What do you get when you combine the passions of a former competitive softball player certified in Pilates and the GYROTONIC Method with a former professional football player who has a degree in exercise science and years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach?
You get ELEMENTAL — a specialty fitness and lifestyle practice started by Jessica Strom and Chris Snyder.
Far from a typical fitness facility, ELEMENTAL attracts professional and Olympic athletes as well as those who are serious about their fitness journey. Rather than being a “pop-in” operation, ELEMENTAL’s team members work together to assess clients’ abilities and design comprehensive plans to ensure they meet their goals.
“We are less of a social club and work on more of a one-on-one or small-group basis,” Strom says. “Our target market is the person who is very goal-oriented, who is really seeking to make progress. As long as you have that mindset, we are here for you.”
Thierry Masquelin is an avid climber who has participated in American Ninja Warrior multiple times. However, despite his strength and determination, Masquelin found himself struggling with body control and mobility. Using what Masquelin describes as unconventional methods, ELEMENTAL customized a climbing-specific program for him.
“Jessica helped me focus my mind to tap into deeper inner strength and gain body control in order to overcome my plateau,” Masquelin says.
ELEMENTAL’s personalized process starts with a thorough assessment that incorporates Snyder’s expertise in evaluating a client’s strength and power with Strom’s knowledge of assessing stability and mobility.
“There are not a lot of places that address both,” Strom says. “We are good at blending the whole picture so that we get what we call the ‘human performance experience.’ Your program should be specific to your goals, where you are within your season, your body’s limitations and injury history.”
ELEMENtAL’s high quality sports performance trainers have been professional athletes so they know what it takes to build a complete athlete. The Pilates instructors are all certified.
In addition, ELEMENTAL uses technology to track clients’ performance and progression.
“We can see what’s happening in real time, and it helps us establish training plans and make needed adjustments,” Strom says.
The only one of its kind in the Midwest, the D-Wall at ELEMENTAL is an innovative physical rehabilitation and exercise system that captures quality of movement on camera. The D-Wall supplies numbers that can be used to establish a training plan and to reevaluate, note improvement and make adjustments.
Another sophisticated system for core strength testing, performance training and rehabilitation, the 1080 Quantum can measure acceleration, force, power and velocity. The only other system in the area is owned by the Indiana Pacers.
In addition to creating individualized progressive training programs, ELEMENtAL offers some small group training options. For example, several endurance athletes, a runner, a cyclist and a swimmer, might do a Pilates class together.
There’s a saying: “Winners do Pilates.”
“Pilates is a system,” Strom explains. “It’s not just exercises. It’s a way to strengthen your core so that you can have better power output and injury resilience when competing. Pilates is for performance; it’s for recovery.”
The same is true for The GYROTONIC Method, which Strom describes as “the most dynamic method and intelligent movement system” out there.
“It’s great for clients from all different spectrums,” she says.
Strom is on her way to becoming a Pilates master trainer and a GYROTONIC pretrainer so that she can teach other instructors, making ELEMENTAL a hub for not just athletes but trainers as well.
“When trying to find your edge, it’s all in the details,” Strom says.
ELEMENTAL focuses on the details.
For example, Strom talks about the importance of breath.
“Breath is the most underused tool in an athlete’s protocol,” she says.
According to Strom, using different types of breath can enhance mobility.
“Short, staccato breaths make you more injury-prone, and you can’t use your core as well,” she says. “But you can strengthen those breathing muscles from the inside out. You start creating space, and space is what you need for your body to move.”
In addition to space to move, we need to set aside time to move. Everyone these days has a lot on their plates, especially athletes, who are running marathons and constantly competing.
“Building lasting fitness and athletic development takes an intelligent approach,” Strom says. “Just like you want to invest your money wisely, you want to invest your time wisely if you really want your athletic abilities to improve.”
“Building lasting fitness and athletic development takes an intelligent approach,” Strom says.