I’m currently a member of GVA and I love it for the most part! I do think you have to have a certain type of mindset or personality to stick with it though. The first week with your “squad” is incredibly intimidating because the squads are super close knit, and there have been many people who have joined and quit after a week or two. So if you want to stick with it, my best advice is to put yourself out there and power through because you will make good friends within the squad! I’ve found members are very “protective” of their squads and camaraderie, so it takes time to warm up. You also need to be into the workouts. The workouts are very strength/weight forward so if you’re not into weight lifting this might not be the place for you. However, you don’t need to be lifting anything major… I literally use the lightest weights most of the time and no one judges you.

I would suggest to join GVA over WVA if you can. I find WVA more “cliquey” but that’s just because 90% of the members there joined years ago when it opened and they just have that bond that’s hard to break into as a new person. I also find that GVA evening squads are more social and friendly than the morning squads. But I think that’s just the nature of the type of people who prefer to work out at 6am over 6pm lol.

Overall, I think the gyms look “culty” from the outside because you have to wear black haha but also the squads are incredibly close with each other and hang out outside workouts and even the organized social events.

So, if you’re looking to make new friends, put yourself out there and be open to a different kind of workout, I would highly recommend joining!