Athletic Playground

I’m a 47 year old personal trainer in excellent physical condition. I’ve been coming to the Athletic Playground for about a year and a half. My sports background is in running, cycling and field and water sports. I have no appreciable experience with the circus art forms offered at AP. I’ve tried various classes but have stuck with Movement Prep with Michael Korczowski and various acrobatics and parkour classes.
I can not speak highly enough of the impact of these classes and of the expertise of the instructors. I have been able to retrain muscle patterns and gain strength in areas that I was unable to address on my own and with other movement/​strength/​conditioning modalities. I have achieved success in front and back handsprings due to the expert instruction of Zach Fisher and Andre Pfening. Completely owed to Michael Korczowski, I have developed gymnastic strength hold goals that were beyond my wildest dreams that I am making visible progress towards weekly. And most importantly Athletic Playground has offered me the tools to realize the most challenging and illusive goal of a stronger healthier body for pain-​free aging!
I have been met with love and kindness at every turn by the students and instructors alike. I have been supported and encouraged in a playful – yet grueling – atmosphere. Were the level of instruction not so high level, there’s no way I would keep going. I’m so grateful for the talent devotion and commitment of the staff of the Athletic Playground for making these disciplines available and accessible to folks like me. I’m in it for the long haul!

Such a great place to go and pretend you are 10 again! Instructors are super excited to teach and the other students are always friendly and inviting. I really wish I lived closer to the gym.

This place is fabulous. If you hate traditional gyms and enjoy letting your inner child run rampant (or if you need a socially acceptable place to climb on things), this is the place for you. I’ve taken acroyoga and aerial acrobatics. Open gym is also fantastic people watching.

After being inactive for several years, I was looking to exercise again. I found Athletic Playground. What I appreciate about Athletic Playground is that you (or I *ahem*) can be old and out of shape and a beginner and still feel very welcome to learn. Also, my schedule is erratic — so I appreciate that there are classes all times of day. I have only been going for 3 months now, but my favorite classes are the conditioning classes, movement prep, handstands1 and acrobatics. All the teachers I’ve had are very communicative about what we will be doing in class, how to do things correctly and safely, and have been very nice. Looking forward to learning challenging and things to do with my body!

Place is amazing: a huge and diverse offering of classes, lots of available time in one of their studios for individual training, skilled instructors that offer helpful, specific feedback, showers for getting to your next activity clean, and a fun, friendly community of students and staff. Love it. Will be back every time I’m in the east bay.

Did I just have this much fun? [In Parkour.] Hard to believe. Or was it all a dream?!
I may have been the oldest, most inflexible and least experienced person there, but Zach kept it super understandable and accessible, with lots of advice personalized to my (beginner) level.
Delighted to have discovered this place; joints permitting, I think it’s going to be part of my regular routine.
TL;dr FUN!

As a budding aerialist who’s been jumping around between lots of facilities, I’m very glad I found AP. Of everywhere I’ve gone, this place has by far the most friendly, playful, laid-​back ethos and the strongest community. They also have comparatively a TON of open gym time, which is awesome. If I lived in the East Bay, I would probably train here exclusively.
Minor cons that aren’t enough to impact my rating:
— lower ceilings than some other aerial studios (NBD for relative beginners, but maybe a detractor for more advanced peeps)
— silks are heavily used so they get pretty ripe (happens everywhere, but they could probably be changed a little more often)
— 1-​hour classes aren’t long enough! I’d be very pleased if AP tacked on an extra 15 minutes for aerial classes.

This was the most fun workout I’ve ever had. I took the aerial class, and we got right down to business. I climbed the fabric on the first day! (and that’s saying a lot from the kid who couldn’t get up the rope in gym class). Very supportive atmosphere.

It’s about time I write a review. I love taking aerial classes here. All the instructors have been nice, helpful and inspiring, but Caitlin is my favorite. Things just seem to click for me when she breaks things down. I like the way she’ll teach a skill, build on said skill, and reintroduce something from the previous week. And before I know it, I’m doing a small sequence.
Minus one star because 1 hour isn’t long enough for aerial classes when considering warmup and cool down.

My god, I hate this place. I purchased the one-​week introductory offer and signed up for acrobatics and aerial conditioning. The acro class was awful — I walked in after warm up had started and a quick glance around the room told me this wasn’t going to go well. People’s form is not good, and I couldn’t tell who the instructor was.
My instructor warmed up our wrists because «we’re going to be using our wrists a lot.» And then was like, «no we’re not.» And then someone else asked what we would be doing, and she pretty much had no idea.
There wasn’t much instruction — we were just told to work on a move, and she didn’t break it down at all. She admitted she has trouble with her words… and that’s a problem if you don’t demo it either.
My thing is that you will only be as good as your instructor… and I could tell this adage rings true when you look at the students.
I didn’t even come back the rest of the week. Waste of my time. They refer to their clients as «monkeys» and… uhhhh…take that as you will.
It was ⁴⁄₂₀ and it smelled of weed and circus BO the whole time. Why do people come here? The facilities aren’t great — ceilings are okay, rooms aren’t all that big. yes it’s cheap, but you get what you pay for.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the playground. I mainly take parkour and acrobatics classes but you can’t go wrong with any of the classes as the staff is really what makes this place special. It is a great community and I am proud to be a member.

I was visiting the bay area from Portland and wanted to keep my aerialsilks/​trapeze chops up while I was there. The Athletic Playground was marvellous! I signed up for the 1 week trial since I was going to be in town for a couple of days and I went to 4 classes over course of 2 days. I couldn’t get enough. The monkey conditioning class was difficult but so energizing. I also did the partner flexibility class, then did 2 open play sessions. Everyone was super friendly and welcoming. The facility was fantastic and fully stocked with all kinds of equipment for stretching, parkour, etc etc. I intend to go back there anytime I am in the area.

I tried their 1 week trial which was great value to come in for unlimited classes and check the place out. Ended up addicted to aerial silks, so I became a member, and now I’ve been around for several weeks and feel up to writing a quick review.
The aerial classes are SUPER fun and the instructors are knowledgeable and encouraging. I will say that its very challenging for a newbie – and this is coming from a dance teacher/​personal trainer. It is a bit learn-​by-​doing as the intro classes tend to be large and you can’t always get personal attention, but the other students are kind, encouraging, and ready with advice. You’ll jump right in without a ton of preamble, so its suited to those of us who are willing to laugh at ourselves and be patient. No one at this place is judging you. If you’re genetically curvy and as flexible as wood like me you’ll be in the minority, and it does tend to be all 20 – 30 somethings. Doesn’t bother me, but I mention it for other Unilocalers who may want to know.
I saw some previous reviews about a front desk guy who was rubbing people the wrong way, but I guess I haven’t encountered him or he’s been fired. All the front desk people have been professional and friendly. Their in-​person sign in system is fine, but the web site is a bit clunky to find/​register for classes. They don’t seem to cap class sizes so you may as well just show up and keep it easy.
I’m taking one star off just because of the clunky online system, and their pricing structure is a bit confusing (I’ve worked at a gym before and had to explain pricing to clients before – its not super hard to make it clear). The aerial fabrics and mats are a little smelly on a hot day, but it doesn’t make me nuts.

I took an AcroYoga class and it was exactly what I hoped it would be. It was the intro course, so they started with basics, but also helped us do some challenging (well, for me!) poses towards the end of the class.
The instructor was knowledgeable and made us all feel comfortable. The other students were really friendly too, which always helps make for a more positive experience!
Anyone considering AcroYoga, or just wanting to do something fun and different with an athletic twist, should check this place out.

This place is amazing and there is nothing else like it. Where else can you take trapeze, silks, acroyoga, acrobalance, parkour, acrobatics, flexibility, and handstand classes? All the instructors and staff are SO NICE and friendly and helpful, and the place is always full of incredibly inspiring people. I would recommend this place to anyone and am working on dragging all my friends here, one at a time.

I love the AP. I have taken the stretching class, partner flips and an adult games class. So much fun. The best way to work out.

The backstory: I found a recent love for being in the air this year through aerial yoga and I couldn’t get enough of it. Sadly, the place I was getting my fix ended its time as the business wasn’t generating enough folks and wasn’t as popular as initially expected.
Fast forward a month or so searching for something similar to aerial yoga I found aerial silks. Similar, you say? I say the aerial silks are a total workout to say the least. Takes a great deal of strength, flexibility and coordination but it is an absolute joy to be in the air and quite frankly being free.
On top of finding the aerial silks at the Athletic Playground they offer so much more here. Everything from acrobatics, acroyoga (yay!), trapeze, parkour… Plenty of classes to fit your fancy. Above all, it is FUN! I’m playing and getting my workout on. It’s sad when time is up. Already looking forward to the next playtime.
Not knowing anyone here is a bit intimidating at first but once you get into the swing of things, introductions at the beginning of each class and warm up it isn’t so bad. The instructors are full of energy, friendly and make the class both informative and fun.
Take advantage of the $ 30/​intro week to try out the classes they offer. It’s as simple as signing up online through their website or making the visit there. I will definitely return although not as often. Recommended!

I LOVE it here!
I did a week trial — and utilized it! coming to classes 3 – 5 hours a day, every day, feeling it all out.
Unfortunately (FOR ME) I did this right as I left town. I will be back next month, and literally and considering moving to Emeryville to be able to fully embark on an acrobatical adventure!
Parkour, handstands, acrobatics, acro yoga, monkey conditioning, aerials, ALL OF IT! how do I choose, how do I do it all?! I’ll soon find out!
:D

I promised myself years ago that I’d take some classes in the aerial arts and, today, I finally got started with an aerial conditioning class at AP.
Side note: at the front desk, I was told that one of the conditioning instructors is not suitable for entirely new students, so call ahead if you’re a complete newbie.
Luckily, the instructor that I had today was kind and welcoming, giving me ample one-​on-​one attention (since, this being my first class, I was starting from scratch). She even went out of her way connect one-​on-​one at the end of class, giving me some positive feedback on my day’s practice.
I came into the class feeling intimidated and anxious after not much by way of physical work for a year or so, but I left the class feeling competent and challenged. In just this first session, I did at least 8 things I’d never done before, so I feel like I not only got in a good workout — which effectively balanced cardio, strength, and flexibility building, almost all with clear relevance to aerial practice — but that I was also personally empowered.
The sense of community and companionship that other reviewers have mentioned certainly helped there :).
I’m already looking forward to my next, skills class.
I bought one of the 12-​class passes to force myself to give this new practice a real shot, so I’ll be sure to update again in a few weeks once I’ve gauged how effectively new students are led through the beginning to the intermediate levels of practice.

The reviews don’t lie, this place is pretty cool. I’ve been to one class so far (got a pass for 4 classes from Living Social to give this place a go). I tried Parkour (intro level). I’d seen the youtube videos of parkour in action, but being too scared to risk my body to cement objects without knowing what to do, I decided to give this class a try.
What I found out: it’s an adventurous workout! Parkour class was a lot of fun (and a bit scary, but pushing yourself past your comfort zone just made it all the better and more rewarding when you got it right!) I went into it thinking it wouldn’t be a great workout, but would be neat to learn. I was only half right. Both a great workout and fun to learn!
Can’t wait to come back and give Parkour another go, hopefully next time I’ll be able to get my congo’s down!

Hello, awesome?
Athletic Playground is crazy cool. Thanks to Unilocal Deals, I took a parkour class and joined about a dozen other neophytes and experts alike in jumping across walls and cat walking up high. I came away with a skinned knee and a bruised ego that I wasn’t the next incarnation of spiderman, but damn if it wasn’t a blast.
What you need to know: pants are better than shorts (see skinned knee above). All shapes, sizes, and abilities seem to be welcome. Kids are technically not allowed, but they apparently make exceptions if the kid’s parents are well established with Athletic Playground.
Highly recommended.

What can I say… FUN, FANTASTIC, FRIENDLY!!! Classes are sooooo much FUN!!! Instructors are FANTASTIC!!! And the people that you meet and workout with are so FRIENDLY!!!
I just took my first three classes, Tumbling, Aerials, and Handstands. I hesitated to try any of these classes because I really had no experience, but on all of their class descriptions, they said no experience needed, so I thought I would give it a try and put myself out there. Turns out… no experience is needed, REALLY!!!
I learned new things (obviously) in each class. The instructors are patient, encouraging, and a ton of fun!!!
Parking is easy, prices are really reasonable, if I had one wish, they would be closer to where I live… I have to travel an hour to get to class, but it is well worth it!!!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE!!! IF YOUR THINKING ABOUT IT, STOP, AND JUST COME TO CLASS!!!

This place is great! The first class is free! I took the 1 hour aerial skills class today and had a lot of fun climbing and swinging around. Our instructor, Sam, was patient and not to mention very skilled.
Since this was our first class, we got to learn only introductory skills. We started off with some warm ups, moved to the aerial fabric, then the trapeze, back to the fabric, and a warm down. This class was really a great work out. I feel sore in my arms and abs!
There’s also a ton of other classes you can take at this multi-​functional gym. From break dance to handstand class to hula hooping to monkey conditioning (yes monkey! go to their website to read up on that).
If you’re thinking about giving this place a try, you totally should! The first class is free, so what have you got to lose?