Paradiso Crossfit
After flirting with the idea of joining a CrossFit gym for months, I joined Paradiso Crossfit in Marina Del Rey, CA in November 2011.
It took me months to make the switch to training CrossFit exclusively because I loved my previous gym (Equinox), especially the friends that I had made there and the relationships I had with the class teachers. I still miss both of those aspects a ton! I loved being an Equinox member and am really proud of what great athletes that gym turns out. It has certainly been a transition from knowing a ton of people to being the “new guy,” but I’m getting used to it. It also took me forever to join a Crossfit gym because I found out that I have severe tendinitis in both wrists, brought on by doing a CrossFit WOD - Fran, which scared me off doing CrossFit while I had an ongoing recovery period from that for six months (!).
That being said, I am beyond happy that I joined PCF. I’ve visited pretty much every CrossFit gym on the Westside of Los Angeles and ended up joining here because of the coaches, atmosphere, and positive attitudes you’ll find in the members. Now a proud “graduate” of their On-Ramp program, I joined the big group in December 2011 and look forward to seeing how things will go in the new year!
You can read my Yelp review for Paradiso CrossFit here.
Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook
More conducive to workouts in Los Angeles than the Malibu hikes, the Santa Monica stairs, or the new rules-heavy Manhattan Beach dune, I think the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in Culver City is the absolute best outdoor workout spot in Los Angeles.
Best of all, it’s not as crowded as other popular spots, nor is it a scene. With options for running hills or doing stairs, Baldwin Hills provides tons of opportunities to do intervals, work strength moves into your cardio workout, practice hills, train long distance, or just get used to trail running. I previously trained for the 10K Gladiator Race solely by running up and down this hill and it made that race one of the easiest I’ve ever done, simply because nothing at Baldwin Hills is flat.
Whenever I need to work on my sustained cardio, the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook is always my training place of choice! If you haven’t been, try it once and you’ll agree!
