Alternative Gym Takeover! Apex Movement in Boulder is not your typical workout.

As alternative gyms quickly gain popularity nationwide, more and more people are putting down the dumbells and stepping off the eliptical in search of a better and more pleasurable workout experience.
Apex Movement is a Parkour gym here in Boulder that proves that the words "fun" and "exercise" are no longer polar opposites.

The art of moving quickly and efficiently over obstacles, commonly known as Parkour, was started by David Belle in France in the late 90’s, and has since spread rapidly worldwide.

From jumping across the roofs of tall buildings to climbing hundred foot structures in seconds, Belle’s skills were quickly discovered by thousands on Youtube, causing people everywhere to attempt to mimic his stunts.

Unlike Belle, who rigorously trained every day, most of these people had never even heard of Parkour. Not surprisingly, there were many serious injuries, which caused many negative stereotypes associated with Parkour.

Although many people still think negatively about Parkour, today this stigma is beginning to disappear as alternative gyms continue to increase in popularity.

Apex Movement, located here in Boulder, is a Parkour gym whose instructors know the sport inside and out. Their main goal is to teach students correct form and safety, and to change people’s opinion of Parkour.

To achieve this, Apex Movement offers a wide variety of classes to its students, starting from beginner classes that teach the basics, to classes focused solely on falling correctly, to Ninja Warrior training for advanced students who dream of competing on the popular Japanese show.

The gym also offers classes in martial arts, breaking, and Crossfit as all of these help develop skills essential for Parkour.

Amos Rendao, the head instructor and a Parkour pro, says that he focuses on four aspects when training his students: slow progression, falling correctly, flexibility, and fitness.

When a student is well trained in these four aspects, they can both progress faster in Parkour and decrease the chance of getting injured.

As Parkour requires you to make quick decisions while you run and jump to avoid obstacles, it is easy to get injured if you don’t have proper training.

The instructors at Apex Movement help you learn at your own pace, starting with teaching each student how to crawl correctly. This most basic form of movement is essential to the sport.

While some people might think that a gym dedicated to Parkour takes away from its core value of freedom, nothing is off-limits to students at Apex- every inch of the gym can be used as long as you are properly trained.

Freedom, the variety of classes, and the benefits of having a blast while working out in an alternative setting make Apex extremely popular for all kinds of people ranging from little kids to college students to middle-age adults.

And as with all sports and forms of exercise, while injuries do occasionally happen, they are rare and can usually be avoided. The most common are sprained ankles and wrist injuries.

As alternative gyms continue to attract more people, the benefits of switching are becoming more and more obvious.

Apex Movement is a great solution for anyone who is tired of a conventional gym and who wants not only to see results, but enjoy their workout in the process.