CrossFit Alexandria VA

Our CrossFit classes feature of blend of strength training and conditioning. They are designed to help you build muscle and lose weight. Our CrossFit class are open to beginners and advanced athletes:

The Sand & Steel Difference

Cleaner Surfaces, Better Instruction, Smaller Classes, Lower Prices, and the Most Experienced Coaches

We are a full service Personal Training & CrossFit Gym in Alexandria VA. We even have towel service, showers, A/C, and a CrossFit Equipment Shop 

The Cleanest CrossFit Box in Northern VA

Professionally cleaned every week, we are a health conscious community that proudly hosts the cleanest CrossFit & Personal Training gym in Alexandria VA. You’ll find our gym stocked with all Rogue branded equipment maintained in meticulous condition.

Better Instruction in Smaller Classes

We provide real coaching, feedback, and training in our Personal Training & CrossFit Classes. We teach and provide modifications for beginner, intermediate, and advanced athletes. We keep our classes small so you can learn faster.  Our average class size is just 6 people. A higher coach to member ratio helps you improve faster, more safely.

Lower Prices

  • Personal Training
  • CrossFit Memberships
  • Nutrition and Yoga Classes
  • Open Gym

The Most Experienced Coaches

Owners Dawn and Paul have more than 20 years of experience and over 50 training certifications in CrossFit, Olympic lifting, Powerlifting, Yoga, Nutrition, and Mobility. We hire the best coaches in the DC area so your Personal Training & CrossFit experience is safe & effective.
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Mon-Thurs: CrossFit Classes at 6AM, 7AM, 9AM, 5:30PM, and 6:30PM.
Friday: 6AM and 5:30PM. Saturday 9AM. Sunday 8AM-11AM.

How Much Does CrossFit Cost at Sand & Steel?

Because our prices changes from time to time, we don’t have our prices listed in this instructional article.

  • To view our prices, please create an account here. Once we approve your account, you’ll be able to view all of our prices.
  • Or you can simply request a price quote and we’ll provide with the prices and membership options relevant to your inquiry.
  • We can price match most competitors.
  • We are one of the highest ranked gym in Northern Virginia.

How Much Does CrossFit Cost in Alexandria Generally

All CrossFits in Alexandria VA, Arlington VA, Fairfax VA, National Landing, and Washington DC set their own prices.  Pricing depends on:

  • Your frequency (sessions per month),
  • Terms (month to month, 3 month commitment, 6 month commitment), and
  • Add-ons (specialty classes, open gym).

Sand & Steel was the lowest priced CrossFit in the Northern Virginia at the time this article was published. In general, CrossFit can cost anywhere from $175-$300 per month in Alexandria VA.

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Why Join our CrossFit Classes in Alexandria VA?

With CrossFit’s constantly varied, high-intensity functional movements, CrossFit’s method of training provides a unique opportunity to truly improve fitness.  With our extensive knowledge and experience in personal training, mobility, and fitness classes, we are able to provide a safe and consistent CrossFit class experience. We know you have a lot of options when it comes to CrossFit and class based gyms in Alexandria. We take your results, your training, and your safety serious and deliver on value… each and every class.

What Happens in Sand & Steel’s CrossFit Class

In our CrossFit Classes in Alexandria VA, we run, row, powerlift, swing kettlebells, work core, and do pullups (sometimes with assistance). We scale these exercises so that they are safe for you and we vary them. CrossFit improves your general physical preparedness in all activities (from hiking, deadlifting, to handstands). If you want to get faster and stronger at all things fitness, CrossFit is for you.

Why is CrossFit So Expensive?

First off, I don’t think CrossFit is expensive.  But I get asked this question all the time, so I wanted to address it.  And to be fair, I thought CrossFit was expensive back when I knew nothing about fitness. Some CrossFit gyms costs $200-$250 per month? If you want to learn how to weight lift, have certified coaches teach you how to lift safely, and join a community of people working together to improve their fitness, there is no replacement for a CrossFit Gym. Sand & Steel has carefully found cost savings measures so that we are able to provide a powerful and effective CrossFit service at lower prices.

Pricing Thoughts on CrossFit Costs

CrossFit is more expensive than gyms like Gold’s gym or Planet Fitness, because you have more space as a member (barbells take up more space per person than treadmills).  CrossFit gyms also have train and pay their instructors.  CrossFit gyms have to pay rents that costs $5,000-$15,000 per month.  Buildout costs are generally $100,000-$200,000, which are generally financed.  Long story short, CrossFit gyms charge more, because they cost more to operate.  And while you might think that $200/month is a lot for a gym, most group fitness classes (like Orange Theory, F45, CorePower Yoga) charge similar prices.

With CrossFit, you are getting a time-proven system followed by more than 16,000 gyms.

CrossFit is a proven system and its only getting better

CrossFit is a system that will help get you in the best shape of your life.  If you annualize the cost, CrossFit costs about $2500/ year.  Personally, I think being in the best shape of your life is worth that.  It’s all about priorities — I always find room in my budget to get some Starbucks once a week.  Yeah, they have gotten expensive (they now charge about $5.50 for a Mocha I used to pay $4.75 for), but rents are expensive in Alexandria, VA.

Individual CrossFit Accommodations in Alexandria VA Differ

What are some key differences between CrossFit Boxes in Alexandria VA?

  • Does the Box have air conditioning?  We have a 1-ton commercial air conditioning unit.  This allows us to keep the gym at a reasonable temperature with lower humidity.
  • How Clean is the Gym?  Cleaning CrossFit gyms is a lot of work and much more expensive than you might think.  Clean gyms are safer from an hygienic point of view.
  • How Good is the Gym Organization?  Simply put, your coaches and owners should care about how the gym is organized.  They should enforce organization policies.  You will be asked to assist in putting equipment away.  “Leave no trace” applies to camping and CrossFits.
  • What is the condition and number of restrooms?
  • What is the quality of flooring?  3/4 inch rubber is the gold standard for flooring.  Avoid boxes that just have concrete or metal.  These tend to create more injuries.
  • What is the quality of the equipment?  For most products, we have found that Rogue Fitness is the gold standard in terms of function and durability.  There are other good brands such as Again Faster, All in Wonder, Legend, Elite FTS, Life Fitness, etc.
  • Are showers available?  If having access to a shower after your workout is important to you, seek out a box that has one.  Our CrossFit Box in Alexandria VA has one shower and three changing rooms.
  • How big is the gym?  CrossFit Gyms can vary in size, but you are generally looking for a box 4000 square feet – 8,000 square feet.  Tall ceilings 15ft+ is also a benefit.
  • Is parking included?  Most CrossFit boxes don’t have ample parking.  You’ll want to check out how hard it is to park at your potential box.  Sand & Steel CrossFit has access to over a hundred parking spots.
  • How close is the Box to the Metro or Subway?  Obviously, if you use the subway or metro, having your box / gym near the metro is a big plus.  Sand and Steel CrossFit is a block away from the Van Dorne Metro station.

Do I have to Pay Extra for Other Classes?

Most CrossFits in Virginia and DC charge you extra for yoga and Olympic lifting classes.  Be sure to ask what is included with your basic membership and what is not.


Are CrossFit Classes in Alexandria VA Right for Me?

The million dollar question … and probably the reason you are reading this article.  So let’s step through the pros and cons of CrossFit Classes at your local CrossFit Box in Alexandria VA, Fairfax VA, Arlington VA, or Washington DC. Let’s try to answer that question by first defining CrossFit itself.

What is CrossFit?

CrossFit is a culture of teamwork and community.  CrossFit provides the standard of safe and effective movement.  CrossFit’s specialty courses and certifications provide the Gold Standard for certifications in the fitness industry.

“CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.  CrossFit is a program that delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing.” 1

“The needs of our Olympic athletes and grandparents differ by degree, not kind.” That is to say, everyone needs to perform an intelligently selected variety of functional movements at a level of intensity appropriate for that individual. Everyone needs to eat food that sustains, rather than harms, the body. This is the pursuit of fitness, and the ability to maintain that fitness throughout your life is a defining measure of health.” 2

Can Beginners do CrossFit?

Yes.  Different CrossFit Boxes (in Alexandria VA and other town in Northern Virginia), use different methods for teaching new students.  At Sand & Steel CrossFit, we have two paths to help you progress from a beginner CrossFitter to an intermediate CrossFitter.

CrossFit Onramp: We provide a specialized CrossFit class called OnRamp. OnRamp is designed to help beginners learn CrossFit safely.

CrossFit Classes: We feature smaller classes so you’ll have more instruction while learning CrossFit.

Personal Training: if you prefer to train in private sessions with a coach, we also offer CrossFit training in a one-on-one format.

What are the Foundational 9 Movements of CrossFit?

This article covers 25 of the most important exercises in CrossFit. We explore 9 Fundamental Movements – key exercises in CrossFit. We also provides an additional 16 Significant Exercises frequently done in CrossFit classes — providing you with a total of 25 Exercises.

CrossFit 25 Key Exercises

View the Article

What Are The CrossFit Girls Workouts?

Please see this comprehensive article on all the CrossFit Girls.

CrossFit Girls WODS: A Complete Guide

 

The CrossFit Definition of Fitness

CrossFit defines fitness as the improvement of ten physical skills: “cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination, and accuracy.”  We would definitely add mobility to the list, because flexibility, balance, and mobility are different things.  But, of course, it’s CrossFit really that made mobility training popular in the first place.  For an in-depth discussion on the difference between flexibility and mobility, see the following article.

Mobility vs Flexibility vs Yoga vs Stretching

 

CrossFit.  Friendship, Teamwork, Community

CrossFit Community Alexandria VA

CrossFit Gyms (in Alexandria Virginia, Arlington VA, Fairfax VA, Washington DC, etc.) are known for their amazing community.  But what does community mean?  Your community is your friendships with other members and your relationship with your coaches.  Unlike big box gyms, your membership is important to the functioning of the gym as a whole.  If you miss a workout, your friends will ask you where you are.  If you miss a week of training, don’t surprised if a coach calls you.  As a CrossFit member, you are part of a community trying to better themselves.

CrossFit gives you a chance to see how you measure-up against your peers in Alexandria VA.  CrossFit provides you with someone to compete against.  For some people, this provides them with tremendous motivation to work harder.  Working harder can improve results.  An amazing thing about CrossFit is that your community wants you to succeed.  People cheer you on and help you find the motivation to keep going when you’d rather call it quits.

If you are a former high school or collegiate athlete like me, you probably miss competing with your peers.  I played competitive soccer until I was 35.  There is nothing like scoring a winning goal in a crucial game.  To have a team behind you, cheering you on.  CrossFit provides us a chance to compete again.  To win a workout or to hit a personal best.  It’s great to feel like an athlete again, and CrossFit will provide that to you.

At Sand & Steel Fitness, we realize that some people want a community and some people don’t.  That’s why we offer both individual training (personal training) and fitness classes.

Coaching, Corrections, and Safety

CrossFit Alexandria VA Mobility
Owner, Paul Roberts, Coaching Mobility

I have 35 certifications in mobility, weightlifting, and personal training.  If you think you know how to work safely because you’ve done P90X with Tony Horton, follow Jeff Cavalier from Athlene X, or have read Bigger, Leaner, Faster by Michael Matthews — you have a lot to learn.  I’ve read well-over 200 books on fitness and flexibility, and I keep buying new ones.  When I was in my 20s, I thought I knew everything about working out.  All I did was waste a lot of time.  There is no replacement for expert-level coaching.  A coach that provides you with the right corrections, drills, and cues at the right time is priceless.  He or she will prevent you from getting injured and help ensure you keep improving.

Tracking Progress in CrossFit and Personal Training

In the author’s opinion, all fitness programs should be tracked.  We track performance in Powerlifting, Olympic Lifting, Personal Training, and CrossFit.  If you are serious about improving your performance and fitness level, tracking your progress and taking accountability for your slip-ups is important.

How to Find the Best CrossFit in Alexandria VA

As you may already know, there are many CrossFit gyms (boxes) in DC and Alexandria Virginia that offer CrossFit Classes.  There are more 16,000 CrossFit gyms worldwide.  The coaches, the facilities, and the members of these CrossFit boxes are all different.  So in deciding whether CrossFit in general is for you, one also needs to determine whether a particular CrossFit affiliate is for you.  Although CrossFit boxes differ from one to the other, the questions you need to ask yourself to find your best box do not.  So here’s your cheat sheet to finding the best CrossFit Box in Alexandria, VA, Washington DC, Fairfax, VA, etc.

Keys to Finding the Best CrossFit Box in Alexandria, Arlington, or Fairfax

Since all CrossFit boxes are not created equal, you should always be asking yourself, which CrossFit Box in Alexandria, Arlington, or Fairfax Virginia will provide you the most value?

Answer: choose the CrossFit gym with the most qualified coaches. Your progress and ability to learn is directly tied to the number of certifications and experience of the owners. At most every CrossFit Box, the head coach will usually be the most qualified coach.  He or she sets that standards for movement and safety. 

What do the User Reviews of your Potential CrossFit Gym Say?

Does the number of reviews a CrossFit gym matter?  Yes.  Members of gyms leave reviews for their coaches when the following items occur:

  1. the member gets the results they are promised;
  2. the member is treated like a client, not a number;
  3. the member gets value for the money they spend;
  4. the coach has developed a positive relationship with that member.

So ask yourself, do items 1-4 matter to you?  But as a careful consumer, you also have to watch for companies that purchase fake reviews.  In general, Yelp has the strongest algorithms against fake reviews.  The number of reviews on Google is typically equal to the number of Yelp reviews.  The number of Facebook reviews should be about half as many as Yelp.  If those numbers match up, the reviews are probably authentic.

Read E R.‘s review of Sand & Steel Fitness on Yelp

Another great way to tell if the reviews are real?  Visit the CrossFit gym on a Saturday morning and ask the owners to point out anyone at the gym who left a review.  They’ll be happy to show who wrote them a review.

What Kind of Articles Does your Potential CrossFit Gym Write?

You want to hire a coach that prioritizes learning.  Learning involves teaching.  One of the ways coaches teach their members is through writing on their websites, giving presentations and workshops, and writing for a newsletter.  If you want to know what is important to the owners’ of the gym that you are about to join, read their blog.  CrossFit Boxes and gyms write about topics they think their members and future members need.  Are the articles they write relevant to you?  If they are not relevant to you, you are probably looking at the wrong gym in Alexandria VA.


Will I Get in Better Shape Doing CrossFit?

Yes.  Whereas other forms of fitness are designed for a specific purpose (run further, improve boxing ability, dance better, etc.) the purpose of doing CrossFit is to get in better shape.  CrossFit in Alexandria VA, Washington DC, etc is about improving your fitness.  Indeed CrossFit calls itself the sport of fitness.  So yes, if you want to improve your fitness across multiple domains, CrossFit should be your first choice.

Will I Look Better from Doing CrossFit in Alexandria VA?

CrossFit builds great bodies.  You just need to take a look at a regionals competition or a CrossFit games competition to see that.  CrossFitters aren’t overly muscular bodybuilders — they have more of the lean, muscular look.  The kind of body you are proud to show in a bikini.  If want to look toned, shredded, or cut, CrossFit is great for that.

Will I lose Weight Doing CrossFit?

Yes … but CrossFit’s main purpose isn’t weight loss.  You will lose weight naturally through building a community of people that eat better and workout harder.  Will you become more active in general, because you will make friends that are more active?  Yes.  Will you burn a ton of calories in each workout (WOD)?  Yes.  So yeah, you’ll lose weight doing CrossFit, but CrossFit is about improving overall fitness.  Decreasing bodyfat is a byproduct of that process.

Will I Build Muscle Doing CrossFit?

Yes, CrossFit builds a great deal of muscle.  Attractive, cover-of-a-beach-magazine muscle.  CrossFit isn’t like bodybuilding or strongman, where people put on really massive amounts of muscle.  The purpose of bodybuilding is to increase and balance muscle mass.  The purpose of CrossFit is fitness.  Bodybuilding also takes about 3-4 hours a day, CrossFit takes just an hour.

20 of The Best CrossFit Athlete Transformations

Is CrossFit Dangerous?

For the past 15 years, there has been considerable rumblings and rumors about whether CrossFit is dangerous.  CrossFit isn’t dangerous — moving incorrectly is dangerous.  Do people get injured in CrossFit classes?  Yes.  They get injured in Orange Theory Classes, F45 Classes, Yoga Classes, etc.  People get injured running all the time.  When I played adult rec soccer, someone would get injured every single game.

So why does CrossFit have a reputation for being dangerous?  I think it’s perception more than anything else.  Let’s say you are attending an Orange Theory class, and your develop plantar fasciitis because you lack the knowledge on proper running form, you don’t have the right running shoes on, and you lack sufficient flexibility in your calves.  Do you blame Orange Theory for the injury?  No, your probably blame your own body.

Let’s say you are working at your own in Gold’s Gym.  Like most of the bros, you do benchpress on Mondays.  You’re been feeling good lately, and decide to go up 30 pounds this week on bench.  After your third set, your shoulder begins throbbing.  After a few weeks of pain, you see a mobility coach and find out that you have a shoulder impingement.  Is that Gold’s gym fault?

Whereas in CrossFit, you are pushing the dial doing Fran (thrusters and pullups) and you hurt your shoulder doing pullups incorrectly.  Some people would blame the programming, essentially CrossFit, for hurting their shoulder. After all, if they hadn’t gone to the class, their shoulder might not be hurting.

I don’t think you can separate the injuries that people experience exercising in these three examples.  Professional athletes get injured, Navy Seals get injured, and yes CrossFitter occasionally get injured.  But do CrossFitters get injured more often from doing CrossFit?  No.  Many people have attempted to show that, but there hasn’t been one respected journal article to demonstrate that.

Intensity is important for results.  But good, quality movement — safe movement is more important.  Good movement keeps you safe.  Staying safe gets you results.

What is a CrossFit class like?

John Glaude put together an excellent overview video with some great tips on what to expect in your first CrossFit class in Alexandria VA.  Every class and CrossFit Box is a little different, but overall, Glaude does a great job of providing you with an overview.  Such a good job, I can skip writing this section.  Just watch the video :-).

Can I do CrossFit at Home?

CrossFit Journal: The Performance-Based Lifestyle ResourceYes.  Many CrossFit workouts can be done at home.  For example, one of the CrossFit hero workouts Murph can be done at home or even in a hotel.

Murph:

  • 1 mile Run
  • 100 Pull-ups
  • 200 Push-ups
  • 300 Squats
  • 1 mile Run

True, you’ll need a pull-up bar to do Murph (and weight-vest if you are a real sadist).  But what if you can’t do a pullup?  Maybe you use a pulldown machine?  Maybe you use a band to assist you in the pull-ups?   Some CrossFit workouts are harder do at home, but most of the time you can substitute one piece of equipment for another.

What are Some Sample CrossFit Workouts I can Try?

CrossFit’s website is full of thousands of workouts that you can check out.  But if you are still reading this article, you might interested in the last 4 workouts Sand & Steel CrossFit programmed.

WOD 1WOD 2WOD 3 - MaryWOD 4
Type: Metcon
Patterns: Deadlift, Squat, Core
Beginner Scale: 3 Rounds
• 10 Deadlifts
• 20 Air Squats
• 7 Minutes Boat

20 Pike Up Burpees

Intermediate Scale: 3 Rounds
• 10 Deadlifts
• 20 Air Squats
• 7 Minutes Boat

20 Pike Up Burpees

Type: Conditioning & Gymnastics
Patterns: Press, Squat

Beginner Scale
• Jump Rope 100 cycles
• 15 thrusters 65/95
• 21 Candle Sticks to Pushups

Intermediate Scale
• Jump Rope 150 cycles
• 15 thrusters 95/135
• 21 inverted burpees

https://www.crossfit.com/190714

Type: Gymnastics
Patterns: Row, Push, Squat
Beginner Scale – 20 Minutes AMRAP:
• 5 handstand push-ups from box
• 20 single-leg squats with TRX
• 15 banded pull-ups

Intermediate Scale – 20 Minutes AMRAP:
• 5 handstand push-ups
• 10 single-leg squats, alternating
• 15 pull-ups

WOD 4 (Based on Jackie)
Type: Sprint
Patterns: Pull and Push
• Beginner Scale
• 1000 meter row
• 66 2-hand 15 pound Kettlebell Press
•  30 pull-ups with Band

Intermediate Scale
• 1000 meter row
• 66 2-hand 35 pound Kettlebell Press
• 30 pull-ups with Band

Is CrossFit Just Classes?

Crossfits in Alexandria VA offer a variety programming.  Some have run clubs, some have rowing clubs, etc.  Our CrossFit offers a number of different types of classes such as yoga, powerlifting, TRX CoreFit, Mobility, etc.  We also offer personal training.  For those people who prefer to work one-on-one we even offer CrossFit in our personal training programming.

Do I have to eat Paleo Diet if I do CrossFit?

No.  Eating well is important, but we don’t force our members to change their diet if they aren’t ready.  Eating a balanced meal plan is important to realize many of the benefits of the CrossFit.  Sand and Steel CrossFit does provide a comprehensive nutrition program we call BluePrint.

Nutrition, Diet & Weight Loss Plan

 

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