Dream Body Boot Camp

This place is now under new management and the name has changed. See NO Excuses Fitness on Ronson road. I haven’t been in yet, but I know the Harks were great when I met them both. Give them a shot.

Updating this review because a friend recently had the same experience I had, where she received conflicting information from the trainers (Dan and RIchie) versus the admin team (Matt and Emily). What’s worse is this friend has been a dedicated member for about 5 months now, referred a few people to the bootcamp, and the minute she decides to end her membership, they decide to charge her an extra $ 200 for cancellation fees without hesitation.
When you own a business, the focus should not only be on the product, but on the kind of service you give to your clients. Dan and Richie — excellent at this. Unfortunately the impression Matt and Emily gives is that they are always trying to find ways to make more money and charge the credit card you have on file any way they can.
Such a disappointment.

I can’t say enough great things about this place! The workouts, the group vibe and the positive energy are amazing!
I purchased a Groupon and thought I’d give it a try. I’ve done «boot camp» style before and I honestly wasn’t expecting to love it… but I do! I belonged to a local CrossFit gym in the past and I love that DBBC incorporates some, but not too much (strict) CF.
Overall, I would (and have) recommend DBBC to my friends & family.
Once my Groupon is up, I plan on becoming a member and continuing with the great results I’m feeling and seeing!

I am no stranger to personal fitness, having worked as an NASM-​Certified personal trainer for 2 years, as well as successfully participating in Crossfit and other group fitness classes. For me, relationship is the foundation of a successful training relationship. Do I really matter to the staff? Is my success their priority?
Upon arriving for a free Saturday class, I was received more as an inconvenience by the head trainer. Granted, free classes are going to be crowded, as this one was, but it’s easy to tell when a coach is phoning it in.
As the class got underway, I began to flag, as I’ve been away from the gym for a few months. What I found remarkable is the general lack of positive talk from the staff. Instead of a single word of encouragement, there was only generalized, shouting, barking and yelling — bereft of genuine excitement or personal investment in my experience. The only word of encouragement was from another member.
This boot camp seemed to me a ‘fitness mill’ with no shortage of people willing to shell over substantial sums of money for a depersonalized experience. They certainly don’t need mine. If going to spend that kind of money, I’m going to do so in an environment where I feel both my money and my experience truly matter to the staff. I’m experienced enough to know I deserve it.

Okay, so I love this place. The one negative thing I have to say is in regards to the owner, Matt. To be fair, I have never personally dealt with him so far. I have a friend who referred me to the 6-​week Groupon deal, and I was considering it, so I checked out their Unilocal page before I signed up. The responses from the owner of this business on the negative reviews were the most pathetic displays of professionalism I have ever seen. I seriously was leaning towards not purchasing the Groupon, even though it’s such a good deal, just because I didn’t want to take the chance that I would have to deal with this person.
That said, the bootcamp and the trainers that lead it would make bad ownership (almost) disappear. I’ve been training and working in gyms since I was 16. I know how to workout. I understand nutrition. However, I recently have been lacking motivation and drive to even get my butt into a gym, besides to work in it. The workouts are high intensity, make you drip sweat like you never have, and I have so much fun I won’t stop unless I’m going to pass out… which only happened once. :)
I enjoy the variation in the workouts and the group atmosphere. Most of the people that come to bootcamp are friendly.
If you need a lot of attention and extra coaching, you will be better off buying personal training sessions. If you just need some motivation and want knowledgable trainers to create a workout for you, then this place is worth every penny.
So Matt, really, I want this to be constructive. For the sake of your staff that works so hard to build the business and keep their clients — be mindful of what you are posting on social networking sites! They affect more than you know. You almost lost a long term customer because of the garbage I read. I signed up for the 12 month program after my 6-​weeks expired, and I’m looking forward to mastering the bootcamp classes. :)

I started boot camp last year, around October, because my boyfriend wanted me to try it out. I had an idea of what to expect since I completed all of the Insanity workouts before & because my boyfriend said it was similar high intensity workouts, but with equipment.
I’m a pretty active person so the first day wasn’t too challenging for me. I thought it was fun & the trainers, Dan & Richie were great. I felt good about it until… I woke up the next day in a world of pain! I probably didn’t prepare for that workout or stretch well at all. I was feeling pain in areas of my body I’ve never used before… That’s how I knew I just had my booty handed over to me.
Since then, I worked out here on/​off since I was busy with my grad program, but now that I’m done, I’m back for a little more.
As far as results go, I haven’t seen too much of a difference in terms of my size, mainly because I’m rather small already (mostly vertically challenged) but I definitely saw a difference in my upper body region! I was always more of a runner and, like most women, my upper body strength wasn’t where I wanted it to be. Boot camp is so good at evening out the workouts for different areas of the body, so they’re never just focused on one area in a day. That’s another thing I enjoy about it.
Overall, the trainers are great and everyone is really nice & motivated. The only drawback is the actual price of regular membership. I probably wouldn’t mind being locked in if I knew I’d utilize Bootcamp every day, but I have other things I’m committed to. I like to look for special deals & promotions they have every now and then so if you’re looking for those, sign up for their emails.
A bit of a warning about those with Groupons: they’re only for first time members. Even though they don’t clearly state that on the vouchers or when they promote it, that’s the deal.

This place is amazing! I got the grouping for 6 weeks, and as long as you tell them you don’t want to continue, they won’t charge your card. I would have definitely stayed with them if I wasn’t moving out of state!
I have never had to deal with this Matt guy, do I don’t really have anything bad to say about him, but I am in love with Richie and dan! They are the best trainers you could ask for (even though I really hated them sometimes because the workouts were so hard) but I’m really sad to go and I will miss them and these crazy workouts!

Today was my first class bought my groupon even though I had a friend that took the class invite me. I just want to check it out first because I have never done anything like this before. It was AWESOME! The trainers were firm but polite and in my opinion friendly they walk you through everything quickly but it super easy to catch on. People in the class were really nice to! I did not stop sweating the whole time it was exactly what I was looking for something to keep me interested and shake it up! After my groupon is over I am probably going to continue this place is really great!
And I wanted to add for the record I am going to sign up with them now that my groupon is over and nobody charged my card at all which seemed to have been recently happening to some people. Love it! FANTASTIC results in just 2 weeks!

I purchased a groupon and did not know what to expect with this being my first boot camp experience. I thought it was going to be a little gimmiky with a drill sergeant yelling and screaming but that has not been my experience. The workouts are great and this has been a really great experience so far. The workouts are fun and the change enough to make working out not so boring. The trainers are sooo nice and don’t bark but they do motivate during the workouts. This was the first time I have taken a workout classes where it has actually made me breath hard and I run at least 25 miles per week.
I am hesitant to give this place 5 stars because I just started but I am sure it will It will be 5 stars at the end.
**Update** I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! If you are looking for results and put in the effort of showing up and eating a better you will change DRAMATICALLY just like I did. I have been going for 10 weeks and I cannot say enough about it. I got my boyfriend to sign up for their 28 day challenge and he loves it as well. I don’t know what he expected his first class but now he knows how I got ripped. Guys, its not just for women, you pick your weight and activity level.
I recommend this to someone who is serious about losing weight, wants to put in the effort and is really tired of the boring classes at the big gyms. This seriously feels like 1:1 training.
I was a bit put off in the beginning due to some of the negative reviews here but don’t be. I looked on the site and saw the testimonials and wanted to achieve those same goals. Most of the people who are giving the low ratings did not stay more than one month and are having issues with billing. On the other hand you have people showing up and posting great reviews because of their results. So I ask you… Which do you want to be?
I could not have wanted more from a gym.

Dan and Richie are the best!
I have been a member of DBBC since May 2012. Dan and Richie are the best trainers that I have ever had the pleasure of working with. They are great motivators and very inspirational. They genuinely care about their clients and really know how to make you feel important. They are always willing to help and answer any questions you might have about health and fitness. They want to make sure you succeed. The facility is always clean, the workouts are always challenging, and the people you meet there are always friendly. I’m so happy I found DBBC… I’m a very satisfied member!

I’M LOOKIN TO GET SEXY… I actually want to be too sexy for my shirt… so sexy it hurts…
I had come here before with my friend to try it out as a guest, and boy was I WORKED!!! The thing that kept me away for this place was because of the steep membership price of $ 200. I mean really, I pay way way lower for my 24 hr membership. HOWEVER, they’re really good about Groupon and referral deals. I took advantage of their Holiday Buster 2 mos program. If I signed up by myself it would have cost me $ 97 for the 2 mos. but since I got my coworker to sign up with me, it came down to $ 48 for the 2 mos… NOW THAT’S A DEAL!!!
As I had started going there, they also have ways for you to take advantage of discounts through a point system. When you achieve certain goals like losing 2% body fat, or losing weight, referring a friend, WRITING A Unilocal REVIEW, liking them on FB, etc. you earn points. I hope to earn enough points to get a discount after my 2 mos membership ends.
The workouts… they’re effective and really they are. I’m not just saying it just because I go there and sweat my ass off, but because I have background in the Fitness area. (CLASS OF 2006, BS KINESIOLOGY PRE PHYS THERAPY-​SDSU) I love that their workouts are circuit training based, hitting ALL and different areas of your body. The trainers are really good about explaining how exercises should be done and what people will gain from each exercise. PLUS, on most days the workouts are different from the previous days. I would know cause I’ve gone 5 days in a row in a week.
I will have to say though that they may have to work on their pricing. Let’s be real, there are many gyms, cross fits, and other boot camp places in SD. They need to be reasonable and competitive. The workouts, training, and classes are there, but the pricing… hmmmm. But hey, if you can afford it, all power to you! Also, they may need to get more trainers to help out with some of the folks that get away from really doing the exercises correctly. They do their best, but when you’ve got a room of 20 – 30 people, it gets a little hectic. This place has got it goin on though… awesome job to the trainers/​owners of Dream Body!
Danngg, that guy is sweating a little too much… I’m WALKin my ass off to look good y’all…I’m the WALKING UnilocalER!!!

After going to a few bootcamps, this one is by far my favorite for workouts. I do agree with the previous reviews of not the best business practices, but even still, I found that Matt was willing to work with me when I had any questions.
The workouts are fantastic! I don’t know how they manage to do it, but you could be at any fitness level and get a lot out of it. The trainers do a great job of explaining each exercise, and switch up the routines so you never get bored. They push you, but let you modify as needed if you have any injuries or other needs.
Highly recommend!

I joined DBBC back in May with a 6 week groupon. I was so impressed with the classes and instructors that i extended my membership for the next 6 months and probably will continue indefinitely.
I have been actively going to the gym (ARC at SDSU or 24 Hr) for the past 9 years, and would lift regularly and also run between 25 – 30 miles per week, and I will tell you this without a doubt. in the 5 months i have been with dream body bootcamp, i have experienced greater and better results than I have ever experienced in my entire life! (and I am not lying!). I dont even go to 24 hour fitness anymore!
The instructors are great. The workout is intense, always challenging, and always changing. Its a great combination of high intensity weight lifting, cardio, and interval training, and there is a large emphasis on core workouts. I have completely stopped running as my cardio now, and since May have dropped 5% in body fat. I never thought achieving a 6 pack was possible, but DBBC made me a believer.
The combination of the group classes with great coaching and motivation by the trainers provide an environment where you cant slack off or go half fast, where you might normally would if you were alone at the gym.
I can’t explain how great and effective this bootcamp is, and the results back it up.
Also, its great because they are one of the few bootcamps (if not the only bootcamp) in San Diego that offers a 6:30pm weekday class. This makes it extremely easy and flexible to attend 5 – 6 days a week.
Dream Body Boot Camp… #1 in San Diego!!! Thank you for being awesome!

I initially joined Dream Body via Groupon back in April. Now I am an enrolled member paying the monthly membership. $ 200/​month may sound steep, but if you work out 4 – 5 times a week, your actually paying $ 10 – 12.50 per class, which is average price. If you compare prices to other fitness offers, it calculates out to be the average competitive price. Which is reasonable.
The perks, you get really good trainers, Althea, Dan, and Richie, who keep you motivated, get your energy going and help you stay fit. They get you to push yourself harder to get the best out of your workouts. They encourage you to go faster, go heavier, to get stronger. If you have any physical limitations due to past injuries, they will show you modified exercises that are effective workouts with rewarding results.
Throughout the entire 60 minutes, they are cognizant of your body mechanics. Especially if you are a new member. They will come up next to you during the workout, show the proper body mechanic, and watch you to make sure you are doing it correctly. Every day is a different workout routine. So your guaranteed to have results.
They have you weigh in and take measurements every 2 – 4 weeks to track your progress. And tell you what changes you can do to your workouts to continue improving.
Yes, you could go to the gym and pay the lesser monthly membership, but you won’t get the same results working out on your own as you would with Dream Body. Not to mention, at a gym, it’s more expensive to buy sessions with trainers. You’ll probably spend $ 15 – 20 per session with a trainer. And the sessions are usually 10 sessions. You can take the classes at the gym, which is probably included in your monthly membership fee, but again, you won’t get the same results as you would with Dream Body, because the classes at the gym won’t have trainers to help you maximize your workouts. The classes are taught by instructors, not trainers.
Yes, when you sign up with Dream Body, they do ask for your credit card. That’s because they are set up as a membership, just like when you go to sign up at a gym. And like all memberships that you sign up for, you have to manually cancel the membership if you decide to discontinue the service. Just like you would have to call and cancel your membership if you belonged to a gym.
Dream Body gives you a great workout. If your looking to get strong, get fit, and stay healthy, Dream Body will help get you there.

(This review may be a little premature, and I’ll be sure to continue watching my credit card statement in the next week or so, but so far, so no-​overdraft-​fees)
As you all did, a friend and I purchased the Groupon deal for 6 weeks of classes for $ 45. Immediately following the «oh my god we’re going to get so hot I am definitely going to lose 35 pounds this month let’s go buy some kale!» period, I swung on over to Unilocal to see what The Almighty Unilocalers had to say.
BOOM. One star. One star. One star. One star. «Great workout, shady business practices,» seemed to be the consensus, and with a look over to Matt’s MULTIPLE, HILARIOUSLY AWFUL websites (think if Geocities and ShamWow had a lovechild) made me suffer from some serious post-​purchase depression. Oh well. I figured it was a done deal, so I might as well go get fit before getting monetarily raped.
And yes, part one of the reviews were spot on! A FANTASTIC workout, without a doubt, every time I groaned in misery showing up to class but walked away feeling on top of the world. Althea (sp?) and the two dudes who took over during my last week were awesome trainers who were motivational without being scary. (Sorry, «two dudes,» I never learned your names because I was too busy not making eye contact with you and staring at your alarmingly toned arms.)
Yes, they make you give them your credit card number at the start. Yes, $ 200+ for a monthly membership is like, far and beyond overpriced. YES, they probably charge your card if you don’t make the conscious effort to cancel your membership… but all those issues were forewarned at the start of the trial.
You thought they were just going to cancel your membership without you asking? HAHA! Did you guys also think those 6 CDs were really going to be a penny back in 1996, too? Rule of thumb for future reference, friends: if a company’s website offers to send you a «free copy» of ANYTHING, or looks like Microsoft Word «WordArt» threw up all over it, it’s going to be shady.
All in all, a great boot camp that I’m sure, paired with a healthy diet, could help you drop some serious poundage. This was not the case in my situation because I rewarded myself after every class with 14 beers and half of a Pizza Hut pizza, but that’s my own battle.
On a serious note, Matt. Fix that godawful website. Seriously. It’s fucking terrible.

If you are contemplating on purchasing a deal for this boot camp — DO NOT DO IT!!!
The only reason why this place is still in business is because 1) they constantly run Groupon-​type deals to lure in their victims and 2) they charge people’s credit card without their authorization.
The owner’s (Matt Johnson) business ethics are horrendous. The only thing he cares about is fattening his wallet. He has a bunch of cheesy websites out there with different cheesy names — so do your research.
I attended this bootcamp several times and while the trainers Dan and Richie were legit, I couldn’t tolerate Matt’s lack of professionalism. All he did was belittle people and talk about how he could make more money (read scam people). I especially loved how he talked smack about other boot camps when his boot camp was the lamest. Wake up and smell the coffee dude!
I feel sorry for trainers Dan and Richie, they need to jump ship before it sinks!
UPDATE 10/​08/​2012:
See owner’s (Matthew J) response below. My case in point. He wouldn’t know «Professionalism» if it slapped him in the face.
I’ve only reviewed ONE other bootcamp. Wished I had more time to Unilocal but I don’t, so I try to write a few reviews at a time. Reason why I’m even updating this review now? You guessed it. He’s running another Groupon today AGAIN. My apologies to Unilocalers for not writing a review for this place many months ago. Could’ve saved a lot of people from a HUGE upset.
— — — -
Comment from Matthew J. of Dream Body Boot Camp 10÷3÷2012
Hey Nadia!
Thanks for the review! I like how you compare multiple studios in the same area at the same time… no red flags there! But so you know, I actually moved away from San Diego about 3 months ago to open up more studios in different cities… so it’s kind of hard for me to have a ‘lack of professionalism’, when I’m over 500 miles away and don’t deal with anyone in San Diego… so weird! Oh, and I just want to thank you for helping to make us San Diego’s #1 voted boot camp on the San Diego A-​LIst for 2012! We couldn’t have done it without you :) Oh, and I don’t drink coffee, but thanks for the suggestion!

So as I promised, I am back for my «after bootcamp» review. I cancelled (only because with a toddler I need a place where I can bring my kid or where I can train on my schedule). I really loved my experience form the start. I was really worried after I read few of the comments and Matt’s respond to one of them. I did talked and email Matt few times and he was super nice. I am not saying that the negative comments brought here by other Unilocalers aren’t true. But I need to be honnest and he was really nice and helpful to me. He did offer to stay for $ 94 a month, which is nice but again… Unless my daughter can bootcamp with mommy… ;-)
Anyways, 9 pounds lighter, I will go back to yoga, running and swimming… I have a triathlon in October.
Thanks dreambody bootcamp!

As far as the boot camp goes, great workout. Dan and Richie are excellent trainers and very motivating, however my suggestion to them would be to leave Dream Body Boot Camp and start their own gym before the owner Matt Johnson runs the place into the ground.
Like most people who go here, I bought the Groupon for 6 weeks of boot camp for $ 40 or something close to that. Before you can start your workout, you are forced to give them your credit card number, and you must pick between a $ 200 monthly option and a $ 250 monthly option for when your Groupon expires. There is no option to just let your Groupon expire, you MUST cancel manually. On my application, I wrote in big bold print DO NOT CHARGE MY CREDIT CARD AT THE END OF MY TRIAL. They did not listen, and my card was charged, however it was refunded upon request in a few days.
Since the workouts were so good, I wanted to continue, but I needed a better deal since $ 200 a month was very steep for a gym membership that had 40 plus people in every class and offered no amenities such as a changing room (they have a bathroom), showers, etc. I talked to Dan, one of the trainers there and told him that I have my fiancé, her sister, and another friend or two that are going to join if we can get a better rate. He told me that since all of us were interested in joining, he would give all of us a $ 97/​month rate if we all joined together. I was told to simply email the address listed on their web site, tell them what Dan told me, and they would charge my card for the $ 97 rate. Everything was great for the first month.
Looking at their Unilocal reviews, it seems that they have had many billing issues in the past, so I emailed them to make sure that I was going to be charged the $ 97 rate instead of the $ 200 rate. Matt Johnson, the owner, emails me back and tells me that the $ 97 rate that we received was a special «Graduation???» rate, and that I would be charged full price.
I emailed him back and told him that I Dan specifically told me that the discounted rate would be valid until my wedding in March, which was the whole reason why I signed up for the gym in the first place. He told me that I was «confused». I replied to that email letting him know that he needs to get on the same page with his staff so that customers such as myself are not given wrong information. I also told him problems like these are not going to lead to repeat customers, he is going to be stuck with a lot of temporary Groupon customers rather than loyal customers.
Here’s where it gets good. He replies to me by saying that my email is «somewhat insulting». Yeah, telling the truth is «insulting». And, a direct quote from Matt, the owner:
«And for someone to insult us for that, they obviously do not want to be in our program. So even if you were continuing on, we wouldn’t want you in our program and you would be told to leave. Consider your membership to Dream Body Boot Camp over and we wish you the best in all of your future fitness ventures!»
Wow, so I’ve been banned from Dream Body Boot Camp for asking them to honor pricing given to me by one of their employees. Look, if the owner would have flat out told me that their employee was not authorized to quote discounted pricing, I would have accepted that and moved on, but instead he calls me a liar and expels me from his business. That’s very mature, Matt.
Please listen to the negative reviews given to them by the Unilocal community and simply stay away from this boot camp. Take your business to somebody that actually wants it.
I am sure that Matt will probably respond to this review with another one of his snarky comments such as «Another crazy comes out of the woodworks!» as he did in responding to a previous review from an unhappy customer. No, Matt, the problem is not with your customers, it is with you.

I bought a Groupon for this bootcamp. It’s location in Balboa Park was attractive to me, as was the great deal I got. My initial impression of the consultation meeting with the trainer was so poor and negative that I will not be returning to work out.
A bit of background on me: I am in decent shape. I wear a size 0 or 2, go to Pilates two times a week, and eat responsibly. In the past I was a triathlete, and maybe weigh 8 pounds more now that I’m not training. Do I need to be leaner? Yes, but lets keep this in perspective. So I show up for my consultation meeting prior to being allowed to work out at the class. I was on time for my appointment, but since the trainer was running late with someone else I was made to wait.
Finally, 8 minutes before her bootcamp class is supposed to start she gets to me. She is rushed and makes me super uncomfortable by taking my measurements while 20 people are waiting and watching. I left feeling really poorly about myself because I saw the measurements she put down were many inches more than I was accustomed to seeing.
Today, a week after this incident, I took my own measurements in order to order a dress online. Whereas she had taken my waist measurement down below my belly button, I took mine at the place all the websites tell you to ie your natural waist right about your belly button. My measurement was 3.5 inches smaller than the one she took. For my hips she didn’t even let me put my legs together, and measured too low, coming up with a number 2 inches higher than the correct measurement.
I have double checked my technique, as well as my measuring tape. Her measurements were just flat wrong. I believe this was either 1) incompetence OR 2) an attempt to make her «results» look good if she took follow up measurements of me following the 6 week «trial» of her services.
Either way this reflects extremely badly on the trainer and the company. I cannot trust my safety to a company and trainer that would allow this practice.

We are not in communist Russia. You are not selling Toilet Paper to unwiped asses. This is a Bootcamp. Good instructors will attract repeat business and referral business. If you are a reputable, decent business, with a good product, why drop a lead anvil on people as they walk in the door?!
I’m setting $ 45 on FIRE in place of doing business with this company.
I initially became wary after the following occurred:
1.Spent 4 seconds on the website. It’s essentially a midnight built Viagra-​Affiliate holdover from the year 2000 with little substance to actually make you feel comfortable with your purchase. I’ve built the same site in 20 minutes. Selling snake-​oil?
2.The company is referred to by several company names and redirecting websites. Calling for information gives you an automated message to go to an entirely different website for the ‘consultation registration’. Shady.
3.I decided that #1 and #2 were enough for me to raise red flags. I jumped online and found several other people have been getting screwed and the instructor chiming in with rude responses. In case you don’t scroll through and read them on your own, he refers to others caught in this scam, just like me, as complainers-​jokers-​crazy people. That’s inappropriate, to say the least.
I bought a Groupon deal (of which wont be refunded) and I’m not even going to pursue moving forward with the bootcamp on principal. Groupon doesn’t give much by way of research, little did I know the carefully worded fine print would come to mean that I would need to endure a consultation of hard-​upsells only after providing my credit card.
I just wanted the Bootcamp, that’s all. That’s why I bought it. If I wanted to spend a few hundred (or whatever) a month on fitness, I would join the nearest Gym and take their classes (doing business with a company I know that I can trust). On paper, this was the perfect solution for me, clouded by a numb-​skull upselling procedure.
If you offer a product that I like and want to continue with, I will. That’s how Groupon should work. I’m not going to invest additional time and money before going through your initial service offering!