“No pressure,” says one Nerdstrong coach, “but the entire Rebel Alliance is on the line.”
The ragtag group of Rebels picks up the pace, one row of team members alternating squats with wallball throws while the other row of Rebels carries out upper body strengthening techniques.
“For Alderaan!” one team member yells— another buoyant attempt to galvanize the Rebel Alliance. Across the room, Team Galactic Empire redoubles its efforts to complete the workout first.
This Star Wars-themed workout routine is a sight you probably won’t see at any other gym. But Nerdstrong Gym is not like any other gym.
Two years ago, Nerdstrong founder Andrew Deutsch invited a friend going through a divorce over to his garage to work out. In an effort to turn it into a habit, Deutsch created an exercise routine based on the duo’s shared love of Pathfinder, a tabletop role-playing game in the tradition of Dungeons & Dragons.
Deutsch sketched out the plan on a whiteboard, translating the movements into adventure-speak. “You bust down the door, you attack the monster, and then you go from room to room,” Deutsch explained. “And my friend said: ‘Well, I’ll show up for that!’”
Word of Deutsch’s nerd-themed workout routines began to spread among his friends. Another buddy joined, then another. The group quickly outgrew the confines of the Deutsch garage, which lacked the “bigger on the inside” capabilities of a TARDIS. After a couple of months, Deutsch decided to beam over to a space in North Hollywood, which the Nerdstrong group is steadily making its own.
Alongside the CrossFit machines and equipment, there are two copies of Thor’s hammer, and sprinkled between the imposing collection of kettlebells is one with a sneering, green troll face. Jump ropes dangle beneath framed comics-themed posters, and the wall of fitness instructor certifications is juxtaposed with a polaroid collage of the gym’s clientele doing their thing. That’s right: photographic evidence of nerds actually working out.
“We trick them into doing the same movements that they’d do at a normal gym,” Coach Kimi Balcomb, one of the original Nerdstrong members, says with a sly wink, “but they don’t put it in that context because they don’t feel singled out or othered by the ‘bros.’”
With nearly a decade of fitness instruction experience and an alter ego as a successful cosplayer, Balcomb seamlessly straddles the athlete/nerd divide. But those who have pitched their tents firmly in the nerd camp often have a tough time venturing into the foreign land of more established gyms, either because they feel “judged” by imposing gym rats or because they, like Deutsch’s friend, simply have no interest in physical fitness.
Nerdstrong, then, emerges with a dual goal: creating a safe space for nerds looking to be more physically active, and attracting “scruffy-looking nerf herders” (as the Nerdstrong website puts it) to a healthier lifestyle.
How does Nerdstrong Gym accomplish this superhuman feat? By “gameifying” the workouts.
Nerdstrong Gym offers what Deutsch refers to as a “magical elixir,” a perfect blend of exercise and nerdery, by situating the CrossFit methodology of interval training within the universe of fandom. Thus, a central tenet of fan culture— storytelling— becomes intertwined with the realm of physical fitness.
In addition to the Star Wars routine, the Nerdstrong coaches have developed a Harry Potter workout, in which participants are first sorted into different Houses and then moved along “from classroom to classroom” to complete a certain amount of sets, and a Back to the Future workout, in which “the timeline changes” and teams have to adjust to a new set of training exercises. A newer routine based on the villainous Ultron from the latest Avengers movie takes its cues from the constantly evolving nature of the character, increasing the amount of movements from six to 13.
The external motivation factor makes all the difference for members of the gym, says Coach Balcomb.
“It’s like, ‘Oh, we’re fighting a boss, so we need to get these reps done!’” she enthuses. “For a few minutes, you’re a hero making the world better— you’re saving the galaxy from the Empire, or you’re saving Middle Earth from Sauron.”
Unfortunately for the Rebel Alliance, the Galactic Empire emerged victorious in the recent Star Wars-themed workout session. “Suck it, rebel scum!” one Team Empire adherent crowed, rivulets of sweat framing his ear-to-ear grin.
That grin marks the most unusual aspect of this fitness scene— not the quirky format of the classes, but the element not found in most other gyms: unabashed joy.
Unlike other fitness initiatives that glorify suffering nearly to the point of martyrdom (SoulCycle and Bikram Yoga come to mind), Nerdstrong Gym unironically espouses fun, idealizing the bubbly enthusiasm of nerd culture and the creative collaboration that flows from a shared passion.
The creative juices are certainly flowing in the veins of of the gym’s clientele, which includes Mairghread Scott, an animator and comics writer, and playwright Bonnie Hallman. Both women use another “C” word while describing what they love about the gym: the community.
“It’s very, very kind,” Hallman says. “Everyone’s welcoming and supportive. It doesn’t matter your fitness level— you’ll always feel comfortable.”
“You’re encouraged to push yourself but not kill yourself,” Scott adds. “Nerdstrong is about being your best, not being someone else’s best.”
Courtesy of Nerdstrong Gym
Naturally, it would not be a gathering of geeks without some classic “nerd moments,” and Nerdstrong Gym does not disappoint on this count.
In one specific instance, an entire class was halted mid-workout so that everyone could gather to watch the announcement of the latest iteration of the Doctor on Doctor Who. On a Harry Potter-themed day, several members showed up at the gym wearing capes— dutifully admired before the workout but then carefully stacked in a corner.
“As a cosplayer, I love capes,” says Balcomb, “but no capes during a workout.” She pauses. “For safety!”
Andrew Deutsch has encountered his fair share of nerd moments as well. “I get a lot of ‘um, actually’s,” he says. “I’ll write something on the board and someone from the group will be like, ‘Um, actually…that’s a proton torpedo.’” Deutsch beams with pride. “That happens on an almost daily basis.”
Word-of-mouth is already working its magic through the larger geek community, and Balcomb says she gets daily emails asking Nerdstrong to expand to multiple locations. But no matter how quickly Nerdstrong Gym grows, the coaches insist that it will always stay true to its core values of health and inclusivity.
“The gym is a product of who we are,” Balcomb explains. “That’s the magic of this place. Our roots are in nerddom, and the gym sprung out of that. There’s something about how authentic it is that will keep us true to our mission.”
Unlike many superheroes, Nerdstrong’s identity is no secret.
“Nerdstrong is about emboldening yourself and doing that thing you never thought possible,” says Deutsch. “If you call yourself a nerd, you should stand tall with that. We want to make sure that not only can you do that mentally, but physically as well.”
In other words, Nerdstrong Gym is committed to the goal of ensuring that on a philosophical as well as on a physical level, nerds will live long and prosper.
Written and produced by Allyson Gronowitz with videography by Jonathan Shifflett