CrossFit Sand & Steel - Alexandria, Virginia

Lourdes Costas

CrossFit Sand & Steel is an amazing gym with some of the best coaches and trainers! I've had the opportunity to work with four of the coaches and each one of them is phenomenal! I chose the CrossFit Sand & Steel personal training program to help me get back into shape after an injury and the coaches quickly became part of my recovery plan. They're all incredibly knowledgeable, motivating, and really invested in their clients. I'm now stronger, faster, and more mobile because of them. I truly wish I had started at sooner!

Lori Lund

I joined Sand and Steel three months ago and wanted to wait to write a review until I gave CrossFit the good ol' college try.

I'm happy to report after 3 months of showing up as consistently as possible, I definitely picked the right gym to start my CrossFit journey.

I simply reached out on their website to try a class for free; it was super easy. Dawn and Paul worked with me to set up my membership, made sure I understood all the terms, and answered all my questions. You have to add the On-ramp course onto your membership if you're a beginner/new. Paul said most people keep it and I was certain I would NOT keep it after the first month; well, he was correct. I kept the OnRamp add on because it is such a great addition for me (anyone really) as a beginner. Dawn says slow is fast in CrossFit and it is so true - OnRamp is 1.5 hours so they really take more time to go over things and help with form/answer questions/etc. With the OnRamp course plus attending the regular CrossFit classes, I've seen great improvements all around.

You cannot beat the wealth of knowledge Dawn and Paul offer at their gym - they really know what they are talking about and you can tell they love CrossFit and want to help people. All the coaches are well educated in CrossFit and have good energy, whether it's 6am or 6pm. The facility is very very very clean; showers are clean with great water pressure. Equipment is well maintained. Oh, they have AC in the summer!

My only nitpick: I would prefer the music a little louder so people didn't have to hear me suffering but I realize it would be hard to hear instructions. 😀

tl;dr: This gym is great and you should join!

Kathy Durant

Sand and Steel Fitness is a great place to start, develop or advance your fitness level. The owners Dawn and Paul have created a supportive environment that is inclusive for all, no matter where you are on your fitness journey. The gym is spotless and the equipment is top notch! With the guidance of experienced coaches in individual sessions or with group classes, Sand and Steel has so many options to choose from! In addition to the stellar coaches, the members at Sand and Steel are very supportive of each other ---- you are uplifted when you come here.... never intimidated!

Danielle Rees

I joined Sand and Steel about a year ago and I’m very happy with the gym and progress I’ve made so far! The classes are very organized and the coaches are highly trained.

Paul and Dawn provide a variety of classes such as regular CrossFit class, competitors, run club, yoga etc. They even run specialty courses throughout the year such as Olympic weightlifting and gymnastics to fine tune those complex movements to enhance performance.

I’ve improved my fitness in all areas including strength, endurance, mobility, and high intensity cardio. I go multiple times a week and my husband saw how much fun I was having, so he decided to join too!

Sally Klemperer

Excellent, highly recommend. I do personal training-coaches are extremely knowledgeable, focusing on form and appropriate scaling while making things challenging. Very nice space and very clean. I haven't done Crossfit classes but bet, since it's in their name, they're excellent too. Nutrition & mobility labs also offered. It took me a while to get back to the gym and I'm happy to have chosen here--Get yourself to Sand & Steel!

Keren Campbell

There is no shortage of CrossFit gyms in NoVA but Sand & Steel Fitness strikes the perfect balance of exceedingly knowledgeable coaches, thoughtful programming, an enthusiastically welcoming community, and the cleanest gym you'll ever walk into. The exercise equipment and pro shop gear/supplements are all top of the line - you can tell that a lot of time is invested into making sure that S&S is outfitted with the high quality fitness products you need to reach your goals.

Group classes are intentionally small so coaches consistently provide the feedback necessary to promote progress and prevent injury. In conjunction with the workouts, Nutrition and Mobility coaching create the perfect antidote for the desk life that plagues many of us in the DMV area.

Sand & Steel meets everyone where they are, making it easy to just show up and do the work. Paul and Dawn maintain a strong culture of safety, standards, and support so, no matter what class or session you're in, you will get top tier instruction, modifications, and motivation from day one.

Jelly Donut

There are lots of CrossFit Gyms in the Northern Virginia area. What makes Sand and Steel stand out above others is the coaching and care they provide to the members. They just don't throw you in to workouts and expect you to figure things out.

Instead, Paul, Dawn, and the rest of the coaching staff take their time to make sure you scale appropriately. The coaches make sure you work on mobility and nutrition, along with your workout. In my case, I have had a series of prior injuries, and moreover, I had consistent cramping and dehydration problems during workouts. No matter what supplements I took or how much water I drank, I would get light-headed, and my muscles would cramp. In short, my body simply refused to hold water. For years, I thought there was something medically wrong with me.

Paul recommended a great supplement as a pre-workout, and then the cramping was gone. Like Magic. Now, my conditioning, strength, and overall performance greatly improved.

So, like I said before... coaching makes a huge difference. This gym comes highly recommended.

Spencer Rees

Highly recommend Sand and Steel Fitness for anyone looking to join CrossFit for either the first time, or as an experienced athlete switching gyms.

Paul, Dawn, and all their coaches are top notch. They offer a variety of classes that are challenging, engaging, and suited to both new Crossfitters and seasoned athletes alike. I'm fairly new to CrossFit and have found the community as a whole very welcoming.

The gym itself is extremely well furnished and has a wide variety of equipment and accessories, all clean and well organized. I personally attend several classes per week, and take advantage of the gym for 'open gym' hours outside of class, and as a former powerlifter/strongman, I appreciate the high quality equipment not found in every CrossFit gym.

In short; if you're looking for a top-notch CrossFit gym, you've found one.