TO STAY in shape, you can a) hit the treadmill at the gym. Again. Or b) hit Ultimate Ninjas, a 10,000-square-feet “ninja camp” modeled on American Ninja Warrior. For fans of the NBC reality show in its 14th season—and plenty of others—it’s no contest.
The facility, which opened this past spring, is helmed by series veterans Jesse Labreck, the first woman to hit the buzzer in stage one; Michael Silenzi, five-time Las Vegas finalist; and Brian Parache, Season 11 competitor.
Classes vary in difficulty, with options geared even to future Olympians as young as 6. (A movement is underway to add ninja to the Olympics as part of the pentathlon.) So regardless of your level of experience, you can build strength, agility, and endurance as you jump, climb, traverse, and balance. “Our obstacles can be very challenging at first, and just like on the show, most everyone will fail at some point,” notes Labreck. “But failure is something we use as a motivator to work harder.”
If you want to break a sweat and get a fierce workout in, go ahead and try ULTIFIT, a high-intensity interval-training program. Or move at your own pace during open-gym hours. “Our gym has the Warp Walls, the Jumping Spider, the Salmon Ladder, and many of the other iconic obstacles that you see on American Ninja Warrior,” notes Jeff Piejak, chief executive officer. So grab a friend and get ready for a day of fitness that’s anything but boring.