gym ever! The trainers are very supportive and there are lots of workout opportunities. It's not a traditional gym with rows of equipment and no one to help you. Rather there are set scheduled classes everyday. Classes are challenging and fun. They offer a 6 week weight loss challenge with a nutrition plan. The gym is very community oriented and encouragement is everywhere. I love looking at the before and after posters of actual members I sometimes workout with! You can go on your own to work out, but the classes are almost like have personal training lessons. Really cannot say enough positive things about this gym!

emily acosta

I'm a member here. Love the staff and can't get enough of the work outs. This is the best gym experience I've ever had.