Verve Fitness

If I could pick one quote off of Verve's website that best describes them...

"We're not your average meatheads here at Verve-we truly care about our members"

Fact.

Verve is the newest 24/7 studio located in Short North and we were lucky enough to partner with them this past weekend for an ass-whooping workout. Verve is small but mighty--think of it as a laid-back, CrossFit style studio without the intimidation factor. The equipment and workout was great, but the culture is what stood out to me the most.

Verve just opened their doors in October 2018 thanks to the incredible (and incredibly jacked) Lauren Cubellis. But Lauren didn't just stop at opening a gym, she also started her graduate program at OSU in Medical Dietetics around the same time so she could better advise her future clients. Lauren has been training clients since 2014 and has expertise in bodybuilding, CrossFit, powerlifting, and Olympic lifting. In other words, she is a female badass with a wicked amount of passion.

When I reached out to Lauren to see if she wanted to partner with Babes HIIT Columbus, this was her response, "I would love to host a class for your organization! One of my main missions is to relieve women of the elliptical or treadmill, and introduce them to weight training to show them how good being strong feels". So, I rounded up some women, most of which had never touched the weight floor at a gym, and we headed down to Short North to experience Verve for ourselves!

Upon arrival, we dived right into a warm-up and barbell deadlifts. Go big or go home, right? That's when we all experienced the exceptional training and instruction that Verve has to offer. We had a solid 10-15 minutes of, "try to avoid curving your back so much" and "move your feet closer together" and "try adding more weight". They did not stop instructing us until we all had the deadlifts down. The fact that we all got so much one-on-one attention was the bomb, and super helpful. Watching every Babes confidence go up the more they deadlifted was crazy rewarding too.

From there, we dived into a 3-set hybrid workout consisting of cardio machines, dumbbell, slam ball, and kettlebell exercises. The instructors demonstrated each exercise, and showed us how to use the cardio machines. They also made each Babe do every exercise before the sets started so they could help them with their form or any modifications. Then, the clock started and the 3-set work out was put into action.

I couldn't feel my legs after the 1st set. Everything was awful in the best way possible. I don't remember too much until the work out was finally over with. I went home, showered, and napped. I was sore that day, and for the next 4 days. Needless to say, this studio WORKS. Many of the Babes, myself included, are excited to go back there soon.

My rating for Verve Fitness? A- Pros: Great culture, great instructors, great equipment, huge focus on proper form, eager to take on clients that have never touched a weight before Cons: Poor area for parking and no shower

Want to test out Verve for yourself? Here's everything you'll need to know!

Address 1220 Courtland Ave

Columbus, OH 43201

Hours

Open 24/7

Website

https://www.verve-studios.com/

Classes they offer

Accelerate: Get your heart rate up! This class utilizes interval-style training through the use of free weight & cardio equipment

Brute: Add some weight to your squats, deadlifts and bench press. This class will teach you how to properly perform the 3 main lifts and will help you avoid any plateaus

Hybrid: This class encompasses a combination of strength & endurance that will have you training like never before.

*Class schedule: https://verve.triib.com/schedule/

Pricing

**First class is FREE**

Unlimited access to group classes and the 24/7 studio: $135/month reoccurring

24/7 access to the studio only: $75/month reoccurring

1 class pack: $20

5 class pack: $90

10 class pack: $180