Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL
what is your movement approach?
We are a movement gym offering group classes in strength training, mobility, handstands and more. Our practice draws from gymnastics-style strength, contemporary dance, martial arts and more.
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Our teachers have trained around the world learning the most innovative approaches to moving your body and teaching adult beginners new skills.
The work of Ido Portal, Marcello Palozzo, Shai Faran, Tom Wexler, and many others is part of our movement lineage.
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We call ourselves a movement school because we help our students better understand their bodies and themselves. We believe in a holistic approach to movement education that doesn’t stop at physique or strength.
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We believe in movement that allows you to live your most fulfilled, mobile life. Whether you’re a seasoned practitioner, recovering from an injury or want to be able to move with more ease in your life, we can help you get there.
What classes do you offer?
Our current class offerings are*:
Strength
Mobility
Movement Athlete
Handbalancing
All-Levels Fundamentals
All-Levels Games & Scenarios
Ground Movement
*Subject to change as our curriculum adapts with our students. Check out our class schedule for the latest updates!
what can i expect in class?
In our classes, you’ll move in new and diverse ways to develop strength, endurance, balance, flexibility, stability, and joint health. Moving in a variety of ways is more sustainable long-term, helps to prevent overuse injuries, and keeps your mind engaged and motivated to learn new skills and grow.
You’ll likely experience games, partner exercises, and moments of improvisation in class to help you push past skill gaps and milestones.
Expect to challenge yourself in new ways appropriate for your level of experience and have fun, too.
You might work on some of the following in any class:
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Developing strength, endurance, agility, balance, stability, and joint health
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Learning the basics of cartwheels, handstands and soft acrobatics
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Increasing your strength and building spine & joint health
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Moving in crawling and squatting patterns on the ground to increase mobility, flexibility, and fluidity
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Improving your body awareness and capacity for learning new movements. Based on research, the more we play, the easier it is to learn new concepts without self-judgment or limitation
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In most of our classes, we work in pairs and you’ll often train with another person to help improve the quality and effectiveness of your workout, motivate each other, and learn from each other. Beginner classes will ease into this, since it is different than most gyms. If you’re looking for a place where you get to know people through training together, then look no further! Teachers will supervise pairings and provide ongoing support and supervision.
What is “Movement”?
Movement is a multidisciplinary, diverse approach to training drawing from many practices (martial arts, dance, gymnastics, and more) that goes beyond traditional fitness approaches.
Many workouts are focused on physical results like weight loss, muscle gain, etc. We’re not saying those things are wrong (and our students do have those results), but movement is more about building skills that allow you to move well in your body for life. The goal is to build a stronger, more capable, and more resilient physical body and mind.
Here’s an oversimplified comparison:
Fitness is often limited to sets and reps, intervals, and tends to focus on isolated, linear movements.
Movement is focused on building skills, problem-solving, exploring your mental and physical abilities, and gaining more awareness of your body. Strength training is a foundation for us to explore what else is possible.
Through movement, we aim to give you the tools to answer questions in your daily life like:
What are my options to move around this obstacle?
What’s the best way to get up off the ground?
How can I climb over this, or lift this object?
How can I move with more control?
In what new, creative ways can I turn or spin?
This approach is more than just a workout. It helps you grow skills over a lifetime to move with more freedom, curiosity, and self-confidence.
What makes Ape Co different from other gyms or studios?
We believe in movement education for adults. Our students don’t just learn what exercises and techniques will help you reach your goals, but also why and how. With patience and dedication, you will understand what works for your body, and how to reach your goals—with tools you can use for a lifetime.
We aren’t a big box gym. We’re a small business where “community” means much more than a corporate buzzword. At Ape Co, you’re not just an anonymous number. We care about our students’ growth, and we love cheering you on when you learn a new movement or achieve a personal record. Our community of students and teachers are at the heart of our school and what makes our gym special.
We have decades of training and expertise that get results. Our teachers have trained around the globe from some of the most innovative practitioners in movement, martial arts, dance, handbalancing, and more. Because our training is potent and dives deep, we deliver results. Give us 2-3 sessions a week to show you what this practice can do for you.
We make training fun—with purpose. When we lose play, our movement patterns change drastically. We become stiff and robotic. We begin to have pains in our bodies from lack of diverse movement. Across our classes, you’ll play games and work with partners to learn new skills and build strength in ways that feel like play, but ultimately push the boundaries of what you think your body is capable of.
New students
What classes should I start with?
Most of our students fall into one of these categories based on your goals:
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You want to improve your strength, mobility, and coordination, so you can train more sustainably, without burning out or getting injured.
Classes We Recommend: Strength, Mobility
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You are an athlete, dancer, martial artist, climber, or yogi who wants fresh tools to perform at a higher level, improve your coordination, and move more fluidly.
Classes We Recommend: Movement Athlete, Handbalancing, All-Levels Fundamentals
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You want to dive head-first into acrobatics, movement puzzles, and partner games that will challenge your mind and body in completely new ways.
Classes We Recommend: All-Levels Games & Scenarios, Ground Movement**
**There is a 25-class prerequisite for joining Ground Movement classes. If you have prior movement experience and want to join, please set up a call with us so we can set you up for success.
Still not sure where you land?
What pricing and memberships do you offer new students?
Best place to start: Try us out for two weeks!
Take up to 10 classes with our two-week trial pass, designed to help you build momentum and jump right in. At $15 per class, it's our best deal to get started.
We also offer: our Movement Athlete Series, a 3-class pack, or a single drop-in class.
I’m not very flexible/strong/mobile. can I come to class?
Yes! For newcomers or folks who have been out of the game for a little while, our Mobility, Strength, or All-Levels Fundamentals classes are the best place to start.
These are some important foundational skills that are helpful benchmarks for our classes:
If these skills are without pain for you (a little discomfort is ok and natural with new movements), our classes are a great place to start.
Getting up from the floor without great struggle or pain
Kneeling on the floor for a few minutes at a time. Knee pads are welcome!
Putting some weight in your hands and wrists without pain
If you have questions about your specific situation or an injury, just reach out to us, and we can let you know if our practice is the right fit for where you are right now. We also offer 1:1 training sessions with our teachers to help get you started.
I already have a sport or movement practice I love. How can you help me?
Many of our students come to Ape Co to balance out their training. We’re an amazing place to cross-train and diversify your skills as a mover. Whether you’re an athlete, dancer, martial artist, climber, or yogi—we will give you fresh tools to perform at a higher level and bridge skill gaps.
A few examples of how we help movers and athletes:
Yogis come to us to get stronger.
Dancers come to us to gain power and test their skills.
CrossFitters and weightlifters come to us to move more fluidly.
Climbers come to us to train their minds, coordination, and flexibility.
Check out some of our Google Reviews and hear from our students yourself!
Do I need to be familiar with “movement culture,” Ido Portal, martial arts, dance, or any of the practices Ape Co draws from?
Not at all! If you are familiar, that’s amazing. Welcome home. If you aren’t familiar with our teachers or influences, that is where many of our seasoned students started. We call ourselves a movement school for a reason. You’re not expected to know everything on day one. Bring curiosity and an open mind, and you’ll go far. Many of our students have started with no athletic background to start, and over time grow into athletes of their own design.
how much 1:1 attention do students receive?
In any given class, you’ll receive ample 1:1 attention from expert teachers who deeply care about your goals and progress, and can help you develop a program that works for your level and current abilities. You’ll also often work in collaboration with other students who can help give you feedback and cues, as guided by our teachers in class.
movement athlete SERIES
what is the movement athlete series?
Our Movement Athlete Series is a great place to start for new students who want consistency, a workout that’s not boring, and some foundational conditioning training to set you up for success at Ape Co.
Join us at the beginning of each month for 4 weeks of our Movement Athlete classes, and you’ll also have unlimited access to all our other classes on the schedule for one month. That includes our Strength, Mobility, Handbalancing classes, and more.
when/how often doES tHE movement athlete SERIES run?
Our Movement Athlete Series typically runs monthly at our Boulder location, though you can drop into a Movement Athlete Series class anytime. When you sign up and start the first week of the month, you’ll have the support of a consistent cohort of other new students.
i want to join the series, but can’t attend all classes this month. can i still join?
Yes! We recommend coming to Movement Athlete classes at least 2x a week. If you have to miss more than 3 out of 8 classes in one month, we recommend repeating the series simply because we want you to get the most value for your investment.
could i try a few classes before i jump into the movement athlete series?
Yes. You can book drop-in classes. We highly recommend starting with our two-week class pass so you can get a taste of all of our classes and what we have to offer.