Pongo Power

I have been training with Julie for 9 months now. I bought a starter pack of three sessions with the intention of setting some weight loss goals, a few sessions in I found out I was pregnant. Coincidentally Julie is pre and post natal certified, so I started a whole new régime, now I am 40 sessions in and weeks away from my due date and feeling great.
Julie has…
1. Improved my posture immensely. I started with poor posture and pregnancy usually makes it worse, but now I walk straight and have been able to carry the weight of the baby with greater ease.
2. Given me core strength. Again, something that you usually lose during pregnancy, I have increased the power of my abdominal muscles. In fact, I recently met with a prenatal physical therapist for a massage and she told me that my abs were «in perfect condition». Trust me, no one has ever said that about my abs in my entire life.
3. Greatly increased the strength of my glutes, a muscle not to be ignored when carrying a baby as they do much of the work that the rest of your body can’t do in terms of mobility and carrying extra weight. This has greatly contributed to my ability to have a relatively pain free third trimester.
4. Taught me so much about how the body works. each session starts with a mini check in of how I am feeling and what new ailments the pregnancy may have brought and I always leave feeling amazing and with lots of tips and tricks on how to address the changes that are occurring in my body.
I have no doubt that if I wasn’t pregnant, Julie would be able to address any of my fitness needs. But to anyone who is reading this and is pregnant, I cannot recommend Julie enough. I feel confident, prepared, and ready for the birth of my second child and that is 100% due to the effort, professionalism, and dedication that Julie has put into each and everyone of our training sessions.
Also, Pongo has been a wonderful environment to work out in. Clean, accommodating, professional, warm and welcoming.

Pongo Power has expert trainers with AASM certifications and further specialties as well. I’ve been going once a week for a year and a half. I’m 75 and have titanium knees, spinal issues and various other ailments. The Pongo trainers have turned my life around. Balance, core fitness, strength training, and very careful encouragement and planning seem to be the keys, at least for me. Can’t recommend them too highly. I’ve worked with three of the trainers and observed several others. They’re just the best.

The trainers at Pongo Power are absolutely fantastic.
After assessing your fitness and listening to your goals, the trainers customize a program just for you. I have seen a variety of clients at various fitness levels there — all working just as hard. The trainers are super knowledgeable and fun to work with. Pongo Power has helped me with my flexibility, strength, posture, muscular imbalances, speed (I am a runner), and overall energy.
You have your trainer’s full attention while you’re there. And the trainers make sure that you are paying attention also — to your form, to your breathing, and to the muscles you are engaging as you do your exercises.
I first went to Pongo Power with only temporary intentions. I purchased 3 sessions back in February to get myself into a strength training routine. I figured after the 3 sessions, I’d take what I learned there and workout on my own.
It is now ten months later, and I am still going to Pongo. I couldn’t let myself stop at 3. There was still so much to learn — and I am still learning, still being challenged, and still getting results I can both feel and see. I just completed the 2014 NYC Marathon, and despite the 30 mph wind gusts, I managed to shave 19 minutes off of my previous best marathon time, thanks to Pongo Power. All the core strength and stability training really came in handy that day!
Additional Notes:
*The gym is very clean and fully equipped with everything you would need for a productive workout.
*The location and hours are super convenient.
*It never feels overcrowded inside.
So if you can’t tell already, I highly recommend Pongo Power.

It was the right time for me to get functional training, and it is my first experience with a personal trainer: I had sore joints and my physically demanding life required me to keep moving. Karin Meessen understood that I had various muscle strength imbalances and strained joints, and her initial evaluation helped me understand better how I was moving my body. Karin is thoughtful and patient and has a good sense of humor, which helps when trying to perform awkward movements. Functional training includes releasing tight muscles through massage and specific stretches and it helped increase my awareness of my muscle and joint relationships. The exercises that Karin presented targeted specific muscles and were challenging. She adjusted them according to my level. The régime I was given makes me realize what I need to do to be balanced and strong in my everyday movements.

I am one of Pongo Power’s biggest fans. As a holistic nutrition coach, it’s important for me to our support clients to feel their best on ALL levels. I have referred many clients (and family members) to Pongo Power for personal training that goes beyond the typical «get pumped» mentality.
The expert trainers at Pongo really take their time to train you the RIGHT way, focusing on improving balance and maintaining safe, proper form along with building strength and toning. I have personally worked out with several trainers at Pongo over the years and each brought their own unique training «magic» to the mix, keeping our workouts fun and highly effective.
Additionally, I’m just over the moon about this new Pongo space on Flatbush! It’s beautiful, airy, and just the right size (it isn’t your typical intimidating, overwhelming gym atmosphere — it feels intimate and comfortable AND perfectly spacious at the same time). Love what these guys are doing, and highly recommend to anyone who wants to train the right way for a lifetime of results.

Today I did a group class at Pongo Power led by the very knowledgeable Jhancarlos. I also met Elisabeth, the owner, who was sweet and seemed very excited about all things fitness.
The space itself is fairly new (opened in January), clean, a decent size, and very convenient to public transportation. Parking might be a little bit harder because, let’s face it — this is park slope. Also, it was pretty much empty when we went there, but it was also the middle of the day (1:45pm) so that could have been the reason.
For our session we focused mainly on doing upper body exercises with resistance bands and some mat work again focusing on the upper body. I would have preferred cardio but I am sure you can get that once you sign up for personal training sessions since they are able to cater their workouts to the client’s personal needs.
Apparently everyone also gets a free physical assessment so I’ll be back for that.

I experienced extreme back pain while pregnant, and was never able to rid myself of it even after the birth of my son, until I began training at Pongo Power. Pongo Power solved what doctors, yoga, physical therapists and acupuncture could not. Elizabeth performed a full assessment and the trainers introduced routines that made me feel strong, flexible, and, finally, pain-​free. Of course I have lost weight, but for me the best part of it is no longer having to be fearful that I am going to injure myself. I recommend Pongo Power to all my friends who are struggling with chronic pain, or who are looking for a better, faster, and healthier way to get in shape — and stay in shape.

I love the first location of Pongo Power a lot. I love the new one even more! There’s more equipment, more space, more options for fun techniques. It’s now even easier to get an appointment with one of the amazing one-​on-​one trainers here.
If you want to improve your fitness, get rid of pain, loose some weight, get into shape, and/​or just feel better about yourself, book a fitness assessment now. The Pongo method of training is amazing and has really helped me fight my chronic back pain. Plus, all the trainers are just plain fun!