New Program Teaser
Last week I wrote about our reflections on the year and how they are shaping the 2026 curriculum.
The primary focus is translating what we program into what you actually feel.
Stronger. Successful. Clear on what you are working toward.
We want that progress to feel tangible.
What you come to us for has not changed. Getting stronger, more mobile, and moving with confidence and ease for as long as humanly possible. That is how we gear our programming.
For that to happen, we need to build muscle, strength, and range of motion around the major joints of the body, all in service of easier, freer, and more expressive movement.
When we use weights, progress is often more tangible. You see the weight or reps increase from month to month. Upper body strength is much harder in this regard. Much of it is bodyweight based, skill dependent, and harder to measure. Even when you are getting stronger, it can feel vague. When we use free weights like barbells and kettlebells, the jumps in load are often too large, which can make progression feel frustrating.
So we are investing in solving that problem while staying true to what Uptown Movement has always been about. While it might seem like a big change, it really is not. We are simply making use of modern tools and systems to enhance your experience and your progress.
Below is what the new class formats will look like and why they exist.
Strength and Mobility Classes
These classes will form the backbone of our training week.
They will be more focused and more structured, with clearer progressions built in. Instead of trying to train everything at once, each class will emphasize one main area of the body.
You can expect:
Clear strength blocks where progress is measurable.
Three times the amount of coaching feedback, with only five people working on major lifts at once.
Simpler movement choices with more intention.
Selectorized machines that allow upper body strength to be measured and progressed much more clearly.
Mobility work that directly supports the strength being trained.
Upper body strength will be easier to track through consistent loading and progression across pushing, pulling, and rotational patterns. Lower body strength will continue to be built through squatting, hinging, and unilateral work.
The goal is that you leave these classes knowing exactly what you worked on and why.
Calisthenics
Calisthenics comes from the Greek words kallos, meaning grace and beauty, and sthenos, meaning strength. Beautiful strength is exactly what we strive for at Uptown Movement.
Building control, grace, fluidity, and range using your own body is a lifetime pursuit and one of the most engaging ways to train long term. Lifting weights is incredibly valuable for bone density, muscle mass, and long term health, but it is our firm belief that controlling your own body is the ultimate goal.
The problem is that it is hard. Really hard.
Progressions are microscopic, and for people like myself who do not devote their entire lives to training and who entered the bodyweight world in their thirties or later, the process can feel very slow. Because of that, this will be an optional part of the programming.
If you are excited by learning bodyweight basics and exploring gymnastic style strength and mobility, these classes will be for you.
They will focus on movements such as:
Pull ups and their progressions.
Ring dips and pressing strength.
L sits and compression.
Forward folds and backbends.
More advanced kettlebell work for mobility and funsies.
There will be entry standards for these classes, not to exclude people, but to make sure the training stays productive and safe. The strength and mobility classes will more than prepare you for them.
These sessions are about patience, control, and building real capacity rather than chasing performance for its own sake.
Express Conditioning
Conditioning is a love-hate relationship for me.
Since the beginning of Uptown Movement, we have been clear that we would not turn into another generic sweat box that pushes people to do more simply for the sake of it.
Patience, awareness, and intensity through detail are the bedrock of our philosophy.
Loud music, flashing lights, and someone shouting motivational quotes through a microphone is not and never will be us.
That said, conditioning is still important. It now lives in its own clear lane.
Express Conditioning classes will be shorter, focused, and more intense. For high intensity training to actually work, it has to be high intensity. Not medium. Not kind of hard. Truly high. Because of that, the dose has to be limited. Ten to thirty minutes is the sweet spot.
This is what you can expect:
A simple warm up lasting about five minutes.
A twenty minute conditioning piece using non complex movement patterns so you can focus on effort.
A short cool down of about five minutes.
The movements will stay true to our values. Kettlebell swings, sleds, ski ergs, crawling patterns, carries, and bodyweight work. No random chaos. No unnecessary complexity.
These classes are designed to complement strength training, not replace it.
Ancillary Classes
For now all these classes are additions to the programming. We will be keeping our Foundations, Advanced Kettlebell Skills, Movement, Mobility and Flow classes as well!
The Bigger Picture
The intention behind all of this is simple.
We want you to feel stronger.
We want progress to be visible.
We want training to feel challenging but achievable.
We want you to understand what you are working toward.
The only thing I can guarantee is evolution. We will listen, adjust, and continue refining as we go.
Thank you for trusting us with your training.
If you have questions, send me an email. I am always happy to talk. We are excited about where this is heading, and we are glad you are part of it.
Next week we will talk about how you, as an individual, can make the most of the programming and the ownership you bring to your practice.