Gustavo Machado has THE BEST people! I weighed 330 lbs at 6" (I am not a body builder, for context) and I was terrified to come through the door, but Scott and the team consistently encouraged and motivated me.
Scott (the owner and head coach) doesn't fancy himself a salesman - and he's not, in that he's not there to sell you on his gym. He's there to teach Jiu-Jitsu and have fun. But, you will see how much he cares for his team and how much they care for him and each other, and it WILL be something you want to be a part of. If you want to learn and are wiling to work - he and the team will teach you, support you, and encourage you. There are people of all ages and from all walks of life and varying levels of jiu-jitsu experience at the gym.
Your first day will be hard, especially if you're not in shape. You'll be expected to give your all to get through the warm ups (which were VERY hard for me, but bear in mind - I was also 330lbs (6'0"). He and the team just want you to keep moving and not quit. The warmups got easier every class I went to, especially when I could maintain consistency. The warm ups are 5 minutes of wall squats, 5 minutes of shrimps - one way down the mat and bear crawls - back down the mat, followed by 5 minutes of core exercises (15 minutes total). You'll then get into training. Scott or one of the coaches will demonstrate a technique and you'll partner up with another student or coach to practice the technique. After the class has drilled the technique, you'll do one of a few things that may have changed since I was there. When I was there you might do free rolling with a partner where you'll work on your grappling and jiu-jitsu, or you might play a 'game' where a few students/coaches lie on their backs and you attempt to pass or submit them - I found this particularly fun. After training Scott or another coach will give some parting thoughts to the team before you break for the night. On Monday's there was always an open invite for a few drinks, with good company (Scott and other teammates.)
One of the things that impressed me the most was that unlike other gyms I had been to, there was absolutely no hard sell to sign up after the 1st class (or otherwise.) He doesn't want people who don't want to be there. The first class is free and I tried to sign up immediately, but Scott encouraged me to take the night to think it over and come back for another class and we could talk about me joining.
Beginner's classes are on Monday from 6pm-8pm, but Scott will encourage you to attend all classes, as much as possible.
I wanted to write this review because (1) it's earned and (2) to reiterate that the glowing reviews are all warranted and (3) to encourage anyone whose considering going - to do so and try to provide more information on what class looks like. For someone like me, I wanted as much information as I could get before I walked in the door.
If you're interested in learning Jiu-Jitsu, you'll obviously find that here. More importantly, at least to me - If you're looking for great, supportive people to help you improve yourself - I find it hard to believe you'll find a better gym - JiuJitsu, or otherwise.