Announcement

We wanted to inform you that ATX Underground Fitness is now handling all of our operations and clients, effective June 1, 2009. We will be helping out from time to time, but please go to ATX Underground Fitness for all of your group personal training, 1x1 training, kettlebell, TRX, & program design needs. We have enjoyed getting to know you over the past year!!

Continue to train hard!

Tomorrow's Kettlebell Workshop is Full

All spaces for tomorrow's level 1 kettlebell workshop have been filled. Please contact us if you would like to be placed on a waiting list in the event of any last minute cancellations. We will be holding another level 1 workshop in June. Please let us know if you would like to be placed on the "interest list".

2 spaces left - Kettlebell Workshop (Wed, 5/27 @ 6PM)

We just wanted to quickly remind you that the 2-hour beginner kettlebell workshop being held on Wed, May 27 from 6-8PM still has 2 open spaces. Please contact us if you would like to reserve a spot. Scroll down the page a bit for the full scoop on the program; here's the summary if you don't feel like scrolling :-).

Workshop Summary:

Workshop Date:

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 from 6:00-8:00PM

Class Size: This class is limited to a total of 4 participants. We purposefully keep the session size small to allow for greater personalized attention and questions.

Workshop Cost: The cost for this 2-hour course is $60 per person.

Workshop Location: Northwest Austin. Actual location will be disclosed upon enrollment. We will train outdoors, weather permitting.

We look forward to working with you!! We will announce a level 2 workshop in June.

Sunday Training Sessions

We are happy to design programs around your availability and schedule. We try our very best to create programs that adjust around busy lives. However, we did want to mention that regular training programs or 1x1 sessions that occur on Sundays will incur an additional convenience fee of $15 per session. This policy applies to individual (private 1x1) training, as well as small group/semi-private training groups of 3-4. The convenience charge for small groups would be per person. We may occassionally schedule a workshop on a weekend, but we typically try to reserve Sundays as our own days off, but we can accommodate clients as desired.

For instance, if you purchased 10 personal training sessions with us, but asked us to train you on Wednesdays and Sundays, we would charge an additional $15 for each Sunday session, in addition to your standing rate.

Thank you for accepting & understanding this policy. Again, we are happy to create a training schedule that works for you, gets you in the gym, and gets you active, but we wanted to be clear about our policy regarding training on Sundays.

ATX Underground Women's Small Group Looking for 1 Member

ATX Underground Fitness (our affiliate) currently has a women's small group looking for a third member. This group will start a 6-week training program on June 1, and will train on Mondays & Wednesdays at 6:45PM. If possible, we would like for all members of this group to take the kettlebell workshop on Wed, May 27 so that the group can start on the same level.

To summarize:

Program Dates: Mon, June 1 - Wed, July 8 (6 weeks)

Training Days: Mondays & Wednesdays at 6:45PM (12 sessions)

Total Group Size: 3

Available spaces: 1 female

Cost: $300 per person. Pre-payment is required, either in paid-in-full or an installment plan of two payments can be arranged.

Please contact us if you are interested in joining this 3-person small group. We'd love to have you join! Ideal candidate would be a person who is already active, but looking to improve strength, conditioning, and body composition.

Announcement: Upcoming Level 1 Kettlebell Workshop

Kettlebells are suddenly the new talk in gyms everywhere. If you are interested in learning what the buzz is all about, we are having a Level 1 Outdoor Kettlebell Workshop on Wednesday, May 27 from 6:00-8:00PM.

Who is this workshop for??
Our level 1 workshop is perfect for kettlebell newbies. If you've never picked up a kettlebell before and want to learn the basic movements in a supportive, fun atmosphere, then this workshop is for you! This workshop is also great for anyone who has been training with kettlebells on your own (self-taught) and you would like to work on your form on the basic movements, please join us!

This will be a hands-on workshop. Come prepared to move. Bring water, towel, and dress in workout clothes. Depending on weather, we may train outdoors. Location will be disclosed upon sign-up.

What will you learn??
In 2 hours, we will cover the following kettlebell topics:

Learn 7 Foundational Kettlebell movements: deadlift, swing, press, clean, squat, windmill, & turkish getup

Time & energy permitting, we will cover the high pull & snatch. These two movements are usually covered in our level 2 workshop, but they can be covered in level 1 depending upon how quickly the group picks up the material.

Discuss the importance of using the perfect sized kettlebell for a given movement. You will experiment with various sized kettlebells during the workshop.

Provide ample time for hands-on training of all 7 foundational movements

Workshop Summary:

Workshop Date:

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 from 6:00-8:00PM

Class Size: This class is limited to a total of 4 participants. We purposefully keep the session size small to allow for greater personalized attention and questions. We have 2 slots remaining for this class.

Workshop Cost: The cost for this 2-hour course is $60 per person.

Workshop Location: Northwest Austin. Actual location will be disclosed upon enrollment. We will train outdoors, weather permitting.

Please contact us if you would like to reserve a spot.

We look forward to working with you!! We will announce a level 2 workshop in June.

Semi-Private Group Training is HERE!

We wanted to announce our semi-private group training options. We recognize that 1x1 training is not ideal or affordable for everyone. Some work better in a group atmosphere, but still want alot of personal attention while training. Here's the scoop on how to get the biggest bang for your training dollar:

1) What you get: ATX Underground small group sessions consist of 3-4 people. Each group meets 2x/week for a minimum of 6 weeks. Simply round up 2 or 3 of your friends or co-workers and train with us together! There's nothing like the comradierie that group training brings, as well as the satisfaction of achieving your goals together. There is also a bit of friendly competition that makes training even more fun :-).
2) Duration & Location: These programs are offered at a minimum of 6 weeks, but longer programs can definitely be accommodated; just let us know! Each group will meet twice per week and will train for about 60 minutes. Each group will pick 2 training days and times, and each person in the group will be committed to attending. There are various options for training location. In many instances, training sessions will take place at either the ATX Underground private gym or outdoors at Canyon Vista Middle school. However, there are also options for training outdoors at a public park or track or at some other location around the city. This is a nice option, especially if you are training with co-workers.
3) Cost: A 3-person group, training over 6 weeks, meeting twice per week costs $300 per person. That's a price of $25 per person per session! A 4-person group, training over 6 weeks, meeting twice per week costs $240 per person. That's a price of $20 per person per session. Where else can you get 12 sessions of personal training for that price and NO GYM MEMBERSHIP? Please note that pre-payment for each person is required, but we can work on installment payment plans as needed.
4) Experience: We do scale programs and sessions to each person's fitness level. However, it may be deemed that some members of the group might need more individual coaching through a few 1x1 sessions. In those instances, 1x1 training may be offered at a reduced rate.
5) Matching Services: We also provide a matching service for those interested in training with others but who are unable to form their own groups.

Contact us today if you are interested in forming a semi-private training group.

Referral Incentives: Freebies for Y=O=U!!

Who doesn't love freebies?? Since our business is almost 100% referral based, we like to reward our clients who help our business grow. We thank you immensely for your testimonials, positive feedback, and the honor of working with your friends, associates, co-workers, and loved ones. We definitely want to make referrals worth your while.

Freebie #1: You will receive a free 1x1 personal training session for every person whom you refer to us who signs on. This is a $50 value and we can work on anything that you want. Use your free session for a kettlebell workshop, a kick ass 1x1 circuit training workout, flexibility, or anything else that you come up with. Use it to try something new or work on other areas that you'd like a little extra focus and help with.

Freebie #2: For those of you who take the lead in creating and organizing a semi-private training group, you will receive one free 1x1 personal training session for every person in your group (besides yourself) who signs up! This means that if you lead and organize a 3-person group, you'll get two (2) free 1x1 sessions of your own. If you create and sign up a 4-person group, you'll get three (3) free 1x1 sessions of your own! WOW!!!

Obligatory Disclaimer: Please note that we can elect to change the terms & conditions of these freebies at any time. We may also run various freebie contests from time to time.

Contact us if you have any questions.

TRX Suspension Training

We've been doing alot of research on suspension training, and more specificially on the TRX suspension training system. TRX was voted one of the top fitness products of 2009 by Men's Health magazine, along with AoS Ropes Gone Wild. TRX was recently used on the Biggest Loser as well. We are currently trying the system out and will be taking a formal course later this month.

Note: Edited to remove embedded video; they have been causing viewing problems. For more on suspension training & TRX, please click on the banners on the right hand side of the blog.

Final Conditioning Class

We just wanted to shout out Melissa & Sujatha for completing their 8-week strength & conditioning program with us! You survived!!! They had an incredible final workout! They had an amzing finisher today - the 300. They did the 300 at the end of their workout, AFTER 40 minutes of grueling conditioning work. They finished the drill in a most impressive 17:40 and 18:23, respectively. AMAZING!!! The ladies will take a break for about 6-weeks and then return to their training protocols with us. They have been absolutely amazing and went from having never seen a kettlebell to swinging, cleaning, snatching, and turkish getup-ing their way to drastically improved physical condition.

Mel & Sujatha: THANK YOU for your dedication and focus over the past 8 weeks. You never missed a session, slacked off, or gave up -- EVER!! I know we've said it before, but working with you has been our esteemed pleasure. We admire your dedication, drive, and focus. Thank you for the opportunity. We are immensely proud of your progress and results!!!!

Level 2 KB Workshop

The ladies came back for another round after their intense HOC workout yesterday. They did an excellent job and learned the following in the level 2 workshop:

Overhead Squat
SOTS Press
High Pull
Snatch
Tactical Lunge
Around-the-Body Pass
Figure-8-to-Hold
Double KB Swing

We reviewed the following movements: deadlift; swings (1H, 2H, H2H); cleans; presses; push presses; squats; front squats; windmill; turkish getup. We spent about 30 mins reviewing these fundamentals and then proceeded to learn the additional moves. The ladies did a great job today, and we were able to get outside to the track again!! It was a tad bit windy, but the temperature was fabulous!

High Octane Cardio (HOC)

Today we put the ladies through a pretty intense HOC workout. They persevered and handled the challenge flawlessly! We had kettlebells at 2 ends of the track. After warming them up with some joint mobility drills and turkish getups, the HOC drill was as follows:

Lap 1: 50 swings @ 12kg, 5 cleans/side @ 9kg
Lap 2: 40 swings @ 12kg, 10 cleans/side @ 9kg + 5 pushups
Lap 3: 30 swings @ 12kg, 5 presses/side @ 9kg twice
Lap 4: 20 swings @ 12kg, 15 squats/side @ 9kg
Lap 5: 10 swings @ 12kg, 10 presses, 10 1H swings, 10 cleans, 10 front squats @ 9kg EACH SIDE

It took the ladies about 35-40 minutes to complete this conditioning circuit (excluding warmup & cool down). WELL DONE!!!

Weekend Fun....

SATURDAY: This past weekend was alot of fun! We had our usual conditioning circuit class on Saturday. It was a cold, dreary day, but inside the Underground, it was full of energy! We had the music pumpin and our clients were sweating up a storm (I think that I was too - LOL)! Time just flew by, energy levels were high, and we wound up workingout for about an hour and a half. Melissa brought her boyfriend along, and he joined us for the festivities :-)

SUNDAY: On Sunday we held a Level 1 Kettlebell workshop. In 2 hours we covered deadlift variations, swing variations, cleans, presses/push presses, squat variations (wave squat, single KB squat, front squat), windmills, and the Turkish Getup. We will have a Level 2 workshop with the same group in 2 weeks. We want to give our clients some time to practice what they've learned in their individual sessions. It was alot of fun, and I felt so great to have taught those who were completely unfamiliar with kettlebell training and given them a solid foundation in a short period of time.

After our workshop, we proceeded to pretty up our kettlebell collection. We repainted all of them, and they look like shiny, pretty colors of the rainbow. I'll be applying the final coat of gloss today and then they will be ready for their photo shoot :-). It was a great weekend, and today the sun is brightly shining and the weather is warming up! Spring here we come!!! :-)

Now Forming: Young Athlete Strength & Conditioning Class (Co-Ed)

Program Name: Young Athlete Strength & Conditioning Program (Co-Ed)
Program Duration: Monday, January 26 - Saturday, March 28, 2009 (8 weeks) There is intentionally an extra week factored in the program, as there will be three dates when we will be out-of-town on travel.
Program Pre-requisites: For this program, we are seeking young athletes who participate in the following sports: basketball, football, track, soccer, baseball, or softball. Athletes should be 12-17 years of age. No previous weight training experience required.
Training Times: We will be forming two training groups, each group training on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Both groups will follow the same training protocol, adjusted for overall fitness levels and capabilities. We will train for 45-60 minutes per session. Note: training days/times are subject to change slightly, especially if we have a collective group that prefers to train at a different day/time. We will assess situations as training groups are formed individually.

Group 1: Tuesday & Thursday @ 5:30PM; Saturday @ 9AM

Group 2: Tuesday & Thursday @ 6:45PM; Satuday @ 11AM

Training Location: Classes will be held in Northwest Austin. Tuesday/Thursday classes will be held in a private indoor location; Saturday classes will be held outdoors at a public location. The actual location details will be disclosed upon acceptance into the program.
Cost: $375 (that's less than $16 per class!)
Number of sessions: 24 sessions per training group (Meeting 3x/week for 8 weeks)
Group Size: 4-6 participants per training group
Expected Results: Have fun, learn proper weight lifiting technique; build a foundation to athletic excellence; improve overall strength, conditioning, & athletic performance; improved speed, power, explosive strength
What is expected of you: dedication, commitment, timeliness, teamwork, & willingness to challenge yourself to achieve a greater level of athletic excellence.
How to sign up: Send us an email to indicate your interest in the program. We will want to meet with you and your parents to make sure this program is the right fit for you. Make the commitment now.

Announcing: ATX Underground Female Strength Program

Our partner affiliate, ATX Underground, is now accepting applications for a women's only strength & conditioning group. The class will run for 8 weeks (Mon, Jan 29, 2009-Sat, March 28, 2009). Please head over to the ATX Underground blog for more information and to learn how to sign up!