Annie Forest Coaching and Studios — Local services in Madison

The staff at Forest Coaching are all incredible. They have impressive lists of certifications, including Strong First SFG II, Dragon Door RKC, Z-Health brain-based training, Oxygen Advantage Advanced, and so on. These certifications aren't just for show, either. I have worked with several trainers at Forest, and it is clear that they have all trained very hard and deeply understand the movements they ask their clients to complete. The staff are truly experts of their craft.

Now, for my story... I started training at Forest as a complete beginner. I felt intimidated by commercial gyms and utterly confused by the sheer amount of highly opinionated and often conflicting advice available online and in books. Having never picked up a kettlebell before, I wanted to learn how to do some fundamental kettlebell movements safely and properly. I started out not being able to smoothly swing or press a 16kb bell, and after working with Matt for two months in-person and then following two months of at-home programming, I could military press a 32kg multiple times, complete 120+ one hand swings in 10 minutes, do snatches with great form, do kettlebell complexes with two kettlebells, and much more. I am absolutely blown away by my progress, and Matt has helped me crush every goal I've set for myself along the way!

The thing that really sets this studio apart is the staff's knowledge of neurology and brain-based training. I'm a psychologist, and I admit that I was skeptical about the whole brain-based training language, but I can attest to the efficacy of this now. The trainers are certified in Z-Health, and know a seemingly endless number of tricks to improve people's sensory perception, body awareness, energy levels, grip strength, endurance, or whatever the need is. For example, stretching in a way that gently flosses your radial arm nerve can improve your grip strength before doing a heavy kettlebell press. It really is amazing how accurate and beneficial the brain-based movements are. In addition to gaining a lot of strength, I have also become much more flexible and mobile. Many of the movement drills and brain-based training strategies simultaneously improve a skill (like squatting) and mobility (hip flexibility). Over time, I've noticed that everyday activities like sitting comfortably on the ground, twisting, bending, etc have gotten surprisingly easier for me. In fact, I didn't even realize how inflexible I was before until my mobility improved as a positive side effect of my training here.

While I have used the training and programming at Forest to improve my strength, I have met many other people along the way who have severe pain, injuries, or limited mobility and train here because the coaches are exceptionally talented at navigating these issues in a completely body-positive, accepting, and safe environment. Annie is particularly talented at that. Amanda is very knowledgeable about endurance sports, and I've also met people who primarily run/cycle and train here to gain supplementary strength without overtraining. If you're interested in breath work, Amanda is also an expert in that area. For those interested in kettlebell movements or classic strength training lifts, Matt and Troy are awesome. In all honesty though, you can't go wrong with any of the coaches, as they are all knowledgeable in each of these areas.

Overall, I can honestly say that working with the trainers at Forest Coaching is one of the most beneficial things I've done in my entire life, and it's easily the best thing I've done for my physical health. I haven't felt this strong, flexible, or confident ever before, and it sure feels amazing! Please give this studio try. They have many options from online video courses, private coaching, group coaching, pay-what-you-can community kettlebell events, at-home training plans, and more. It really is...

TLDR; been training here for a year and I sincerely recommend Annie and her team to anyone who has chronic pain, is trying to build a positive relationship to movement and their body, or those wishing to build strength functionally and sustainably.

As a fat-bodied person, finding a space and a trainer that I felt comfortable working with seemed like a high order. I was recommended to Annie and was very curious about her neuroscience based approach to coaching. During our initial consultation I was able to share my goals for functional strength, to build a relationship with movement that ACTUALLY feels good, and reduce the chronic pain I’d been having. I also shared my experiences as a previous athlete, my struggle with toxic diet and gym culture, poor experiences with previous trainers, and a fear that I’d be told to just “work harder” and do more restrictive diets to manage my pain by weight loss. I’ve now been working with Annie weekly for almost a year and I can say that she and her team are the best, most compassionate, and caring people in this industry that I have ever met. Whenever something hurts, I say so and we problem solve together, none of the “just push through it” mentality. She does such a wonderful job of explaining why we’re doing something and how it relates to my goals, and she shifts our activities during sessions to match my own energy as it fluctuates from week to week so I know I’ll always leave feeling better than when I walked in the door. I appreciate the flexibility to do semi-private coaching as well and recently organized some of my coworkers to do a group session once a week (they’re also amazed and love the process). I love everything about Annie’s process, her mission, and her as a person. I really cannot say enough positive things about my experiences here and the people who work at...

Anne is the real deal. What she has created at PULSE Kettlebells and Yoga is truly extraordinary. When I met Anne a little over a year ago I was depressed and feeling very out of touch with my body. Now I'm preparing to certify as a kettlebell instructor in May! I could not be more excited and grateful and it is all because of my work with Anne. And I'm not the only one who has experienced these transformations. I've seen people become stronger, have more cardiovascular endurance, more body awareness and more flexibility by working with Anne at Pulse. Anne brings a truly unique mix of intelligence, humor, common sense and fun to the table. She knows strength work backwards and forwards (she's SFG II certified...the highest certification in her field) and she's also a trained yoga teacher. She's VERY good the two, leaving with a balanced workout that let's you live you life with less pain and more joy. Her workouts at tough and you will definitely feel the effects, but she never risks injury. In fact, she's very adept at tailoring workout both to people's strengths and to their limitations. I feel at home at Pulse and newcomers are ALWAYS welcomed and encouraged. There aren't enough good things to say about Anne and PULSE. If I could give her 10 stars I would. Try Pulse. You'll be glad you did. You will be well cared for and challenged to become your best, not someone else's idea of your best. This isn't some generic, cookie-cutter place where they run you through the same 5 exercises every time. This place is really different and I'm so, so grateful that it is...