The Equinox club, which the Dangerous Minds team visited in West Hollywood, is the most tech-saavy, advanced workout arena I’ve ever been to. Their machines are state-of-the-art, their staff is trained to the highest and most current scientific standards, and they even have a full suite of support technology, starting with their own iPhone app.
Simply put, Equinox is AWESOME. It’s like walking into a perfectly-oiled Megascience Machine designed to remake you into your ideal self. And they are offering Dangerous Minds readers a 3-day trial membership.
First off, Equinox looks more like a cruise ship than a traditional gym. The epic facilities include rows of frontline equipment and all of the amenities you would come to expect from a gym, but also so much more: Aromatherapy suites. Tanning areas. Steam rooms. Massage tables. Yoga. Everything you need to conduct your own personal leisure crusade. It’s the type of place you’d want to spend more time at than your own home or office, a gym paradise loaded down with so many features and perks that it might be harder to NOT exercise than to exercise. Gyms have traditionally been sweaty, grunty prisons. Equinox is more like stepping into your own personal comfort zone.
Their training process shows an incredible level of research and attention paid to the newest advances in sports and fitness technology?˘‚Ǩ‚ÄůEquinox’s 3-Cycle System and Active Metabolic Training System show that this is a new kind of gym, one focused on working out in the smartest and most advanced way possible. Fitness trainers at Equinox complete 150 hours of education at the Equinox Fitness Training Institute (EFTI), molding them into Fitness Ninjas equipped with the latest and greatest personal training science, the perfect complement to Equinox’s state-of-the-art equipment.
And, of course, there’s the highly impressive iPhone application?˘‚Ǩ‚ÄůMYEQ, which is like a personal training assistant. The application allows users to see what’s happening in the club, track their visits and progress, reserve equipment or spots in classes, and interface with the iPhone’s calendar to keep class scheduling current. You can even use the application to check in, by flashing your member code on the phone when you walk in. The app also plays Equinox-curated DJ sets, also, to keep you entertained while you work out. (Equinox is so committed to developing their workout support technology that they have their own Director of Internet Services.)
All in all, I was VERY impressed. As the kind of guy whose exercise routine consists of running away from gyms, Equinox really, really made me want to reconsider that policy. Beautiful facilities, beautiful people, beautiful views of the Los Angeles skyline. YES.
Click here to redeem your 3-day trial membership to Equinox. It’s not fitness. It’s life.
