As a city, Boulder’s list of health and fitness awards is hard to outshine. It is at the top of many fittest-city, most-active and well-being lists, as well as niche categories, like the best place for biking and healthy food.
Boulder is also a well-known haven for Olympic and competitive athletes.
The people who train those people — and who can train you, too — are also award-holders. If you’re looking to get fit and train with the best of the best, Boulder has plenty of trainers who have earned a national or international reputation. Most of them are so humble, you might walk past them on the street and never know you were standing near fitness fame. So, we’re here to brag about them, for them.
Here are a few of Boulder’s most prominent personal trainers and fitness instructors.
June Kahn
If you enjoy group fitness, you gotta know June Kahn. Not only is Kahn quite possibly the most upbeat and encouraging person in Boulder, but she is an internationally respected fitness face. She was named the World IDEA Instructor of the Year (IDEA’s awards, albeit the Lifetime Achievement Awards, have gone to the likes of Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons and Andre Agassi; this is no small achievement).
Kahn was also named one of Self Magazine’s top 20 personal trainers in the nation.
Kahn currently teaches Pilates, and she has a background developing programs and training for some of the biggest fitness organizations on the planet, like Curves, Bowflex Pilates, Body Bar Systems, TRX. She has been featured in nearly two dozen fitness and Pilates DVDs. She was a member of the Reebok Global Master Trainer Team. The list goes on.
Shannon Fable
Shannon Fable is another huge name in the fitness world. Like Kahn, she was named an IDEA instructor of the year. If that isn’t enough, she also was named an ACE (American Council on Exercise) Instructor of the Year and ACE Group Fitness Instructor of the Year (and a top-three finalist multiple times) In fact, she’s on the ACE board of directors.
Fable has worked as a consultant for big names like Anytime Fitness, Schwinn, BOSU, Power Systems and ACE. Today, she travels the world teaching. If you’re lucky, you might be able to book her for a private workshop. Or settle from learning from her in more than two dozen fitness DVDs.
Georgia Michelle
Georgia Michelle teaches dance classes in Boulder. Her specialty is belly dancing, and she’s well-known for it. In fact, she was named Belly Dancer of the Universe.
Michelle has been dancing since she was a child: classical ballet, jazz, modern, character and tap. She has a master’s in dance and directs the Colorado Belly Dance Co.
Molly Metz
Molly Metz, of Lafayette, teaches jump rope classes. Learn from the best. She’s a five-time world champion in jump rope. She’s the reigning national champ in her age group, and teaches as the head coach of the fastest jump rope team in the nation. She has competed at the highest level of jump rope and still continues to compete (against many jumpers who are half her age). She teaches around the world and runs a company, JumpNRope.
Sam Iannetta
Sam Iannetta’s niche is “fitness longevity” and functional fitness. He contributed to the book, “Change Agents,” by Brian Tracy. In addition to Iannetta’s many certifications (more than 18), he served on the Colorado Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness board of directors for two years. He also is a three-time American record-breaking powerlifter.
Marlo Fisken
Dancers and aerialists know the name Marlo Fisken, who runs Flow Movement Trainings and has earned fame as an internationally award-winning pole dancer. She was named the International Pole Dance Fitness Association Instructor of the Year in 2013 and the Aerial Pole International Champion in 2011, as well as the 2010 American Pole Fitness Association Female Champion.
Fisken is also a fitness model who has appeared on commercials for Nike, L’Oreal and Sobe. She has performed with artists, including Diddy, Nelly, Kid Rock, Wyclef Jean and Pharell. You may have seen her on MTV, VH1 or “America’s Got Talent.” She was even on “Law & Order” and “30 Rock.” She also presents at fitness conventions around the world.
Richard Freeman
Sonima named Richard Freeman, of Boulder, one of the 100 most influential yoga teachers in America. His reputation rises even above such an honor; he’s been studying yoga since 1968.
You can take classes in his Boulder studio, the Yoga Workshop, or from him directly at the annual Boulder Hanuman Festival.
Freeman has studied yoga around the world. He even worked with BKS Iyengar. If you’re a yogi, you know that’s a pretty big deal.
Freeman has produced a long list of yoga videos and several books.
Melanie Piek
Melanie Piek, of Longmont, runs the Vertical Fusion pole dancing studio in Boulder. She is also a reputable competitive pole dancer. She won the Colorado Pole Championship Master Division multiple times; the Pole Sport Organization Masters Division Drama division; and competed in the 2016 North American Pole Dance Championships Women’s Elite Pro Division. She also got second in the PSO Master’s Division in the entertainment category.
She teaches pole and movement classes all the time in Boulder and can regularly be seen performing across the state.
Carrie Barry
Carrie Barry runs the Corner Boxing Club in Boulder with her wife Kirsten Barry, where you can study sports conditioning, functional training, strength-training and more. She’s a 10-time (yes, 10-time!) national champion boxer and former captain of Team USA. She coached the US Youth and Junior 2015 World Champs.
Kirsten Barry is also an impressive athlete. She was the 2016 Colorado State Golden Gloves Champ.
