Cult fit is a brand of fitness centers owned by Cure fit, a Bangalore based health and fitness startup company. These centers conduct trainer led group workouts and provide a wide range of workout options to choose from.

Being a fitness enthusiast, It’s hard to miss their fast growing presence and branding campaigns featuring Hrithik Roshan , Milind Soman and Tiger Shroff (Indian celebrities / Fitness stalwarts)

After a year of just lifting weights ( Skinny to Brawny Transformation ), My regular gym workouts started to feel a bit monotonous and cult.fit seemed like the next best option to spice up my fitness routine.

So, I tried out their at-center classes in 5 different outlets across Hyderabad over the last month.

This post is my review of the whole cult fit experience at Hyderabad.

The Pros

Variety of Workout Formats

In one month, I’ve tried all of the following formats available in Hyderabad.

• Boxing
• CrossFit ( Tie-up with a local crossfit center )
• S&C ( Strength & Conditioning)
• HRX workout
• Prowl
• Sports Conditioning
• Kettlebell
• Dance Fitness
• Yoga
• HIIT ( High Intensity Interval Training )
• Football

If you’re the kind of person who gets bored easily with traditional gym workouts, then cult.fit’s got you covered. In fact, there’s no other place that brings together these many formats at one place.

I have to accept, doing cardio/endurance based workouts have never been so much fun. If planned properly, you can train at least two weeks straight without repeating the same format.

Group Camaraderie

All of the workouts are group based. Even though I pretty much keep to myself during workout sessions, I found myself pushing harder than usual in a group setting. After every workout, the trainer makes all the participants shout

“3….2….1…. WE ARE CULT!!!”

You can just feel the camaraderie in the air.

Hygienic Facilities & Interactive Trainers

There are 4 cult outlets on my way home from work and I’ve visited all of them. Every center is well maintained and adequately equipped.

After every workout, the gym floor is cleaned and equipment returned to their original position. The gym towels, boxing wraps, water bottles etc are regularly replaced so that you have access to clean ones even on the last workout of the day.

Amenities include lockers, shower room, valet parking (in a few centers) and a cafe, where you have good pre/post workout snacks and shakes.

Trainers make it a point to ask about injuries and give special attention to beginners. They even take one to one feedback after the workout for beginners. 

Well Designed Workouts

Every workout is exactly 50 minutes long and every minute is accounted for. You start with a mobility drill, move on to warm up, followed by the main workout and end with a cool down or stretching.

For HRX and S&C you can preview the day’s workout in the app, along with exercise video tutorials. The app also gives you the calories expected to burn and targeted muscle groups in the session. The workouts are standardized across all centers for that day

In Cross fit, the first few minutes are spent learning a new skill ( Olympic Lifts ). In Football, you play a 20-30 minutes game. I personally liked the boxing and kettle bell workouts. Dance Fitness seems to be the most popular option as it always had a long waiting list to enroll.

Value for Money

At the time of writing this article, a 1 year unlimited pack gives you access to all the centers ( includes access to mind.fit centers for yoga/meditation),  and a few classes per month in other cities. All of this, priced at just around Rs 18k i.e Rs 1500 per month, which is cheaper than most of the regular commercial gyms.

I loved the “Pause Days” concept which you don’t find in regular gyms. Basically you can extend your pack expiry date by “pausing” the plan whenever you are unable to attend the classes. Very useful when you know beforehand that you won’t be able to make it.

The shakes and snacks at the in-house cafe are reasonably priced. You also earn a 50% cash back on every purchase. A basic whey protein shake costs just Rs 90.

Holistic App

The Cure.fit app is one of the most comprehensive fitness apps in India. Even if you don’t plan on attending the paid classes, this App is a must download

The App has the following options 

• Book cult class
• Order meals ( Tasty and Nutritious )
• Book mind class ( Meditation )
• Workout at Home
• Meditate at Home
• Cook at Home
• Buy Sportswear

The Do-It-Yourself Workout,Yoga and Meditation routines are very informative and well designed with varying intensity levels. Also, they are FREE!!!

Cons

No Muscle and Strength gains

You gain muscle and strength by lifting heavy weights for multiple sets and progressively using heavier loads every workout.

Unfortunately, all of the cult.fit formats are designed to exhaust you with light weights and little to no rest. It improves your stamina/endurance but not muscle mass or strength levels.

No Personalized Workouts

As much as I liked the group setting, I definitely missed my solitary workouts, specifically designed to meet my fitness goals.

When you have advanced lifters and beginners (like me) doing the same workout, how are the advanced people going to progress?

Cult Fit Review Summary

To sum it up, Cult fit is the best way to have fun while losing fat/weight. Period.

However, there is no scope for improving your lean muscle mass or strength.

Keep in mind that Hrithik Roshan didn’t get his physique by doing HRX workouts. Also, you won’t look like Tiger Shroff, no matter how hard you “ Prowl ”.

Note: If you’re interested in looking like them though, check out Body Transformation, Simplified to know what it actually takes.

I continued to do my strength training workouts over the weekend and slowly started alternating between my regular gym and cult fit.

Sorry Cult fit for cheating on you. We had a good time, but free weights are my first love after all!!!

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