Gymnasium Strength & Movement

This gym saved me in a big way. I joined coming off of a long, largely unfruitful recovery from a herniated disc injury. Within six months I was feeling healthy and agile for the first time since the injury. Within one year I was in the best shape of my life. I felt strong and I looked great too. Best gym on the planet bar none.

I have been a member at gymnasium for a little over a year now. Right from the beginning I loved going to the group classes. It didn’t take long for me to understand how powerful their program is and that every part of the path is carefully thought out. We were never doing an exercise just for the heck of it, but everything was carefully programmed for each cycle and focus.
I should also say that I am a physical therapist and make a living helping people recover from injury and get to a healthier lifestyle. I was so impressed by the programming and coaching at G that I started to send my patients to join the gymnasium path to strength and movement! I even had a patient that reached to about 75% improvement with their knee pain and began to plateau. Due to insurance regulations he had no more visits for PT and I recommended that he try gymnasium out. About three months later I ran into him and he told me that going regularly to gymnasium had helped him get back to his full 100%.
I was so thrilled that I even decided to go through the gymnasium coach training to join the team. As a PT who sees many patients with injury due to poor exercise form/​coaching, I very much appreciated that in order to be a coach at G it was required to go through a three month training. I continue to send my patient’s to G because I am confident they will get experienced coaching, a well rounded exercise program, and an encouraging community to help them reach their goals!

Best kettle bell training in the area! Superb in every way — I can’t recommend this place more highly.
Fred S.

I rarely give five star reviews. Gymnasium is one of the few places that is made for newbies and fitness experts alike. The philosophy behind Gymnasium is what really seals the deal for me; it isn’t just about looking awesome — it’s about functional exercises that help your body work the way it’s supposed to. Josh is part fitness expert, part intellectual genius, part knowledge sponge, and part all around awesome nice guy. He has a very comprehensive knowledge about the human body (and brain) and what types of movement and exercises work for your body and your fitness goals.
I’ve seen personal trainers in the past who walked me through movements without really honing in on what my body was doing (and not doing). Josh, on the other hand, can really see the subtle things that my body does and reminds me to be mindful of when my body is out of balance. After a really bad injury and overcompensating with one side of my body, my back and legs have paid a steep price. Going to Gymnasium and having some coaching from Josh is helping me to feel better and walk better.
I can’t recommend this place enough.
P. S. The photo of Gymnasium that’s attached to the Unilocal profile is not an accurate representation AT ALL. The space is warm and inviting.

Try these workouts! You will wonder why you waited. I’ve done 2 classes here so far — strength and flow. Both were challenging but also allowed me to work at my own level (and more experienced could also turn the intensity up). I don’t usually enjoy «working out» but this managed to be fun. Check it out! if you’re a gym regular I think you’ll find it a refreshing change of pace.

This is not your typical gym, since it’s not the type of place that is loaded with equipment and tv screens. They focus on whole body exercises, which builds your coordination and stabilization muscles, as opposed to the semi-​old stuff that’s been popular in the last 20 years… weight machines and repetitive motion. This also makes the workouts more interesting.
Before I came here, my athletic skills were mainly focused on running. I tried kettlebells here and love them. (BTW, research has shown that a good kettlebell workout burns more calories than any other exercise. Kettlebells are a «must-​do» exercise for fat loss and strength featured in the popular book «The 4-​hour Body».)
I have gotten a lot stronger since being a member (since ~July 2010), and I actually am in the best shape of my life. It’s all thanks to the whole body emphasis.
The staff is very helpful and is always willing to help recommend an exercise, or critique my form as I do a kettlebell lift etc.
The gym also features swinging clubs, ropes, TRX bands, etc. I’ve been a member for more than a year and there’s plenty of stuff I haven’t yet used. As a bonus, there are other classes offered in areas I wouldn’t normal try, such as yoga and meditation.

Gymnasium is fantastic. The workouts are varied, intense (but modifiable), fun, and focused on functional strength, fitness, and flexibility. You won’t find yourself doing the same old moves over and over just to burn calories; it all has a broader purpose. The owner, Josh, has done an awesome job of fostering a sense of community by encouraging members to get to know each other and with other offerings like a low-​key running group and meditation on Fridays. The other trainers (Chris and Anna) are also great, both are extremely knowledgeable and fun to work out with.
I can’t recommend it enough to anyone looking for something a little different, and for something that really gives results.

I am a big fan of Josh and Gymnasium. The setup here is a far cry from the machines and free weights that populate other gyms I’ve been to. Besides that, just having an opportunity to work out with other people in the Strength Shop or Sweat Shop class (both aptly named) is a lot of fun. The exercises, if they can be called that even, are movement based, simple to do and master and almost feel like the exercises we all probably did as kids. There are some changes in the works for summer that seem to be ramping up the general dynamic weightlifting components of the program that I are really looking forward to.
The general vibe is one geared towards the betterment of the entire self as I even saw some recent classes being held at Gymnasium that promoted a nutrition class, a barefoot running group, kettlebell and meditation instruction and an introduction to acupuncture. There is even an area with books and tea in the back for relaxing with your fellow workout buddies after a session.
Josh has done a great job creating a welcoming atmosphere that promotes wellness through exercise and movement. I love it here and can’t wait to see what else he has planned for the exercise sessions in the future.

Gymnasium provides the most unique experience out there! I have been a member for several months, taking part in the German Longsword lessons instructed by Steven on Mon. and Thur. nights. The founder of Gymnasium, Josh, has always been closely involved with each student and very supportive. He has participated in our classes and events, and he has even developed intense training that improves our sword fighting skills. The hours are very convenient for those of us that work late. This is not like any other gym!

I have to admit that I was a little scared about going here with some co-​workers, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect. I was picturing a gym full of meat heads I guess, which is not my scene at all.
This place is further from that picture than you could ever get. The atmosphere of the place is actually very chill/​relaxing. It’s a big open space with tons of interesting looking equipment.
Josh is probably the most friendly and welcoming guy you could ever meet. We even talked running a bit, and he is full of helpful information!
The class we took, Sweat Shop, was not at all what I was expecting. Josh makes the workout not only interesting, but fun and I got to use some of that interesting looking equipment. I had never used kettleballs or weighted bats (not sure what they are really called) before!
I left a little sweaty, feeling like I had a very good workout, and I had fun on top of it. I’m a little sore the day after, which my body knows it means I had a great workout that was a full body workout! It’s way better than the typical gym circut where you just go from dull machine to dull machine.
I will defintely be coming back for more classes at Gymnasium. I’m paticularly interested in Yogabells and the fencing classes.

It’s a few minutes before my first class and I am nervous. I hear a cool 80’s song as I open the door. Immediately I am greeted by the owner, Josh Conway. I see him peering over a desk flanked by tall plants, smiling at me. It looks like he is briefing one of his coaches for the upcoming class. I take off my shoes, briefly speak with him and then proceed to the changing room.
I noticed behind him was a lighted library of books ranging from Chinese breathing techniques to the history of European sword fighting. What a nice collection of varied interests I thought. As I grab a cup of water from the bubbler Josh informs me that although optional, I needn’t to keep my socks on for the workout –part of the strength training involves training the feet, naturally.
As I stretch out before class I see an older couple finishing up their kettle bell routine. They chalk up their personal best on one of the chalkboards on the wall. I see that one chalkboard is filled with quotations, comments and words of encouragement written by various members. Another board describes what ‘theme’ it is for the day. ‘Stamina.’ Today’s theme is stamina I thought. Yesterday was ‘Power.’ Tomorrow is ‘Strength.’ The couple comes over and says hello to me and we introduce ourselves.
This is pretty cool I thought.
As I look around I see that Gymnasium is a nicely designed, large two section studio with cozy lighting, wooden floors, floor to ceiling mirrors along one wall and a huge Gymnasium logo emblazoned against another. Thick and heavy ropes hang from the ceiling, next to a row of pull-​up bars. There are many tires stacked like a wall in one corner. A large variety of kettlebells and Indian Clubs line the back wall. There are also hurdles, metal stands, rope, straps, foam bricks, sandbags, fitness ladders, a peg climb and many other tools for circuit use. Intimidated, but curious. A coach comes over to me, extends a hand and says hello to me. ‘Hello, my name is Marlon” I reply. ‘My first day here.‘
Several more members fill the room as the clock winds to 5pm.
The coach instructs us to get into a circle. The mild chatter quiets down as the coach-​led group begins with a twisting and breathing exercise as ‘Simple Minds’ softly gets us into the mood over the gym’s sound system.
It’s been a hair over two months since I’ve joined Gymnasium. I clocked in at 228 pounds the day I signed up. Today I am 202 pounds. I can’t believe it. Twice the results, half the time. At first I was skeptical because there weren’t any 45 pound plates, barbells and ellipticals which are usual staple found at regular gyms. At the risk of sounding cliché, this isn’t a regular gym. After a few workouts I found myself crawling on all fours, doing planks, swinging kettlebells, hurling sandbags and performing an endless variety of floor work. The exercises are always changing weekly too. No chance for my muscles to become accustomed to anything.
What is key, is that since the classes are small you get a lot of attention from the coach. There are always two or three alternatives to each type of exercise. An experienced member might perform a more difficult version of a pushup exercise while a new member might do them inclined along a wall. Gymnasium recognizes that each person is different. Another thing which is cool is that the community at Gymnasium is very fun, social and lively. There are tables and couches to sit and read from the library, sip tea or coffee which Gymnasium provides, or just to hang out. Josh organizes many other fun events such as evening runs, a variety of seminars, kettlebell challenges and a 60 Day Food Challenge in which I am currently involved. There is a great deal of personalization and interaction which is seldom if ever found at other gyms.
I am simply flabbergasted as to why I don’t see a lot more people doing natural movement exercises like the kind found at Gymnasium. However, I do know that this style of training is increasing in popularity. Also this type of training isn’t as ‘sexy’ as pushing 10 pound plates on a machine. But for the record, given by my results I would never step back into a ‘regular’ gym – not if being strong and balanced, moving optimally and losing weight was my goal.
2÷25÷13
Sincerely,
Marlon V