Looking for a gym or exercise classes near my new office, I stumbled onto Central Athlete a few months ago and am so glad I did. Central Athlete feels like the best of all worlds when it comes to a gym environment, utilizing a really cool personalized fitness model that I've never quite seen before. It starts with a consultation and an in-depth assessment about your current lifestyle, abilities, and fitness levels, as well as thoughtful discussion about your short and long-term goals, motivational factors, etc. The coach then builds workouts for you, delivered via a very nicely designed and user friendly app, which you can do at the CA gym, at home, at the hotel gym while traveling, etc. The focus goes way beyond gym workouts, and includes nutrition, sleep, stress, hydration, lots of discussion of consistency, and generally controlling what you can in your own wellness. Frequent communication with your coach, including monthly sit-down check-ins, help ensure that you're progressing and on the same page. Like a lot of the other folks at CA, I spent a few years doing crossfit, which was generally a wonderful experience that introduced me to the idea that I could be stronger than I imagined. But the crossfit classes were more of a one-sized-fits-all approach, without much time for focus on form, injury prevention, or working towards individual goals. At CA, you're doing workout sets specifically designed to stretch your current abilities, and always working towards your individual goals. This keeps the workouts at that sweet spot of always advancing and being challenging but not grueling. In the gym, coaches are on the floor for much of the day, and there's a great deal of individual attention and feedback from coaches, lots of breaking down movements to their component parts and rebuilding with proper form (who knew I was rowing all wrong for the last 7 years?) and also great camaraderie from the folks who make up the community there. The coaches are also just really nice, dedicated, enthusiastic and communicative people, and have a huge amount of knowledge and expertise. Re the investment, it's more than you'd pay for a big box gym, but a small fraction of the cost of a personal trainer, while still reaping the benefits that you might expect from a personal trainer, so I feel like I'm getting immense value for my money. In just two months, I've lost a significant amount of body fat, gained a significant amount of muscle, dropped a jeans size, and most importantly, built up the ability to do some really cool strength and endurance work. Most exciting, it still feels like this journey is just beginning and is the start of something sustainable long-term. read more

Had the pleasure of connecting with Michael Richwein - a knowledgeable coach who truly believes in changing peoples lives for the better through movement and nutrition. Highly recommeneded. read more

Top notch facilities and training. They have recovery down to a science as well. However the best part of this gym is the community and the owners. Any given day you can be working out next to the owners of the gym. They open themselves up to you with any questions or concerns you may have. They'll treat you like family. I've also never been to gym that has a client base like this. It is a premium product, so the gym will attract premium individuals. Give this spot a go read more

These are genuine people making the community a better place. You'd be well served by their talents and expertise. As a remote client my only regret is that I don't live in Austin, but look forward to visiting in the future. I'm 59 and in the best shape of my life thanks to my Central Athlete coach, Jesse. In 7 months my body fat dropped from over 17% to 10.4%. I'm stronger, leaner, and have more energy. Check out this link for evidence of my progress. https://www.centralathlete.com/testimonials/david-cotton/ CA's personalized holistic approach; addressing workouts, nutrition, sleep, and life balance; developed and guided me through my daily efforts and improved my functional fitness. Being a remote client I miss out having the face-to-face interaction and support at the gym, but I'm very impressed by the effectiveness of our regular engagements over the Internet. Consistency is the key to success and CA is organized to that end. My coach even tailors my workouts for my home gym, local gym, or whatever I can find when I'm on the road. You only live once! Central Athlete helps you be best prepared for life's challenges and opportunities, living up to their motto of "Personalized Coaching Personalized for You." read more

If you are looking for a fitness program and coach - make certain to interview and visit Central Athlete! These guys are great. The professional, focused, and dedicated team, combined with a clean, well-maintained gym make this the best gym I have found. Ever. Anywhere. I am in my 50s, I travel a lot (150 days a year or more) and I was in the final stages of recovering from an accident. I needed to get my fitness level "up a level" from what I was able to do on my own. Amanda and Jesse have created a program that works with me, wherever I am! When I am in Austin, I am in the gym and the supervised workouts are great. And when I travel, my remote coaching with Amanda helps me maximize my time and manage my diet. I have lost fat, gained muscle and endurance. What more can I say? read more

This place is more than a gym, it's a physical and mental wellness facility. The coaches take the time to listen to your goals and plan your workouts accordingly. My coach is Steven and his knowledge of how the body works, the anatomy of the body, and interconnectedness of your physiology is incredible. I'm getting up in the years, and when I end up hurting myself or tweaking something, Steven always has a solution. I'm a remote client who comes into the gym once a week, and I'm always happy with the attention I receive when I'm there. Marianna is typically there on Saturdays these days, and I always feel like she's giving me tips and feedback to keep from doing things wrong. I know it's not a cheap place to work out, but if you're really trying to get someone to help you work on your goals from a physical, mental, and diet perspective, Central Athlete will help you get there. I've never felt so strong, had this much muscle (I've always been moderately lean), and been so inspired to push myself to new heights. This place gives you the returns you're looking for. read more

Scam artists, not trainers. Never took my friend seriously who was a loyal member of their gym and my friend ended up getting physically injured because of their training ignorance. No two people should be trained exactly the same and obviously the misguided trainers at Central Athlete are way too ignorant and conceited to figure that out . I'm not even a trainer and I know that much. What's even sadder is they seemingly pride themselves on individual training. What a joke SMH If I could give negative stars, I definitely would. read more

When I moved back to Austin, I was initially looking for a CrossFit gym. Am I ever glad that this came up in the search. They share their space and some of their equipment with CrossFit Central next door, but boy is it different. I would say that CrossFit takes care of creating a competitive workout schedule for large groups of people. If you are healthy, comfortable with the movements, and are self-aware enough to know your limits, then CrossFit is almost certainly fun, challenging, and rewarding. Most will even shed a ton of flab and grow stronger. My major gripe with it, though, is that there's little in the way of personal one-on-one development--especially if you've hit a plateau with your strength or flexibility. It's just hard to cram that type of attention into a class when you have a group of 10 people in there with you, all of whom have different needs. Luckily, one-on-one attention is where Central Athlete shines. They take care of scheduling and planning your workouts based on YOUR own personal goals. Many people just want to look better naked (let's be honest, who doesn't?). And this WILL happen. But many also want to develop a very specific skill (e.g., a strict pull-up or handstand pushup) or achieve a particular strength level (e.g. bench press 2x your bodyweight). These can happen too. Ultimately, it's up to you to figure out what your own measure of success will be. Personally, I came in as a college athlete with an injured rhomboid, a plate in my hip, and a rod in my femur. Ultimately, I just wanted to get my old strength back, recover from my injuries (all of which are many years old), and feel athletic again. Prior to this, I had been working out with a personal trainer at a local gym twice a week. He was great, and I always felt like I got a workout, but I didn't get a strong sense of progression. The workouts often felt ad hoc. And on top of all of that, it was very expensive! Despite this, I still enjoyed the fact that I was accountable and that I had someone there watching and pushing me on every rep. I was skeptical that Central Athlete could provide a similar service "remotely" and compare in any way with a personal trainer. When I first met with Amanda for my initial consult, I voiced these concerns. She said that many of her clients will video themselves on various sets and send them to her if they have any questions about anything. (In fact, I've found it enlightening to do this even when I don't have a question. Not only is it safer than turning your head while squatting to try to see everything in a mirror, but I find it easier to spot your mistakes when you've videoed all of your reps in a set and can use rewind & slowmo to your heart's content). After the initial consult, I was convinced enough to schedule an hour-long follow-up to test my mobility and range of motion. Once she got this data in hand, she gave me a preliminary set of stretches and exercises to start on immediately. Over the next few weeks, she assigned even more tests to me that helped us figure out my baselines for conditioning and strength (e.g., 500m row, 2k row, 5k run, bench press, squat, cleans, deadlift, pull ups, etc.). All of these results were eventually discussed and prioritized with Amanda and used to put together a plan. These exercises are all "prescribed" to clients via a website called thefitbot. It's not an app, per se, but I can load it up on my phone and use it to log my workouts, watch demo videos of the movements, communicate with my coach, and search my own results (my favorite feature). In theory, I could go to any local gym with Olympic lifting and log these workouts, but I find it much more comfortable and friendly to see the same faces at Central Athlete. I can honestly say that all of the coaches associated with this facility are friendly, knowledgeable, and dedicated to helping people grow fitter. The athletes are super friendly too. It really is a great atmosphere. Personally, I have seen gains in almost every area I can measure (flexibility, strength, and endurance) and even some I can't (attitude, posture, and stress). When your only job is to show up and follow a plan geared specifically to you, success almost becomes inevitable. I say "almost" because you still need to move your body and the weights yourself. Great job, Central Athlete! Keep up the awesome work! read more

If you are looking for results in the health and fitness part of your life, this is the only place to go! The trainers are extremely experienced in their education on health and fitness! They train for the individual client and know how to make results happen for all ages and life styles! read more

Jessie and the crew are really solid and extremely personal when it comes to the RIGHT FIT. I was certainly skeptical as I am not big on Cross Fit and/or any exercise trend BUT... yep, the but- it wasnt anything like I expected. As a vet (with a bit of anatomical knowledge) I was surprised with Jessie's knowledge of muscles and the body. Great motivator- the remote coaching is awesome and honestly- you look around... they get results but they also understand it takes time. You also feel comfortable working out in the gym and they really do take all levels, all ages and get it right. Everyone is coming to Austin to start a biz so you have to be skeptical but these guys were raised in Austin and definitely care about the long term success. A different work out experience and worth the extra cash. read more

I have been working with Jesse O'Brien and Central Athlete for about two months now. I was referred to them by a friend. I was a previous gymnast in my teens and had been working out on my own at a traditional gym weight lifting for years. I had several injuries including a ruptured bicep in 2016. I want to try something new for years but because of my injuries I was reluctant to try a CrossFit style class in fear of getting hurt. Central Athlete has been a perfect fit for me because the trainers design a fitness program tailored to my specific needs, mine being injury prevention. So far it's been exceptional and I am doing things I never thought my body could do again. They focus not just on strength, but also diet and lifestyle. Their facility is beautiful and all the trainers (Jesse, Amanda, and Tyler) have been incredibly helpful. I would highly recommend them. Richard Donkersgoed read more

I have been going to Central Athlete for 3 years now. Before that I did CrossFit and a number of other training forms. I have made more progress following the programming that has been laid out for me by my coach than any other of the regiments that I followed. It is worth your time to speak with Jesse or Amanda if you have goals and are serious about taking charge of accomplishing those goals. Also, they are pretty awesome people. read more

I loved CrossFit, I really did. But any CrossFit Coach will tell you {if they are REALLY being honest with you} that if you lift with confidence, and you don't look like you are going to kill yourself, the likelihood of you being the lucky ONE out of TWENTY to actually get Coached during a WOD is SLIM at BEST - especially if you are doing it for TIME! In the last 10 months, through Central Athlete's model of On Site Coaching, by Coaches that - through repetition, know how I move better than I do, my Olympic lifts have improved dramatically. My lifts have been completely de-constructed and rebuilt so that I'm lifting MORE than ever, and my technique will make it sustainable without injury for many, many years to come {and I look cool doing it}. If you claim to be serious about Olympic lifting, you owe it to yourself to stop doing it for time and start doing it for quality. The model of CrossFit simply doesn't allow for your movement to be examined, broken down, progressed, and re-built. I'm a two year veteran of Central Athlete and I have never been in better shape. The Community at CA takes this to a completely different level. Check out CA - you owe it to yourself, and you owe it to your form. read more

Central Athlete is a very professional, knowledgeable business that has blossomed into a business that focuses on the whole person and not just your fitness goals. I came to Amanda for help in my diet- I wanted to drop some weight before my wedding and I needed help diet wise to find out what I should be eating and how often. Amanda first had me work on basics and tied those into my goals- sleep, stress, and then diet. We also worked on my digestive track and why I may not be seeing changes with my current diet. Almost 3 months later, I have lost pounds, inches, muscle definition/body comp changes and a healthy digestive system! Amanda worked on more than just giving me some macros and sending me on my way. We got to the root of the issue. I would recommend them to anyone that is serious about a healthy lifestyle! read more

I loved working out here. Facility was great and coaches were great. Everything u need in a gym. Great hours as well to accommodate any schedule. This is great for any levels of fitness. Can't wait to get back in there. I have spent many hours in different gyms all over and this is my favorite. read more

I worked remotely with Amanda late last year before my February 2017 wedding. I was already active and nutritionally conscious when she started coaching me but I had mostly plateaued. I wanted to get a bit leaner and stronger so that I could continue progressing in my favorite sport -- rock climbing -- and would look my best at my February wedding. She helped me make the incremental changes I needed to continue improving rapidly. I progressed from three to thirteen strict pull-ups and, in four months, dropped two percentage points in body fat, landing me in the "athlete" range of body fat, which made me feel pretty cool :) My friends even started noticing and complimenting my abs! Most importantly, Amanda was so conscious of honoring my passions and unique goals: I was able to keep rock climbing and doing yoga as much as I wanted (vs. having to give this up for days doing snatches and deadlifts in the gym). She helped me build the extra stuff, like a little leg work and more protein, around my activities of preference so they fit into my life seamlessly and sustainably! There is no other place I would trust to respect my individual fitness needs and goals while also being so thorough and scientifically minded that they are still able to be really effective (and prevent injury so I can keep climbing forever!!)! I will work with them again and again throughout my life :) Also she is knowledgeable about really cool woman stuff like naturally balancing hormones! read more

Jesse is a true professional and is quick to respond to questions and concerns through the remote coaching platform. He has tremendous knowledge of his craft and works extremely hard to customize a program to your needs. If you are an athlete looking to up your game, I strongly recommend reaching out to the Central Athlete team. They will provide you with all the resources you could ever need to succeed. read more

I am 100% + happy with the service CA provides. I have been an athlete all of my life and tried various classes/training post college including CrossFit, but this program is different because it offers individualized plans that are flexible yet effective. The staff is committed to their vision of serving each person reach their personal goals at their own pace and have regular checks in place to evaluate progress. Their principles provide the foundation for long lasting growth and gains and they refuse to use short cuts for a quick fix. Even my CFO husband begrudgingly likes it and he has not been consistent with much of any regular exercise for a very long time. I can go workout anytime I want one the days in scheduled and I see familiar faces at the gym most days doing the same thing along side me so even though it's not a class format it is a community. Get the free evaluation. You will not be sorry. read more