Koko Fit Club - pros and cons
Thanks!
Pros:
- If you're flaundering on where to begin with your workout, this is no brainer workout. Everything is run on a tight regiment. When you first go there, they will do a strength test with you and your numbers will be put into a computer system, which determines your strength workouts.
- It's a very efficient workout. In 45 minutes, you will have a solid 30 minute strength workout, customized to your previous lifting abilities, and a 15 minute cardio workout.
- The training is done "electronically"-- so although it is personal, it's not a human being. I consider this a positve, as with people, you can easily waste time with small chatter or explanations, but this way, the computer just tells you directly what to do. If you do want to talk to a person, you can always ask the front desk! They are always very knowledgeable.
- It's not a typical "gym" scene. There are no grunting muscle men walking around! There are no mirrors, no juice bar, no towel service, no childcare, no locker room. (This can be a pro or a con... depending on what you're looking for). The expense of the gym goes directly to the high-tech equipment and all of the other offerings are eliminated. If you're looking to go somewhere for an efficient workout & shower at home, this place is a good fit.
- The staff at my KoKo is always VERY friendly. I think it's a corporate mandate for all staff to greet members by their name when entering the facility... Whether it's mandated or not, it's a very friendly welcome!
Cons:
- Their technology is very effective in strength training, but they do not have customized workouts for cardio. They do have a selection of preloaded cardio workouts on an ipod, but their cardio workouts are not as structured as the strength training. They tell you 15 minutes, 3 times a week is enough for cardio, but I question this philosophy... as I personally have to suppliment my cardio with other exercises too.
- I personally love to watch TV or listen to music on the treadmill and there is not any type of cardio theater programs on the cardio machines.
- The treadmills at my gym face a wall-- not the most exciting!
- It's expensive... including tax, it's around $100/month.
- It can get crowded at peak hours and there aren't a lot of machines.
- I do wish they had a towel service & a locker room! I'm often inconvenienced to run home and shower before continuing my day. (I don't know if this applies to you!)
I hope this list helps! Good luck!
I joined KoKo about 3 months ago and I have to say that I'm really liking it. I'm doing their "core" program as opposed to their "weightloss" program and I'm not really aiming to lose weight but rather to strengthen my muscles. I've lost about 12 pounds but my body shape is much better than it was. More importantly, my back doesn't hurt anymore because I've built up the muscles to support myself better.
The pros:
the program itself works with minimal time or soreness
schedule works around your daily needs - you don't need to coordinate with a trainer
Never quite do the same workout twice so I'm not getting bored
Typically get a fantastic workout in under an hour
Strength program customizes to my needs and teaches me each exercise
Some staff are adept at offering help when needed but leaving me alone when not
All the staff is nice - no demeaning comments about my lack of skills
There are all types of people in the gym: sleek bodys and fat ones, old and young, serious and funny
The cons:
Some staff are too busy or too clueless to help
Dependent on computers to work and sometimes they just don't (though the staff works around the problems)
Can get tired of just elliptical or treadmill for the cardio part
The nuts and bolts:
KoKo has two parts to it. There is a cardio component and a strength component. The ideal plan is to do the 15 minute cardio 3-7 days a week and the 30-45 minute strength 3-4 days a week. I do the 15 minute elliptical cardio followed by the strength machine and finish up with another cardio on the treadmill. You use a USB drive (or thumb drive) to track what you do each visit. This USB drive allows the strength program to be customized to you; your strength program won't be exactly like anyone else's.
The cardio program is actually fun. I used to hate cardio. Even listening to music or stories wasn't sufficient to keep me from being bored. There are 12 programs for the elliptical and another 12 for the treadmill. There are 4 low-intensity, 4 mid-level, and 4 "are you nuts?" levels but best of all, you are listening to a coach inspire you as you work out. These programs are changed seasonally so just when you start to get bored with what he's saying, you'll get new ones to listen to. Michael, the voice on the program, pushes you hard but he continually reminds you to do what you can do and not overdo it. At the low intensity, he reminds you every time he wants you to bump up the difficulty level that your goal is 15 minutes of cardio with good form so he gives you ranges to use. Don't be surprised if in the middle of the cardio, he breaks into some song snippet or starts applauding you! Also, don't ever think his "walk in the park" is a gentle stroll!
The strength program uses a weight machine. There are several progams to choose from from weightloss to core strength to cancer recovery so you can pick what is most relevant to you. Everyone starts with a 2-week Foundation program first then starts a (typically) year long program. It's not actually a year-long but really an 8-week portion followed by two 2-week intensives then another 8-week portion, etc. What I'm liking is that I never do the same workout twice. I may do the same exercises that I've done before but no workout is identical to one I've done before. Each exercise allows you to set your range of motion so if you are limited or extra-flexible, you can set the machine to match _your_ needs rather than you matching the limits of the machine. While the strength part is expected to take 30 minutes, until you know how to do the exercises and set up the machine, it's fair to allocate 45 minutes. Once you are familiar with everything, the 30 minutes they quote is pretty accurate.
The strength machine has a small computer as part of it. You plug in your USB drive and it reads what exercises you should be doing as well as how much weight to use. You can increase or decrease the weights and the program will remember that for next time. Typically, you'll do each exercise 2-3 times during your session and will do 6-8 repetitions in each set. As you do a repetition, there is a graphic you follow to make sure you are doing the exercise at the appropriate speed to get the most benefit from the exercise. You can reset the range of motion for each exercise as needed or get a refresher on how to do the exercise if you've forgotten how to do it.
Note that other than the voice of Michael, I haven't mentioned any people involved? Here's where it gets slightly less perfect. While the computer program walks you through a great workout designed to make you stronger without making you too sore, sometimes it's easy to not quite understand how to do an exercise. At my local KoKos, some of the staff keep a close eye on the people working out and some don't. Robin is great about correcting my form when I am in error but leaves me alone the rest of the time. The rest of the staff are either too busy or need to be asked for help.
That said, when I have engaged the staff, they've been very helpful and not at all dismissive of my lack of skills or muscle tone. I've been in some gyms where I get no help because I don't fit their idea of what a healthy person looks like. Koko hasn't had even a whiff of that.
Like any exercise program, it only works if you use it. Curves and most other chain programs I've looked into are just too repetitive to keep me coming. Koko worksespecially hard to keep from being boring. They've included the ideas of game achievements in their program, too. Each workout gives you KoKo points which you can use to redeem for merchandise. Each month has some sort of a challenge that earns you points. Each strength training session has rewards for being perfectly in synch with the repetitions. As you get more points, you earn a different color on your USB drive. Silly? Perhaps, but it's indicative of how they aren't the stoggy sweatshop I think of when I think of a gym.
I hope this help you understand how KoKo works. Even if you opt not to try it, I wish you well!
