April 24, 2017

Meet Alissa Graunke of 360 Fit Haus in Eagle Rock

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alissa Graunke.

Alissa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After graduating college, I took a job as an event planner, and found myself the most out of shape I’d ever been! I took dance lessons for most of my life, and now at the end of the 8-hour work day, could barely make it home before passing out on the couch. I’d never expected a sedentary job to be so exhausting! I started getting interested in Pilates as I was looking to become more active, and realized how many of my dance habits were still in my body and causing me issues. Yes, there is such a thing as being too flexible! I discovered I had virtually no stability in any of my joints and not much core strength – which was contributing to the postural problems I was having working at a desk job. I finally became so fascinated with the precision, alignment, and depth of anatomical knowledge of the Pilates technique that I decided to learn more about this amazing method by enrolling in a 500-hour comprehensive certification program through BASI Pilates (Body Arts and Sciences International, founded by Real Isacowitz). BASI’s West Coast Pilates style is deeply rooted in classical repertoire, and also takes into account the more athletic approach needed for our more sedentary population these days, with extra extension movements and shoulder work. My BASI course made so much sense as to why Pilates movements and exercises are designed to work the entire body at once no matter what position it’s in, as this training correlates to more overall strength, stability, balance, and coordination in everyday life or athletic activities. After working at several local studios upon successfully completing my certification, I decided to dedicate myself to building my own private practice at home. A few years in, I needed to expand and found my great loft space in Eagle Rock.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I treat all new experiences as learning experiences. I found that the traditional 9-5 job was just not for me, and my newfound interest and passion for Pilates meant I would be starting over in my career, including taking a pay cut and needing to face a lot more uncertainty. Through connections in my teacher training program, I was able to get my first Pilates studio job fairly quickly, gained experience teaching a variety of people, and was able to use this experience to find work at other studios as needed. While I am grateful the days of working 7 days a week are behind me, the only way to gain experience was to accept every client or class that was offered to me. One gym I was working out at found out I was a certified Pilates instructor and asked me to teach a recurring mat class on the spot! As hours and clientele ebbed at one studio, I was always able to find something flowing at a different studio that kept me busy. I found that I really preferred working with private clients because the intricacy of Pilates is such that the smallest adjustments can make a huge difference in the practitioner. My eye for detail and love of the work translates best in a one-on-one session, which is why I stopped teaching large group classes at studios to focus on my private practice across all the classical equipment.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about 360 Fit Haus – what should we know?
360 Fit Haus is an urban Pilates & wellness destination, offering Angelenos a healthful oasis in the midst of their hectic lifestyles. Pilates has proved time and time again that it is an effective, safe, and beneficial strength-training technique, and it is here to stay! Pilates works the whole body by incorporating the core and stabilizing muscle groups into each exercise, using heavy springs to create both resistance and stretching within the same movement. Pilates is known for improving flexibility, core strength, coordination, and balance. Anyone from a professional athlete to a couch potato can do Pilates and experience the benefits – the technique truly is that adjustable! We also work with many special needs, such as rehabilitation from injury/surgery, pre- and post-natal women, scoliosis, chronic pain/inflammation from poor movement patterns or auto-immune problems, osteoporosis, and more. We do not go along with every trend that comes into the fitness arena, be it a new diet or fusion workout. For those clients whose primary goal is weight loss, we do incorporate some more work with functional movements that are often found in more traditional personal training-style classes (such as squats, lunges, push-ups, etc.), but we don’t overload the weight just to make someone sweat, time the duration of the repetition of a single exercise, or stick to a strict circuit. We believe everyone’s individual needs deserve personalized attention, and while no two workouts are the same for a client, we also create different programming for each client. Each session is a full-body workout (excluding an injured or painful area), and the needs of the client are assessed in the moment, to deliver the best program for that person that day. We recognize that some clients do prefer a group class setting, so to accommodate this preference while staying aligned with our adherence to personalized programming, we offer Reformer classes of up to 3 clients, Mat classes up to 5 clients, and Yoga classes up to 8 clients to maintain integrity of instruction and corrections.

Not only do we provide excellent Pilates-based personal training, we also coordinate with a network of highly skilled holistic bodywork practitioners (many of whom offer mobile services) so our clients can experience amazing self-care, including acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, Reiki, private yoga, hypnotherapy, and life coaching. We also host workshops at the studio at least once a month on various wellness & fitness-related topics, so we can help educate people on how to make better choices for a healthier lifestyle.

Our education is what sets us apart, and of what we are the most proud. Our value comes from the incredible amount of training, research, and continuing education that we’ve done and continue to invest in. Many of the classes that are available these days are being conducted by people who did a 50-hour, 16-hour, or one day certification. Our base certification is 500 hours. There is no comparison between our knowledge of body mechanics, correct form, appropriate modifications, or muscle recruitment and a weekend certification course.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
My willingness to learn is the most important factor to my success. I am constantly reading research about body mechanics and movement theory, taking Pilates classes from instructors outside my training style, or attending continuing education seminars so that I can bring fresh information or new exercises to my clients to keep them motivated, interested, and most importantly, moving towards new fitness goals. When I introduce a new concept or movement to a client, I let them know why we’re doing it, even if it is different from what we were doing before. A lot of my clients jokingly ask if I stay up late at night thinking up new ways to torture them…well, that’s only partially correct. I stay up late at night thinking about new ways to challenge them! Education is so important to me, as it helps me stay creative, get new results, and prevent injury. I also love sharing new information with clients so they feel more empowered and responsible in their health & fitness journeys!

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