APEX Movement is...

A Parkour and Freerunning gym founded, owned, and operated by passionate practitioners:

In September 2006, APEX Movement was established as the first formal Parkour training program in the western hemisphere by Ryan Ford in Boulder, CO. As one of the first practitioners in the USA, Ryan was forced to teach himself Parkour through trial and error. As more people got into Parkour, Ryan began teaching others to train more safely and efficiently than he had early on. Over the years, many other prominent American practitioners became instrumental in the evolution of APEX Movement including Will Schultz, Amos Rendao, Ken Kao, Jake Smith, Dylan Baker, and Erica Madrid. They train, teach, and dedicate themselves to APEX Movement because they love what they do.

The most fun you will have becoming fit:

If you ask us when we started parkour, we might respond with, "When did you stop?" Parkour was in every single one of us as a kid; jumping off swings, climbing trees, and hopping over cracks in the sidewalk. We encourage people to rediscover the creative, natural movement that we all loved when we were 3 feet tall. Training with us is fun and feels more like playing than exercising. Because of this, you will keep coming back for more, moving your body in challenging new ways, and gaining valuable strength and mobility needed to live a long, healthy life.

Led by world-class trainers and athletes:

All of our trainers are required to have completed our 120 hour certification program and to constantly progress their own training, education, and exploration of all movement arts. Our trainers are continually at the forefront of developing the best, new, innovative training methods including Amos Rendao's Ukemi for Parkour (the art of falling), Dr. Ken Kao's application of chiropractic to Parkour, and Ryan Ford's renowned online training series called Demon Drills. Whether you are looking for fun, fitness, or performance, our instructors will help you achieve your goals. You can read more about our instructors here. In addition, newbies and pros can train at APEX Movement side by side with our amazing pro athletes who have been featured in TV shows and movies, performed internationally, dominated Japan's Ninja Warrior course, and competed in Red Bull's Art of Motion.

A fun-loving community:

Our goal is to create an environment in which people from movement arts such as parkour, freerunning, gymnastics, breakdancing, tricking, martial arts, aerial dance, and rock climbing can come together to learn, train, and collaborate. Our classes and open gyms are filled with like-minded people who genuinely want to see each other succeed. No matter how great you are at training alone, you will be further pushed and fueled by the camaraderie of our great community.

The world's largest Parkour and Freerunning facility:

We have locations in Boulder, Loveland, and Englewood, which is the largest Parkour gym in the world at 11,000 sq. ft. Our gyms are equipped with all types of movable bars and walls that allow you to recreate any type of obstacle you could find outside. We also supply gymnastics mats, trampolines, spring floor, and other gymnastics equipment so that you can learn certain techniques in a safe, soft environment. Adding to the uniqueness of APEX Movement, we have built recreations of famous Ninja Warrior obstacles including the quad steps, salmon ladder, unstable bridge, and ultimate cliffhanger. Lastly, we provide a vast array of strength and conditioning equipment including barbells, bumper plates, kettlebells, dumbbells, medicine balls, Concept 2 rowers, rings, pull up bars, sleds, climbing ropes, and more.

Packed with a variety of classes, levels, and workouts:

At APEX Movement, you will find a variety of classes and workouts for all different ages and skill levels every day of the week. There are specific classes for beginner, intermediate, and advanced athletes as well as separate programs for youth (ages 5-11), teens (ages 12-17), and adults (18 and up). While we encourage you to hone your general movement skills in our Parkour and Freerunning classes, we also have supplemental classes available in breakdancing, tricking, Ninja Warrior, gymnastics, and more. If you want to focus more on strength and conditioning, check out our workouts of the day. Lastly, we offer open gym 7 days a week so that you can come in to explore and practice all types of movement skills on your own.
Philosophy

Recently, words such as "gym", "exercise", and "fitness" have taken on negative meanings. Exercise should not mean suffering through 30 minutes on a stationary bike, only made bearable by the TV on the wall and the headphones over your ears. A gym should not be a dreadful place, easily erased from your schedule by the slightest excuse. And fitness is not only for the bodybuilding magazine model or the elite athlete. Instead, we aim to inspire fitness at its purest roots, movement.

Think back to when you were a kid, jumping off benches and climbing trees for fun. Fitness used to be fun and natural, something we achieved without consciously trying. Fitness is for everyone, no matter what your goals are. Movement is the foundation of any physically fit lifestyle.

Through innovative movement training, we help people achieve a broad, all-around fitness. We coach people to excel in their chosen athletics, we inspire people to become more physically active through play, and we help people attain their fitness goals through natural exercise. There is something for everyone along at least one of these three paths to fitness; Athletics, Play, and EXercise. With these three paths, we are APEX Movement; useful fitness through natural movement.

General FAQ

Q: Do you have showers and bathrooms?
A: We have 4 bathrooms/changing rooms but not showers.

Q: Do you take credit cards?
A: At our facility, we only accept cash or check. However, you can use a credit card to pay online through the Google Checkout option on our website.

Q: Is there nearby parking?
A: Yes, there is free parking in the front and back of the gym and on the street.

Parkour FAQ

Q: What is Parkour?
A: Parkour is an art of movement in which you train the body and mind to overcome obstacles. Read more...

Q: What should I expect at Parkour class?
A: Expect a challenging, fun workout based around the natural movement of the human body. Our classes begin with a thorough warm up. Next, we move on to the introduction and practice of new skills and movements. Finally, we end with a workout, stretch, and discussion of important topics relating to parkour.

Q: What do I need to do for my first class?
A: Please arrive 10-15 minutes early to familiarize yourself with the facility, get changed, and fill out our waiver and medical questionnaire (you must have a parent signature if under 18!).

Q: What do I wear?
A: We recommend athletic clothes and running shoes.

Q: What should I bring?
A: Bring a water bottle and, if you like, a post-workout snack. We also offer water bottles and snacks available for purchase.

If you are under 18 years old, you must have a parent sign a waiver. This waiver can be completed at our facility or you can send us an email and we will forward you a copy.

Q: I am so sore the day after class, what should I do?
A: Even though we all did parkour as kids, you probably haven't moved like this for years. Expect to be sore at first; it is a completely normal feeling for someone who is new to parkour! To help the soreness, we suggest you do some light exercise that day. Yes, it might hurt, but it will help quicken the recovery process! Other than that, don't give up! Your body will adapt to the classes as time goes on.

Q: When do I get to jump rooftops and flip off walls?
A: When you can do 50 muscle ups and squat 500 lbs.! But in all honesty, Parkour is not about big jumps and flashy flips. We do not promote going on rooftops or taking big drops. However, as you master the fundamentals and develop a strong foundation of fitness, we will progress to harder, bigger, and more exciting skills.

Q: I think level 1 classes will be too easy for me. Can I go straight to level 2 or 3?
A: We strongly recommend that everyone starts out in level 1 classes. Even if you are athletic or already have some skills, you probably lack certain skills or fitness that will be expected of you in the level 2 and 3 classes. For an idea of what you should be capable of for the level 2 and 3 classes, go here.

CrossFit FAQ

Q: What is CrossFit?
A: CrossFit is a program designed to develop broad, well-rounded fitness and is universally scaleable to any individual. We've used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. We scale load and intensity; we don't change programs. Read more...

Q: Do I need to get into shape before trying CrossFit?
A: No. Our workouts and exercises are scaleable to any level of fitness. As you get better, we make the workout harder.

Q: What do I wear?
A: We recommend standard athletic clothes and basic cross training or running shoes.

Q: I am a woman, will CrossFit make me bulky?
A: No, we create lean, strong women. Read more...

Q: What if I can't fit it into my schedule? Do you do private sessions?
A: Absolutely. Email us at crossfit@apexmovement.com to set something up.