Rosslyn BID team takes on 30-Day Challenge at Anytime Fitness
With the help of a professional coach, could we set and achieve measurable fitness goals?
By Taylor Johnson and Mary Dallao
When Anytime Fitness opened a short walk from the Rosslyn BID’s office on North Fort Myer Drive in April 2019, we were excited by the prospect of having a brand-new fitness studio so close by. Even better: Owner Russ Sharafeyev offered our team a free 30-day trial membership. We really didn’t have an excuse for pushing off our workouts now!
Two of us activated our memberships and, as a source of motivation, decided to work with one of Anytime’s coaches to set realistic, measurable fitness goals that we could track with their biometric body scanner.1
Coach Peter O'Shanick conducts Mary's first InBody scan. The state-of-the-art machine provides a highly accurate measure of body composition. Anytime members can utilize the InBody at regular intervals to track progress against their fitness goals.
At our first meeting, Coach Peter O’Shanick conducted a scan on each of us to give us a baseline for our progress. Peter explained that the goal is not to fixate on the scale, but to help people understand their bodies and set goals that are specific and achievable. Upon joining, all new members have the opportunity to do a body scan and meet with one of Anytime’s coaches for a fitness consultation and goal-setting.
Mary’s goal was to gain muscle, and Taylor’s was to successfully do one pull-up. Since we each had different objectives, we took to two different training programs. Mary chose to follow the Intermediate Kettlebell Plan that was laid out in the Anytime Fitness app. At Peter’s advice, she also significantly increased her protein intake. Taylor opted for various strength and toning exercises with a slight focus on back and shoulder strength.
Working out at the gym was phenomenal. There was every type of machine you could want, from resistance and cardio equipment downstairs to TRX and free weight upstairs, as well as functional training equipment such as battle ropes, gymnastic rings and a magnetic sled. The space is bright and open, offering great views of the outdoors through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Our wonderful coach, Peter, worked with Mary to achieve her goal of building muscle. Here he is teaching her how to do a Turkish Get-up, a kettlebell exercise Mary had never been able to do correctly in the past!
We both made great use of Anytime’s app. It made staying on track easy, even when we were out of town or unable to make it to the gym. The app provides hundreds of workout routines and written instructions on how to perform each exercise, as well as videos of people demonstrating how to do them. You can use the app to log your workouts and monitor your progress, as well as keep in touch with your coach between sessions. In following the Intermediate Kettlebell Plan, Mary noticed that the exercises grew increasingly complex and challenging as the weeks progressed. The videos and instructions were enormously helpful in ensuring proper form each time. If an exercise was repeated from one week to the next, she could see how much weight she lifted in a previous week and decide if she wanted to increase the challenge. Being able to independently do progressively more difficult, guided workouts through the app was almost as good as having a coach present. We aren’t aware of other fitness studios offering an app quite like this one.
Anytime also has a Team Workout Program that provides opportunities for small groups to exercise together in a supportive community that may foster some healthy competition. “Having someone next to you grab a bit heavier weight can force you to be a little more honest with yourself about how hard you’re working, and that’s definitely valuable,” Peter says.
Anytime offers Base, Burn and Build workouts weekday mornings and evenings and Saturday mid-mornings.
Base is accessible to people of a variety of fitness levels, offering a lot of foundational, functional movements. The focus is on perfecting form and then expanding on that to vary the level of challenge.
Burn is similar to a high-intensity interval training program (HIIT). Weights used may be lighter but the overall pace is quicker, with fewer opportunities for rest in between.
Build is slower-paced and uses heavier weights with more individualized training support so that people can manage heavy loads safely and effectively in a way they may not be able to do in a larger group setting.
Another great selling point: Anytime Fitness is open 24/7 so you can work out whenever it makes sense for you. Anytime has locations all over the world, with 4,500 clubs in 37 countries and on seven continents, and the amazing team of staff and coaches at our Rosslyn location makes you feel more like a friend and less like a customer.
“We are a coaching club driven by results and relationships with our members,” says Anytime Fitness Owner Russ Sharafeyev. “It’s very hard for many people to start their fitness journey due to feeling uncomfortable or simply not knowing where to start. It’s our mission to create a space where members are heard, understood and provided with knowledge and encouragement to start on their path! What makes us truly unique, though, is the approach we take throughout our member onboarding process. We truly care about members’ success. It's what drives us and makes our days here at Anytime Fitness Rosslyn meaningful!”
"We are a coaching club driven by results and relationships with our members. . . . We truly care about members’ success. It's what drives us and makes our days here at Anytime Fitness Rosslyn meaningful! – Russ Sharafeyev.
So, how did we do? Mary hit her goal of building muscle and Taylor (who was, quite frankly, shocked) completed two pull-ups on her final day with Anytime Fitness, and we have the photo evidence to prove it!
Learn more: Anytime Fitness Rosslyn
