Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Brooks.
Lauren, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I wasn’t a natural born athlete or very strong as a child. Ironically, feeling that I was not strong led me to where I am today. In a nutshell, feeling weak greatly lowered my confidence. When I was 16 years old, I decided it was time to do something about it. So, I began my quest to learn about how to increase my strength so I could develop confidence and toughness. I started lifting and developing balanced programs to increase my strength and allow me to excel in sports such as surfing, wake boarding, and snowboarding. By the time I was 19, I had a strong calling to help others in need and therefore became a personal trainer.
To further my knowledge in health and strength, I studied Kinesiology with an emphasis in Fitness, Nutrition, and Health at San Diego State University and graduated with a BS in 2002. Iwas fascinated as I learned cutting edge methods for helping people achieve results at losing weight, gaining muscle, increasing conditioning, educating movement skills, and gaining confidence.
In 2004, I discovered the world of kettlebell training, a training method that took strength to the highest possible level in the shortest amount of time. The associated philosophy about bodyweight movements was phenomenal and changed the game in fitness for me and for all of my students.
I was one of the first women from San Diego to study the art of Kettlebell training under Pavel Tsatsouline. Subsequently, I was able to use that education in combination with the philosophy and my intuitive approach, to create the most effective program around. My first client to test these programs was me. I was so excited about kettlebell training that I went on to become a Team Leader and Senior Instructor helping others learn the proper ways to use a kettlebell and get certified as kettlebell instructors.
Following my pregnancies, I used kettlebell training and was able to recover (getting my 6 pack back) even after giving birth via C-sections with two very large babies. This accelerated my career in fitness. Showing the world you can come back from carrying large babies and having C-sections (which I did everything in my power to avoid) and still come back stronger than ever.
My mission was and still is to spread the type of training I do to the world. During my first pregnancy 12 years ago, I converted my backyard to an outdoor oasis for kettlebell, body weight and trx focused training center. People come and visit from all over the world. It’s an honor to run this private center from my own backyard. We don’t advertise because we only want people who learn about us by word of mouth.
As much as I love training people one on one and leading group sessions, spreading the word was something I felt compelled to do. Therefore, I created educationally-based follow-along workout DVD’s and streaming kettlebell videos to bring this results-driven training to people all over the world. I was shocked at how we shipped thousands of copies and at least one to almost every country in the world. Today, we have over 12 Kettlebell Workout DVDs and over 20 programs sold worldwide. In addition to our programs, we also run an online gym called Lauren’s Playground designed for those who don’t live in the North San Diego area so are unable to train with us at our private location.
People who come to On The Edge Fitness are not the run of the mill gym goers. They are people who don’t usually like the gym atmosphere. They want something different. Something personal. They are looking for no fluff, real strength training, to lean out, feel good, and get super fit without getting injured. In fact, many people find us because we are known to rehab people. We have three coaches who teach at On The Edge Fitness in Encinitas. We deeply care about each and every one of our students.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The whole idea of kettlebell training was so new in the beginning that people were very fearful. Further, many personal trainers uses kettlebells with their clients without properly educating themselves, thus leaving their clients with injuries. This immediately made many people fear the kettlebell. I can understand why people were so intimidated.
Luckily, I was able to put people at ease by relating the many success stories of students from near and far to prove to the world that with proper kettlebell training you can decrease your chances of injury and improve your strength like no other. It was truly the strength and cardio workout all rolled into one!
Another struggle I’ve had along the way is running a gym from my home. Living in Encinitas and being a mother of two small children at the time, I didn’t want to go the typical brick and mortar route. It was important to me to be able to write articles, film videos, train people one on one, and hold intimate small group classes. If I had to be at a “gym” all day, I wouldn’t have had the time to create the educational material. Having an outdoor resort-like training center allows me to do this. The struggles associated with this have been keeping it on the down low so as not to upset the neighbors or get in trouble with our HOA. In reality, our city has changed. People are now running daycares, personal training, piano lessons, drum lessons, pilates classes, small group singing classes, massage therapy and counseling all from their homes. It’s a smart business decision for many to be able to do this and I just hope the old HOA rules can adjust to the times.
On The Edge Fitness – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
On The Edge Fitness is known for using the most cutting edge approaches for being fit for life, for improving sports performance for both teens and adults, and for just helping people of all ages be the best version of themselves.
Lauren Brooks, founder, and a head coach is known for her teaching skills for tool movements, and especially for kettlebell training. Lauren specializes in movement pattern qualities using various tools such as kettlebells, suspension trainers, MELT method for pain elimination, gymnastic rings, and anything that brings the body balance and strength. She also specializes in working with many people who have imbalances and injuries as well as working with pre- and postnatal women. With the movement pattern approach and the personalized training component, people feel results within as little as one session!
Coach Graham, our lead performance coach for teens and athletes, specializes in taking even the most uncoordinated kids to powerhouse champion levels. His unique approach and patience have given his students confidence and allows them to show phenomenal improvement in sports performance.
We are different because of our approach to program design. We don’t believe in overworking our students. We believe in dosing the workouts just enough to be better at everything else in life. If the student is too sore to enjoy their favorite activities, then the program isn’t effective. These programs are designed to enhance activities outside of the training. Every individual goes through a detailed assessment and then learns quality movement patterns before entering a group session. Each person is given a program that meets their specific goals and needs.
Many people come to us after trying every other kind of workout under the sun. Within just weeks of following our personally designed training program, our students typically feel a surge of energy, are stronger than ever, and if they had pain, much of it begins to disappear.
We call this lifestyle training for everyone!
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is changing people’s lives for the better and affecting people in a way that creates new habitual changes. Success is being able to touch the lives of those who were untouchable. Every day is a win when we bring a smile to someone’s face. Every day is a victory when our 40, 50, 60 or 70-year-old students tell us they’re in better shape now than they’ve ever been in their whole lives.
Contact Info:
- Address: Encinitas – Private location
- Website: https://www.ontheedgefitness.com
- Phone: 858-336-9426
- Email: kbellqueen@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenbrooksfitness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurenBrooksFit
- Twitter: twitter.com/laurenbrooksfit
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/on-the-edge-fitness-encinitas-3
- Other: https://mykettlebellgroup.blogspot.com
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
