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January 2024 by Vik
I went to this gym to try it out and was told I can’t return. After about 1.5hrs of working out at this gym, I went into the weight room to military press. I took my shirt off and as soon as I did, the trainer I’ve attached a photo of named kyle asked me if I could put my shirt on. At first I thought he was joking to be friendly and but he was being serious. I was surprised so I asked him why we need a shirt on since it’s a gym and his response was "dude it’s retro fitness”. So even though I didn’t agree with him, I started walking back towards my shirt to get it when a random guy turned around and said "he would really appreciate it and that it would make him feel a lot better if I put a shirt on. So I stopped to respond to what he said and told him "if he feels that way, those are his own insecurities”. He responded by saying "you know what, you’re right”. At that point, the other trainer pictured (renaldo) rudely jumped in and aggressively said "if you don’t put you’re shirt on, I’m going to have you removed from the gym”. At that point I told him I was on the way to get my shirt and the insecure man interrupted me and now you’re starting a conversation, which is why I haven’t made it to the shirt yet. Am I supposed to ignore these people or treat them with respect and stop when they’re talking to me? renaldo wasn’t even wearing a trainer shirt at that point, he was wearing a tank top and tries to jumped in and make himself feel big inside and act like a complete hypocrite. I told kyle and renaldo that there are pictures of them flexing SHIRTLESS posted in the gym and they are threatening to kick me out because I took my shirt off? They both said "that’s only a picture”. Who in their right mind tries to justify something like this? These guys are literally trainers at this gym, gloating in their SHIRTLESS pics, everyone sees them flexing and here they are trying to kick a guy out of the gym who is minding his own business trying to military press with headphones on. I put the shirt on and they both went about their business. I was at the gym for a couple more hours after that, during which renaldo kept chatting with different people and kept looking over at me with the people he was chatting with and smiling and laughing because was telling them all about what happened. So this guy renaldo threatens to kick me out over a shirt because it makes people feel "uncomfortable” yet he goes out to different groups of people and talks smack about me and continues to turn around with these people and tries to make me feel uncomfortable. What an absolute hypocrite and low life to do this. As I’m leaving the gym, the employee in the front stops me and says "you can no longer return to this gym”. I asked him "do you even know what happened and how wrong it is to kick someone of a gym based on one hypocrites attitude”? I showed him the photos of the guys shirtless and brought him over to renaldo to ask renaldo why he felt the need to do all this and he said because it’s not gonna affect me if I just put a shirt on to make strangers feel better. Again, what a hypocrite. With that logic he should tell himself that it’s not going to affect insecure strangers either if someone has their shirt off and if it does, they should seek help. What a society this is where people are shamed and kicked out of gyms for not wanting to wear a shirt to make insecure people more comfortable. Then again, these gyms know this and condone it to create an artificial safe space for the insecure. Instead of having people strengthen themselves mentally while they do physically as well they would rather do contradictory things like this and literally treat others the way they don’t want to be treated. THE PHOTOS OF THE TRAINERS SHIRTLESS IS POSTED IN THIS REVIEW. THIS IS THE ACTUAL PHOTO IN THE GYM. PUT A SHIRT ON GUYS. ESPECIALLY kyle and renaldo, YOU DON’T WANT TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL INSECURE AND CONTRADICT YOURSELVES.
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January 2024 by Zada Marebwa
I have been enjoying the facilities at the Fort Lee location for 1 month now, it is fantastic spot with lots of exercise equipment, and very clean. I absolutely love my trainer Esther Oh, who pushes without breaking me! She is very encouraging and a great choice for a beginner like me. I already feel myself getting stronger:)
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January 2024 by Ellen Choi
I've been taking personal training class instructed by Esther and absolutely like it so far! I highly recommend Esther as a trainer aka tiger trainer!! I feel the difference as I've started in the beginning of the class until now. It's a challenge but definitely worth it! I feel stronger each session and boosted self-confidence through weightlifting. Must check it out if you want the best of yourself, Esther can definitely help you with that :)
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January 2024 by Vincent Kim
This place is a great gym; clean and spacious with everything I need. I highly recommend the trainers here as well, especially my own trainer Esther Oh. She kicks my *** (but not unreasonably so) and I've definitely been seeing/feeling the GAINS.
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January 2024 by Steve S. Lee
I have been working out for a year. I had the best time at Retro Fitness Fort Lee. All equipment is maintained well and great to have weightlifting racks - some other Retro Fitness didn't have it. I also take their Personal Training sessions. Sun would always advise me with nutrition and dietary recommendations. Kyle, as my primary coach, would always prepare the best plans for physical wellness as well as coach me in the most efficient way for body-building. Glad I walked into this gym this year!
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January 2024 by Maria Carrozza
I continue to enjoy coming to this Retro Fitness. It is very clean and spacious. The staff is accommodating. Dave, who I believe is the owner, goes out of his way to make sure everyone is happy. PS. The shakes are awesome!
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November 2023 by Fabian Martinez
I've been in the personal training industry for about a decade and a half and I've been to, and worked at, multiple gyms in my life/career. This retro fitness is awesome in this area. If you happen to be in Fort Lee NJ I recommend this gym. It's super clean, staff is nice, approachable and professional and it's huge. This was a video I sent to one of my clients ?
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November 2023 by Wonne Koh
Staff is generally friendly, gym is well maintained. Sun is exceptionally friendly; he could make conversation with a pebble. I can also infer, just in passing, that everyone loves their personal trainers and how they are treated.There is a good amount of equipment. Even during peak hours, I can usually find something to replace a workout if a machine's taken. The staff regularly remind everyone to wipe down the machines and re-rack their weights; Not everyone does this, as expected of a public gym, but those that do try heir best.At the front, they have a smoothie bar and a wide variety of pre-workout, hydration beverages, protein supplements, etc. The smoothies are very tasty and worth a try.I would like to emphasize the fact that this is a public gym, and not everyone has the same intentions as everyone else. The few uncomfortable moments that I have experienced here do not take away from how wonderful this establishment is.If you're thinking about signing up, do it.
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October 2023 by Regina Smith
It's clean, the gym is very well organized and there's a ton of equipment.
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October 2023 by Tobias Pasciolla
I love this gym and honestly for the price, I'd argue it's one of the best gyms in the area - even more so when compared to some of the more expensive gyms in the area.The space itself has a good amount of equipment, the turf area is nice and sizeable, but probably the main highlight for me is the dedicated weightlifting area. The gym can get busy if you go during standard peak hours, but off hours I've rarely had an issue.Gym is clean and the staff is honestly great. There's a lot of nice people working here. Parking is also never an issue which is also nice.To add to all of this, I have done personal training for a few months with the trainers at this gym. Sun since day one has helped me align my goals, help me plan my diet, and pair me with the right trainers to achieve my goals. My first coach Min really taught me the all the micro-optimizations for my lifts and actually built a program tailored around me. This was invaluable for me. My current coach Esther is also top notch, excellent at safely pushing me to my limits, and even after just a few sessions, I can see steady improvement in my physique, strength, and conditioning. I highly recommend her to all!All in all, love this gym.
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September 2023 by Hosam El Hady
Very well organized equipment, and floor plans, amenities are great options to have as well, lots of good classes
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September 2023 by CLP Auto
Amazing gym. Extremely tight knit community, the workers are amazing, very nice, friendly, and sociable. Ive just sat at the smoothie bar talking to them for 30 minutes after my workout just for fun. I do not understand the review "Cloe" left below me, because Dave is one of the people i try to converse with frequently when I see him, and hes been nothing but knowledgeable and respectful. So, thanks Dave! - Chris Little
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September 2023 by Cloe
2 stars, and only because staff, unlike the owner (Dave), have a welcoming attitude. Dave excels at making clients feel unwelcome.Dave has poor business/client service acumen and may likely reply to this comment, as he has to myself and others, by stating no one else has complained, as if that invalidates a client’s feedback. He is a pretty arrogant and condescending person. I recommend Dave take some customer service classes or perhaps retake them. Other customers probably do not bother providing feedback because they prefer to keep inner peace and know they waste their time when speaking to Dave since it will go nowhere, so why bother. I have even been told by another customer that he avoids Dave.Dave feels like he is doing paying clients favors by providing tickets to classes when a couple minutes late. Why pay for membership when patronizing Dave will stress you out for a class you voluntarily signed up for? Dave told me “next time come on time”. Side note, when classes are at full capacity, I understand why you lose your seat after 2 mins. (fully booked classes) since there are clients on standby, though there are other gyms that have a 5 minute grace period. Other than that no need for Dave’s comments. Any suppose concerns of injuries due to not stretching should be addressed by signs and liability waivers in the contract.I wrote this review, so that people are better informed when choosing which gym offers the best facility for their fitness journey. This gym is in basement with a small weights workout section and recently less group exercise classes, with an arrogant owner/manager. You want to enjoy where you work out, this encourages continuing your fitness journey.Despite the gym’s deficiencies, I really enjoyed going to the classes and would have continued if it wasn’t for hallway-monitor Dave. I’ll go elsewhere now and wish others luck selecting an establishment that facilitates their personal growth.
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September 2023 by Francis Lee
Overall: very good commercial gym, good gym culture. has mostly everything you need. Biggest con is having to walk up the stairs after legs1. Spaces - 4/5 - pretty diverse. You have a whole bike section, yoga, and then you have your athletic field, a CrossFit type section, and your traditional gym floor with all your machines and dumbbells. I just wish there was one more leg extension and leg curl station since that’s a little hard to come by2. Bathrooms - 3/5 - generally clean. There’s been some weird poop smell lately that obviously I don’t care for at all.3. Gym culture - 4/5 - generally speaking, the folks I’ve seen at the morning and late Night Shift are all incredibly respectful of each other and the equipment. The weights get put away in the right place in the CrossFit section. Unfortunately in the general machine section, it’s a bit of a war zone with plates placed Willy nilly. But the staff do their best to put things where they belong. The dumbbell section is always very well organized. There are a few teens I’ve seen, but it’s predominantly working age folks to retired folks I’ve seen here4. Staff - 5/5 - phenomenal. They’re always reminding people to put their equipment away after use and they’ll go out on the floor and put things away as needed. It’s obvious the staff cares about the image of the gym and making sure things are done the right way. The trainers all seem pretty chill and willing to ask general questions if you have any. The guy at the front desk with the long hair that works nights is really niceI can’t speak to the protein bar, the store, massage chair thing, physical therapy, and anything else listed here.
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September 2023 by Tim l (Tixm)
clean nice small gym. except it's way too crowded for its size. memberships are pretty expensive for what it offers. I was told I can cancel membership on the phone by calling the number I was given when I signed up cuz I knew there are some gyms that makes canceling membership annoying. membership has to be canceled in person in this gym which they have said otherwise.
