Cardio Express

01/31/12

Crappy

by metaca at Citysearch

you get what you pay for...they moved to a shinier spot, but whore'd out the free weights...no straight bars, no racks, tiny area, and good luck getting a decent workout any where near normal hours. if you dont know better and are a cardio/ machine slave, then you'll get your moneys worth. LA Fitness is so much better and worh more $. these guys lied for years saying they wouldnt downsize, and the tween employees and out of shape manager dont know or care that this happened. I would avoid it

04/09/11

you get what you pay for, sadly...

by paul1938 at Citysearch

I have attempted cardio express three times. Cardio is basically for the younger, uninitiated beginner. If youre a kid looking to start out, its adequate for your needs. If youre an experienced adult with higher standards, then its a place to avoid. Most adults, unlike kids, can afford $30-50 a month for a well-rounded club. Cardio is populated mainly with the low-brow, attention-seeking types. It is not adequate for a balanced wellness program involving interval, tapatta style training, and the trainers are very ignorant in the areas of body mechanics and general body chemistry/dynamics. I prefer healthtrax, as it is staffed with well-versed professional trainers that construct unique work-outs based on client needs. Additionally, while the staff at Cardio may indeed be friendly, that friendliness is in no way genuine. It is very carbon-copy, offering the same cookie cutter juvenile stuff that you would expect if you were shopping at a teen cloting store. It fools the kids, but most well-versed grown ups wouldnt be fooled. I prefer a place that is genuinely interested in providing a truly positive environment. After all, THATS what I pay for. NOT the weights. 45 pounds is 45 pounds and an olympic bar is an olympic bar, no matter where you work. The discerning consumer pays for atmosphere as much as they pay for the facilities. You can tell the difference between a place filled with health-oriented people from a place like Cardio, where most of the kids there are more interested in checking out their arms in the mirrors than in actually developing a serious regimen that benefits them. I suspect that if Cardio Express took down half their mirrors, they would lose half their clients. Way too much self love in that environment. My third attempt at Cardio Express was my last. Cardio loses my business. Cardio just plain loses.

09/29/09

Great Value, Great Facility

by ODubsD at Citysearch

I have been a member of Cardio Express for two years and have had nothing less than a great experience. You cant beat $10 or $20 a month for a great facility, friendly environment, and unlimited tanning. (I used to pay WAY more than this for tanning alone). There are commitment, and non commitment memberships available so just be sure to pay attention to what you are signing up for, and there should be no reason to get bent out of shape. Some of the newer Cardios are really nice, but If your looking for a descent sized free weight room, check out the Cardio in Vernon! (although dumbells only go to 75lbs.) Enjoy!

• Pros:  Plenty to do if ur serious about being healhy
• Cons: people who expect a platnum facility for $10mo.

06/15/09

Oh super gross! Try to get parking too

by TheTruth101 at Citysearch

This gym come originally from Atlanta, and they are predatory on their contracts because they know most people will sign up for a gym and not go, so they do lock ins for "12" months. I mean just a disgusting gym, if you want a cheap gym with gross equipment and promises of a new location come to one of these.

• Pros: Cheap and great if you like to smell dirt and sweat
• Cons: Gross

07/12/08

Honestly, what do people expect?

by FilipB2 at Citysearch

About me: I've been going to the Vernon CE for the past 4-5 years and am satisfied with it. I am fit and healthy and have both a practical and scientific understanding of working out (and I read all about it on the internet). I don't use their tanning and would never even consider using any of the "personal training" but the facilities are good. I'm 21 and go to UConn and prefer the CE gym to UConn's, mostly due to extreme overcrowding at UConn (waiting 20 minutes for a bench).

One of my big problems with society these days is that far too many people feel "entitled" to everything. Bottom line is, you get what you pay for. With Cardio Express, you pay $10 a month and get everything you need to get and stay in great shape. There're plenty of cardio machines and enough free weights/bars for anyone that isn't a huge bodybuilder. I think they try to attract less experienced gym-goers (which is why they have dumbells only going up to 75 lbs.), but that's fine - most people get turned off to weight lifting if there are extremely hulky guys hogging the benches and whatnot. As an aside, I visited the Tolland CE recently, and they severely lack any substantial amount of free weights and the place is small, so I wouldn't go there. The Vernon CE gets really busy in peak hours (5-9 on weekdays) but most other times it's fine. I try to go in off-peak hours. A big concern is the parking. It truly is pathetic if you go in the peak hours and sometimes you have to wait a minute or two to find a spot. This was supposed to be alleviated by moving locations, but that has been in the works for the last couple years and almost none of the staff know what's going on with that. The staff in general is OK (read: not great). It's mostly young people and most just like to socialize. I would stay away from asking advice from any of the staff as most are fairly clueless.

• Pros: price, equipment
• Cons: parking, staff, no good classes