Warped walls, swivel steps, hanging grips: the obstacles are unconventional, but the lessons—for both kids and adults—are universal, at Richmond’s own ninja gym, Traverse Fitness.
Inspired by the hit Japanese athletic competition “Ninja Warrior” and its U.S. counterpart, “American Ninja Warrior,” Traverse Fitness began as a way for the founders to practice for the televised obstacle competition. The competitions combine the skills of obstacle courses inspired by various movement sports like parkour, pole vault, rock climbing, and gymnastics.
Richmond’s “ninja” gym
Traverse Fitness, 1 W. Barrett Ave., Richmond. (near the Richmond Parkway) 818-900-9663.
The project started in a small warehouse in West Oakland in 2018. “The idea was if we built a wall to practice on and built it harder than the show, we could do it on the show next year,” said Alex Krumland, Traverse co-owner and gym manager. “That quickly snowballed into building the entire first phase.”
Soon, Traverse moved into an expansive 27,000-square-foot repurposed World War II tank factory in Richmond, armed with a bold plan to become the best ninja gym in the world. The new gym opened in December 2019 — unlucky timing.
“The pandemic was hard,” Krumland said. “But we did get through it, and that’s because we just try to practice what we preach.”
“Positivity, professionalism, persistence and passion — that’s our pro mindset.” Krumland reiterated this on a recent Wednesday evening, at the end of a packed youth team practice session. Parents waited patiently, many working by laptop, others getting some cardio or stretching in, as Krumland and his fellow ninja instructors coached pro team athletes through drills, exercises and course obstacles.
Like martial arts studios, Traverse’s pro teams are divided into five levels. “It’s not divided by age or gender,” Krumland said. “You could walk in today, take a test and be on our Level 5 pro team. Our highest skill group has kids all the way from 9 to 15 years old, and today our youngest and our oldest were less than half a second apart on a two-minute course.”
The ninja community has its competitive side — there’s even talk of making the “Ninja Warrior” obstacle course the fifth discipline of the modern pentathlon. But Traverse welcomes athletes of all levels. Krumland described himself as a former “couch potato” who got hooked on “Ninja Warrior” in its early days of U.S. broadcast.
“I couldn’t do a single pullup when I first started training for the show,” he said. “So I can relate to the kids who are starting from that level of not really enjoying strength training yet.”
Krumland’s competition history includes two appearances on “American Ninja Warrior,” although these days he’s about 90% coach and 10% athlete, he said. Traverse co-founder, Sean Bryan, still competes, with eight televised appearances on “American Ninja Warrior” to date. He’s also due to appear in the upcoming season. Although he couldn’t reveal the results, he did mention it’ll be “must-see TV.”
“You could say ‘Ninja Warrior’ has a very competitive spirit, but in the true sense of competition,” Bryan said. “We strive with one another to beat the course. It’s not about ‘I’m better than you.’ The competition is really helping each other become their best and conquer obstacles.”
Traverse’s pro teams require a high level of commitment, but there are plenty of options for more casual ninjas. Families can explore the gym during family open gym sessions and with birthday parties. Traverse offers obstacle-based classes for youths at both beginner and advanced levels.
“It’s kind of similar to martial arts where we have level testing every seven weeks, and they can earn a headband,” Krumland said. Coaches score students holistically not just on form and conditioning, but also mindset, he noted.
“The physical discipline of it does help, but it’s more the community and the mental discipline that helps people overcome their obstacles,” Bryan added.
Adult offerings
Adults of all fitness levels can also grow their health and wellness. Options include monthly memberships, which give access to open gym time, and private lessons. In addition to “Ninja Warrior” circuits, visitors can expect to find aerobic and weight training equipment, parkour obstacles, calisthenics rigs, climbing boards and an inflatable floor for sport “tricking.” Bryan says yoga classes and corporate team building activities are in the pipeline as well.
Summer camps
Also ramping up soon are Traverse’s camps for youth ninja, both during spring breaks in April and in the summer. Now in their fourth year, the summer camps run from late May to the end of August. They offer an accelerated introduction to Traverse’s ninja obstacle training program and its signature philosophy.
“Summer camps are probably my favorite thing,” Krumland said. “And we’re having some really fun changes this year. We’re incorporating some of the elements you see in outdoor summer camps, where there’s different activities you can earn badges for. We’re really gamifying it.”
Krumland described Traverse gym as his “ikigai,” the Japanese word for an individual’s reason for being that aligns their values with their unique strengths. He said he treasures the lessons he’s learned from the sport, which he’s now passing onto the new generation of warriors.
“One big thing that kids learn from ninja sports is that failure is OK,” he said. “The faster you fail the faster you learn. It’s all about getting as far as you can with the strength you have built and arrived with that day.”
“We strive to give people a place in the world,” said Bryan. “There’s a lot of pressure to define yourself these days. We just try to be very welcoming and inviting and give people a place to thrive so they can discover their identity.”
