Studio (MDR): The Best Workout in Los Angeles

Studio (MDR) is a local favorite of everyone. Anyone from people who have never worked out, to style bloggers and professional athletes all rave over this place. I mostly love them because of their sense of community and positivity. I went by Studio (MDR) to chat with the founder Lisa, who just got married this past weekend (congrats!). 

You can read more about their story and history on their website. I wanted to dig a little deeper and really see what makes Studio (MDR) so unique. 

What kind of woman comes into the studio?

We truly have people from all walks of life. Mothers, professional athletes, college students… You name it, they come in. I’ve even had moms bring in their 15-year-old daughters. They truly enjoy working out as a family, which I love. We help people with illness’s and injuries, which makes me feel proud because it means that they feel safe enough to come in. When an athlete comes in, that is a huge deal because it is saying that they feel great getting in shape with us to compete in their sport. It is an incredible community with no judgment and everyone is trying to just get through the workout. You are getting personal training in a class setting which is awesome. 

What is holding people back the most from reaching their goals?

When people come in and say, "I have to get in shape to come in here, and then they leave and say, I’ll be back in 10 months." Then we say, “No you don’t, this is where you get in shape." It could take a month, it could take two months or it could take a year. Everybody is different. This is such a safe and inviting environment that people like to stay. Sometimes I even have to kick people out the door! Some come back every day, but your body needs time to heal. I always suggest taking the intro class. We also have an essentials class, and then we have the total body classes. You can jump right into those if you have never taken a class before, and they can modify the exercises for you. Each person gets individual attention from the teacher. I recommend you give it 5-10 classes until you don’t feel like you are a fish out of water. If you beat yourself up that you don’t know the moves, it will be hard to stick with it and see your progress. Then after you come for a few classes, you are going to be the one the new person is following and it is going to feel great.

How long does it take to see a difference?

Everyone is different, everyone's goals are different. For some people it's weight loss, some are just coming in to get away for 50 minutes. Diet is 80%, anyone who says different is lying. But we see results really quickly, which is amazing. I really love it. It's an amazing environment. I believe in incredible customer service, even besides the workout, that is number one, but I want everyone to be treated the way I want to be treated. That is the main thing. Incredible workout - great customer services!

You have a huge team of coaches, and they are always smiling!

I have to tell you, and it's not brag and it's not just because it's my studio. I’ve never seen a group of teachers who really like each other like this, they hang out all the time, they love each other it's amazing to watch them. We are really lucky.

What makes the coaches here different?

They are invested. They have empathy. Most of our teachers started as clients, which is something that is really important to us. One of our lead teachers, Lindsey, was a client and she was in the music industry and had a completely different life and lost 50 pounds and decided she wanted to be a teacher. People want to be around her and hear her story. She is just such an incredible ray of light. When she first walked in the door she walked in with her head down, wouldn't talk to any one. When she said she wanted to be an instructor I said… “You do?” She was a completely different person after making her transformation. Now she is so open and knows so much to help other people. It's amazing. I actually had to stop Lindsey at the door because she was coming in every day. When she started taking rest days, the weight started to fall off her. She shares that with a lot of other people.

When someone has been a client with us for a long time and say they want to be teachers, that is who we really look to start creating them. They have to get certified first, and then we start to work with them. Those people make the best teachers. For most of our teachers, this is their full-time job. 

Studio (MDR) has beginner classes available for FREE, so you can go see if it's right for you. Your first real class is just $18 and they have deals for your first 2 weeks of signing up.  If you are on the fence, just look at a few of their transformations. They kind of remind me of the before and after photos on this website. For an even bigger bonus... women who book their boudoir shoot with me get an extra special deal with Studio (MDR), so send me an email to start planning your boudoir session!