Storm Athletics

I've been going to Storm Athletics for a little over a month now, and I am so happy that we've found this gym! The programming of workouts is perfection. Movements are used to compliment muscle groups and push you in a way that doesn't kill your body, or make you feel like you've been hit by a truck.

George (the owner and head coach) is great at understanding how movements should look and feel, and gives you an explanation for why/how to fix them. I can truly say that my barbell movements feel SO much better from the tweaks George has told me to do.

This gym is truly a great addition to Decatur!

George Cullen is a very skilled trainer and a high quality human being. Storm Athletics is as a top notch boutique gym with all the equipment you could need, but it is George's expertise that puts Storm above its peers.

There is a sparkling gem in Decatur’s backyard and its name is Storm Athletics. If “Functional training facility” makes you think CrossFit, you’re not totally off base. With the delightful exception of the indoor turf area, the equipment will be familiar to anyone who has been to a well-equipped CrossFit gym or a similar facility. And having worked out at three CrossFit gyms for at least 6 months each, about 90% of the movements I have done here have been at least partially familiar. But the similarities between Storm and the CrossFit brand only go so far.

At Storm I have found what I consider the best elements of CrossFit: the rejection of clumsy machines for human functional movement, the proliferation of barbell fluency, authentic friendliness and community-building, consistently measurable workouts, and a refusal to cut corners. But complementing these markers of excellence that I’ve learned to expect is an unexpected maturity and refinement. George, the gym’s owner, is an experienced athlete. And while some CrossFit owners and coaches are satisfied to let their own physiques imply that they know what they’re doing, George is not content to stop there; his skill as a coach and trainer is not merely skin deep. In explaining the rationale for some element of programming, George has given me lucid descriptions of anatomical processes, dropping sophisticated terminology that frequently has me pause him and say “Wait—what does that word mean?” Nobody could get to his level just by working out a lot, writing a fat check (or several) to CrossFit Inc., and showing up for a weekend (or several) of training. The result is training and programming that, while familiar to this ex-CrossFitter, goes richly beyond what I’ve seen before. Synergy between one day’s workout and the next helps silence the inner blerch that whispers “just skip today.” And despite being consistently challenged, I get no whiff of the toxic presupposition that a workout is only worthwhile if it sends you home hurting. “Uncle Rhabdo,” a shameful ghost of CrossFit’s reckless past, would never have thrived in an environment like the one cultivated here.

My own results have been surprising and empowering. I have been doing regular workouts here for a little over a month (returning to regular workouts for the first time after roughly two years of stagnation due to "not having the time"). Already I have been flirting with or pushing past personal strength records that I did not think would be possible apart from at least six months of dedicated work. As it turns out, workouts are more effective when they build toward a specific destination—who knew? If you have ever been curious about the "group class" fitness craze, start here. Yes, the prices are significant. But at this gym, you’re not paying for brand recognition like at Orange Theory or CrossFit. I don’t mean to be this hard on CrossFit; I have sincerely loved my every encounter with the brand. While I know there are good and bad CrossFit gyms, I have had the privilege of setting foot only in the good ones. But Storm is even better. My money here is better spent. For years I have wondered if or when my fitness journey might take steps forward again. And I am very happy to discover that this quiet, hidden treasure is the place where that aspiration can—indeed, already has—come true.

p.s., As of January 2019, the clientele is still rather small. What does that mean? By signing up for a “group class” you may get individualized or small group training. That makes any money you spend here an impossibly good deal.

Great, high-ceilinged and well-equipped workout space with excellent trainers who observe covid masking protocols. Much less crowded than other indoor gyms.

Great gym - it's worth checking out.