The Underground

HAHA, don’t be fooled. No one bends bars here, this is just another crossfit gym with new branding to make it seem cooler. The only bars that are bending are the 15lb girl bars with 225 on them to make guys look like they are so much stronger than they really are. The workouts are tough if you aren’t used to this style of working out, but make no mistake this is just crossfit under a different name and it is just as bad for your body as crossfit is.

Let me start off by stating that I’m «in my 40’s.» (Truth be known, in about 4,000 hours I won’t be able to say that anymore…) Not having been much of a jock in my early years, the transition to making myself healthy has been quite the challenge. After successfully transforming from that guy laying by the pool at a Florida resort eating a whole pizza with my plate and beer precariously balanced on my gut, to a now much leaner and stronger male specimen by signing up with a trainer at Pura Vida, I decided to venture down into the Underground. I must admit I was quite apprehensive with the clearly «super serious» workout toys. Going from the highly technical and polished environment of the pristine Pura Vida gym down to the rough and tumble atmosphere of the Underground reminded me of the scenes in «Rocky» where Balboa gets back to basics and is lifting car engines over his head.
I won’t lie — after getting up enough courage to take the first class, and seeing all the young hunks and hunkettes bending barbells like they were noodles, I was a bit intimidated. But I quickly found that the workout, while causing me to lose about 15 pounds of sweat, was actually quite doable. Don’t get me wrong, I was sucking air more than the next guy, but at the end of the 50-​minute workout (which felt like 50 hours), I had a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Yup, this was going to be my next ongoing Mount Everest.
I tried many different classes and formats in the Underground, and I have no complaints about any of them or the results. I will say though that, at least for me, my instructor of choice is Lisa. While she never claims to be, she had to have been a Navy Seal drill instructor that was fired because she was killing off too many of the recruits. She will cut you no slack and take no excuses. What I have found, however, is that secretly she uses her vast knowledge of the human physique to tailor each individual’s workout so they are just on this side of death and can come back for more. And with her matching straight-​off-​the-​Navy-​ship humor, I personally look forward to the return. Again, there are many awesome instructors to choose from to match your style — I love ‘em all, so I definitely recommend «shopping around.»
My wife also works out in the Underground. She is more of the early-​in-​the-​morning type, while these old bones don’t warm up until later in the afternoon. That’s the other joy of the Underground, and Pura Vida in general: there’s a great amount of flexibility and offerings to accommodate everyone.
So if you want to actually feel like you’ve accomplished a workout rather than just sitting on a bike reading the latest issue of People magazine, gather up your courage and venture down to the Underground. Highly recommended!

I’ve been working out in The Underground for almost four months. In that time my fitness level has increased dramatically. I am lifting heavier weights than ever before and am in some of the best shape of my life.
The format is small group classes (usually no more than 8 people) that focus on different types of exercise. The classes range from skill classes that focus on technical exercises such as Olympic lifting to crossfit style workouts (however, the format is not true crossfit as it has been explained to me).
The Underground has reinvigorated my exercise routine and inspired me to get to the gym more often and work harder when I’m there. The instructors are all fantastic and the camaraderie among the participants makes it even better.
For a great workout, you can’t go wrong with The Underground.

Highly recommend Pura Vida’s Underground studio when you want to kick your workouts up a notch or two or three… you get the message. Smaller classes give instructors opportunity to deliver personalized attention. I have had to take a break due to an injury (not associated with working out, just took silly fall after second of inattention). I look forward to starting back up soon!

Great am workout in the best gym in Denver! Underground is a nice way to mix up your workout. I like that I can but a package of classes too versus a yearly membership! I enjoy going with a girlfriend then hot tub, sauna and vanities to get ready for the day! Great lady date!

I have been a regular attendee in the Underground’s classes for about two months now and can report that this modality and space is EXACTLY what Denver needed! Coming from a fitness background and from teaching group fitness classes myself, I have never been one to take classes, HOWEVER, the Underground has been a blessing to rebuilding motivation and keeping myself accountable at a time when my motivation was lacking.
Housed in the basement of the ever-​so-​great Pura Vida is a newer Olympic Lifting/​Crossfit space that is sure to give you a fantastic workout (or several)! There are several different instructors who teach a wide-​variety of small group training style classes — around 30/​week — in just about every fitness modality one could ask for!
I have been regularly participating in mostly Strength classes, which focuses primarily on the Glycolytic Energy Systems. In laymen’s terms, this class involves exercise sets that last between six to eight reps and last more than a few seconds, but no more than a couple minutes! You are then given an ample amount of time to recover and then it’s right back at it! The format of the Strength classes are right on par with my previous fitness regimen and personal goals, so it has been very easy to jump right in and excel in these classes.
I have also regularly taken the Underground’s Power class, which is another favorite of mine. The Power class that I regularly do is excellent for building strength and «power» as it primarily focuses on the utilization of the ATP/​PC System — or exercises that are performed within a very short amount of time before getting truly aerobic. We do a lot of powerlifting in this class, which is again right up my alley for what I enjoy in a workout!
The Underground also offers a bunch of specialty classes that I have benefitted from taking to expand my personal skill-​set and to just offer a nice variety in my everyday routine. My personal favorites include Strength Gymnastics, as well as Olympic Lifting. While gymnastics is extremely challenging at times, I like to be pushed and am the type of person to work at something until I get it perfect. Gymnastics offers both of these to me with a personal instruction that is second-​to-​none at embettering my tumbling and my ring skills. Olympic Lifting is also another primo class IMO that offers exactly what the name suggests — all Olympic Lifting. It was in «O-​Lifting» that I have learned to perfect my Clean & Jerks, as well as clean up the form in my Snaches and several other olympic lifts.
I appreciate all of the trainer’s different backgrounds, which plays out and influences their training styles and formats of the classes that are offered at the Underground! If you are looking for a change in your fitness routine or maybe looking for some new exercises to do, definitely check out the Underground! I hate revealing this new hidden gem in the Denver’s fitness scene as I want to keep all of its awesomeness to myself, but I think with more love and local support it will only keep getting better!
OH! And you don’t have to be a member of Pura Vida to enjoy this space (while being a member does give you a discount and the ability to enjoy the rest of the gym’s floors!)