As an avid Crossfitter, I was visiting Toronto and wanted to get into an affiliate club for a work out. The Academy of Lions was recommended to me by my trainers at my home club and I have to say that I was not disappointed. Dhani was very accommodating to me and welcomed me to the club. When I first walked into the club, I was excited to see a general store that sells everything Crossfit from shoes to shirts to exercise accessories. There is also a great Paleo bar for drinks and food. The workout area is a bit intimate and the classes are capped but the Academy makes it work. As a visitor, I felt very welcomed and got a very high level of instruction from the trainers. I loved the energy and positive atmosphere during the workout. Getting changed was easy as there is a separate change area upstairs (also space for warming up and warming down after a workout). My only complaint is that there are no showers available but that is reasonable given the location. The location is in a nice central area of Toronto and there was ample street parking when I arrived. For anyone living in downtown Toronto area and want to be part of a great Crossfit affiliate and community, I highly recommend you check out the Academy of Lions.

I am also from Montreal and dropped in to this same crossfit. Not sure if the last person who commented even went to the same gym! I had a great time and will go back next time I’m there. It’s definitely old school…but in a good way. The trainer I had was knowledgeable, motivating and on the ball and the class was pretty full but there was plenty of equipment. To be honest the vibe there was pretty cool, no pretentiousness and lots of high fives. I was made to feel welcome, got in a good workout and would definitely recommend it. Oh! And they have a café in the entrance that makes coconut milk lattes and really good gluten-free muffins!

I went into this gym knowing very little about Crossfit and being profoundly out of shape, unable to do pretty well anything that you have to do in Crossfit. I was soon working with a personal trainer one on one and now, maybe 3 months later, I'm going to regular classes with people working at many different levels, and I never feel alienated or competitive. The trainers are all supportive and motivating people who take pride in what they do and make you feel at ease. I've accomplished things I never thought I could in this short time and going to the gym is always a pleasure. Hands down the best model for physical activity I have encountered, and executed in a friendly and challenging community setting.

Academy of Lions is an amazing place to develop all aspects of fitness. Compared to all other forms of exercise I have practiced in the past (hockey, squash, yoga, running, [non-olympic] weight-lifting) - crossfit has yielded the most rapid and surprising results by a very wide margin. To boot, the classes are very enjoyable, and the surprise factor of not knowing what the workout of the day will be adds a new dimension to your workout routine. Many of the workouts are quite ambitious, but what you'd be amazed at what you can achieve here with the help of the amazing staff - each trainer is very focused on technique (and very proficient) and equally focused on helping you achieve your goals. Whatever your goals are: losing body fat, gaining muscle, developping power, stamina, or endurance, or developping a new skill like olympic lifting or basic gymnastics, this is the place to do it. As a personal testimony, I've developped strength I never knew was there, dropped my body fat by a 1/3 (while adding muscle), increased my range of motion and flexibility, gained a surprising amount of endurance (which is surprising considering most of the training is anaerobic but not surprising when you read into the philosophy of crossfit), and most of all I have a renewed invigoration for fitness and exercise that had been dormant since my days of playing competitive sports. All that being said, the most amazing thing about this gym for me is the ambition of Dhani and the rest of his team - they are not happy simply teaching people how to work out properly, but also stronly preach and practice the importance proper nutrition and community stewardship.

This place is more than a gym, it is a community. The trainers are knowledgeable, friendly, and concerned about your progress. From catering workouts to my personal fitness levels to the fastest progress I've ever had working-out, the Academy of Lions is the best investment I've made in my life. I leave every workout feeling challenged and uplifted and I always want to return.