Annie Forest Coaching and Studios

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 this studio.

Annie Forest Coaching empowers you in your fitness journey! I was always nervous going to the gym and working out, questioning my form, and uncertain how to get the best results. Thanks to Matt I now enjoy going to the gym and feel confident in my skillset! They help you reach your strength goals and guide you every step of the way. Highly recommend for anyone seeking more gym confidence!

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 life-changing!

I was referred to Forest Coaching for concussion rehabilitation in October 2021. I had no idea how life-changing working with Amanda would be. I have Fibromyalgia and hEDS, which cause chronic pain and fatigue. Since I began coaching, I've had only one Fibro flare, when I used to live in a constant state of flare. I'm now able to do more with my kids, for myself, and can enjoy life without constant pain.I *highly* recommend Forest Coaching for anyone dealing with chronic pain, fatigue, migraines, dizziness, and so much more!

After two kids and the pandemic, I was out of shape and feeling physically lost. Annie was compassionate and kind. She developed a program that worked for me and has encouraged me along my fitness journey. Three months later and I’m already feeling much more fit and confident in my body (and mind)! I’ve never been a fan of gyms but now I look forward to my time with her. Highly recommend!!!

My initial fitness goal working with Amanda was to not be that old lady who can't get up off the floor. That mission has been accomplished, and along the way my pain levels have been reduced and I've gained significant upper body strength. Annie's trainers are skilled, encouraging, and compassionate.

Working with Annie over the last 7 years has been an integral part of my wellness, strength and calming. As an executive, business owner and a human with an invisible disability Annie’s approach is dynamic in meeting me where I’m at for the day; whether I’m feeling strong, needing tender care, she keeps each session customized to my needs. Having an invisible disability there are times when my body does not function the way it can at others and Annie never ceases to impress me with the range of neuro-scientific information she can use to get my body to a better place.

I worked with Amanda in an eight-week class and in a 90-minute session to improve my breathing. Amanda is an Oxygen Advantage-certified trainer. I have severe asthma and wanted to learn more about how to improve my breathing capacity. In the private studio session, she did a lot of different, slightly unusual, tests of my breathing, balance, and coordination. In the end, she provided a list of very specific and helpful exercises for me to practice.The class took a lot of these ideas and expanded on them to give me a better understanding of how breathing practice works and how it can further help me.Amanda's help was worth every penny. I feel like I'm improving daily in avoiding lots of asthma medications and treatments.I highly recommend the drive to Madison to see her, and I highly recommend the online class.

As an "upper'"middle-aged woman who has never found a friend in exercise (or healthy living, for the most part), I have been under-impressed with most previous trainers or other exercise directives. I got them, I understood how they helped many, but I frequently would push---or get pushed---too far. That feeling that I'm about to die and can't move for two days due to post-workout pain lingered and always seemed too easy to abandon. While I was previously motivated by wanting to lose weight, or have a 'better' body, I'm now in it to preserve my mobility, prevent falls, and feel more confident in moving about in the world. I want the strength to climb waterfalls and carry my own luggage through a medieval castle. Those are my goals. At Forest Coaching I have felt heard and have learned an incredible amount about the wiring of strength and movement, and how to correct weaknesses in my muscles in the most interesting of ways. I am pushed just the right amount to notice steady progression in my strength and coordination, and gentle tips for other aspects of health are worked into the training sessions. I have taken a few of the extra online classes and they are also very informative. This is definitely a different kind of place, and I can't recommend it enough!

I have attended Annie’s classes for at least 4 years...because she is great! Her coaching style and techniques produce amazing and somewhat surprising results both with strength and endurance - and they are fun. The results seem surprising because the classes built on prior work (and are tailored to the individual) and don’t necessarily feel crazy intense. Yet after the workout (or the next day) your muscles tell you that you’ve had a really effective session. And the results add up quickly over time. I highly recommend Annie’s fun classes.