Team Tufunga Training

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I want to be upfront about this review and the reason for the low rating.



Simi Tufunga and the majority of the trainers, customers and employees at Team Tufunga seem like stand-up people and generally very warm and friendly.



The facilities are modest and a little crowded, and the equipment is not of the highest quality, but it’s workable.



There are two glaring issues with this gym:



The first is the fact that the gym primarily serves as a space for personal trainers and their clients. If you are not a PT client or apparently a long-time friend of the gym, this gym is not really set up for you.



The second, and more problematic issue is the incredibly unprofessional behavior of Rachel Tufunga, co-owner and also a trainer.



There is one power rack in the entire gym. The power rack was designed and is intended for powerlifting (primarily squatting and pressing). Unfortunately at Team Tufunga it is more often used as an anchor for TRX bands and other of-the-moment personal training gear that a lot of trainers use with their clients.



I had a run-in with Rachel regarding the use of the rack (I was setup and working, she wanted to use it for her PT client to perform TRX work. She, being the owner, won and ended up using the rack for approx 5 minutes before two customers who had arrived after me hopped into the rack and proceeded to lift for a straight hour).



Apparently this angered Rachel.



Today, after finishing my workout (squatting on the power-rack) I was informed by the front desk attendant that I was not allowed to use the rack in the future. The only thing he could say is “Rachel is really angry and you can’t use the rack.”



I repeatedly asked him whether that was gym policy (that customers can be singled out and banned from equipment) and he said nothing. I asked for a refund of my remaining dues (which he gave me in cash) and he offered no apology.



I’m sure Rachel is a competent trainer and I’m sure that her clients will verify this and her awesomeness as a person. But when it comes to being a professional business owner, she comes up significantly short. She was rude at the time of the incident and didn’t even have the integrity to talk to me about it, instead choosing to send an employee to inform me that I had been banned from a piece of equipment.



The net:



1) If you want a gym that has good facilities, equipment and amenities, you’re much better off going to a franchise gym in the area. (Same price and better facilities)



2) If you want a gym to powerlift, olylift or strength train on your own, you’re much better off finding an alternative. The one power-rack is used as an anchor more than for it’s intended use.



3) Team Tufunga is really best suited for those who work with their roster trainers and those willing to stay in the good graces of Rachel Tufunga by allowing her to break long-standing gym etiquette as she pleases.