We’re So Glad You Found Us!
Walk into Urban Athlete in Mt. Airy and prepare to feel exhilarated. It’s raw, it’s energized. It’s a place where people come to improve themselves; improve their strength, their fitness, and their self-confidence. It’s also a place where an incredibly diverse group of people come together and feel a great sense of camaraderie. And have a lot of fun, even if the workouts are often rigorous.
Our Mission at Urban Athlete is to give our members a different type of workout. Our training classes and sessions use a mix of old school training methods along with the latest functional strength training principles that help individuals who train with us greatly improve their fitness in addition to building confidence and discipline. We are an independent, member-oriented, semi-private training facility staffed with professional and experienced fitness and performance coaches, who recognize members by name. A fully equipped gym, unique training style, and a friendly and supportive community make Urban Athlete the type of place that makes one actually look forward to their fitness or performance training.
Who We Are
The vision of Urban Athlete began in June 2005, its conception was based around a style of training that didn’t fit inside a traditional gym setting. In order to provide our clients with the best training style that produced the goals they were expecting from a gym setting, Urban Athlete opened its doors in beautiful Mt Airy, Philadelphia in January 2006. Urban Athlete is a unique fitness/training facility located minutes away from Chestnut Hill, Germantown, Glenside, Wyndmoor, Wyncote, Lafayette Hill, and East Falls.
Urban Athlete has always had a very unique feel, not only its workouts and training style but also because of the members that make up the family-like community. Please meet the staff below, who are a large part of the unique atmosphere that you will experience as a member of Urban Athlete.
Try a group session on us!
Plus, a success session and InBody scan with one of our expert coaches.
- Get to know our coaches and members
- Try our group fitness classes made for AVERAGE humans
- Perfect for any fitness levels
Our Happy Clients
"It's been really great for me to take that hour for myself and do a workout."
"There's a really great socialization here. You definitely build a community."
"When I found Urban Athlete, I got into my routine and I absolutely love it."
- “Urban Athlete is truly a special place and community and one that I feel fortunate to be part of.”
I joined Urban Athlete back in 2014 to help improve both my physical and mental well-being and I can’t say enough about how this was one of the best decisions I have ever made. The interesting and engaging exercise routines as well as the encouraging, supportive, and caring environment of UA made me excited to workout. In 2020, I can’t thank Pamela and her team enough for going above and beyond to keep me active and engaged as well as connected to the world outside my home. As the boundary lines this year between “work” and “life” became so muddled and the external world became so closed off, I am truly grateful to UA for their creative and effective ways of keeping classes going online as well as holding outdoor, in-person workouts. Urban Athlete is truly a special place and community and one that I feel fortunate to be part of.
Morgan M 
“The UA live streaming classes are keeping me fit and happy!”I have been live streaming with UA since the beginning of the pandemic. The sessions make me feel surprisingly connected to my UA community and are so convenient that I have been able to attend more sessions than I did before in person. The UA live streaming classes are keeping me fit and happy!
Alan M- “I’m so grateful to have UA to help keep me motivated, moving, and maintaining my health”
UA live streaming workouts have helped me keep the ennui of being home during this pandemic at bay. Having the accountability of a live virtual session with a coach to lead me through the workouts and help with modifications as needed is a life saver. I’m so grateful to have UA to help keep me motivated, moving, and maintaining my health. It gives me a sense of control and normalcy in a year that has been anything but.
Stephanie B - “I love the camaraderie! UA is such a gem!”
One HUGE plus to this crazy year has been the live streaming workouts with Urban Athlete. It has been so easy to jump into sessions, they are the lynchpin of my day! Group training with one of the awesome UA coaches leading the session always lifts me up. And it’s been great to connect with friendly faces whether they are nearby or in another state. I love the camaraderie! UA is such a gem – working out together but at home means fitness is a fun priority. Thank you for the live streaming classes, Urban Athlete rocks!
Sean C - “UA helped us to connect as a family”
In the beginning of this pandemic, everything shut down and we were all told to stay home. We were becoming more anxious b/c the news was bad, fear and death were rising, and there was little leadership. Even though gyms were closed, Urban Athlete posted recordings of their live streaming sessions. We used those sessions to start regular workouts as a family. They allowed all of us to burn energy and focus on something other than this pandemic. It also helped us to connect as a family. We were able to support and push each other through the workouts. We are able to see that we can achieve hard things… some of those workouts were tough!
Curtis and I started to go back to the outdoor workouts once UA opened. The kids have asked about continuing our family workouts now that it’s colder outside and they aren’t motivated to be more active. We will likely start using Bodyweight Bliss again to get everyone moving again. I love the live streaming and follow along recorded options.
Robin R 
“UA has such a strong warm, welcoming feeling”I have stepped into UA over a decade ago and never looked back! There is just no other gym like it. Care and thoughtfulness, creativity and innovation, enthusiasm and camaraderie abound at each workout. The coaches are skilled, kind, and deeply committed to each and everyone’s health and fitness. At UA, I have been able to train in just the way I’ve needed it at that moment, all the while feeling unyieldingly supported and encouraged by the other members (which speaks volumes about UA’s culture). And since so many of us come and never leave, there is such a strong warm, welcoming feeling. It has been a gift to have UA as a constant for such a long time, not to mention the last two years. Thank you UA!
Eleonora B- “Urban Athlete truly is a community”
I first joined Urban Athlete more than a decade ago, and even as I have moved out of the area multiple times and even deployed overseas with the military, I have remained a member of the Urban Athlete community because it truly is a community. Coaches like Pamela and Ryan create an environment where you feel supported to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. They emphasize functional fitness and overall well-being more than looking good on social media. The members are dedicated to their fitness but more focused on supporting each other rather than competing against one another. I’ve gone to other gyms from time to time out of necessity, but I always end up coming back to Urban Athlete.
Chris A - “I highly recommend UA for everyone!”
UA has been a lifesaver for Geof and I during the Pandemic. It was great before, but when meeting in person was risky, Pamela was quick to offer full classes on the usual schedule virtually. She adapted all the exercises for home use so we have been able to stay fit despite COVID. We still prefer to do classes virtually, even from afar! The coaches are all amazing and fun to work out with. When I had emergency back surgery and needed to have a lot of adaptations of the exercises, Pamela worked with me one on one, and knew just what to do to help my recovery. All this during lock downs! I highly recommend UA for everyone!
Katie M 
“I am overall more motivated and more fit”Before I started coming to UA, I was pretty burned out from the regular gym routine and I was feeling like my fitness and motivation had reached a plateau. After being a part of Urban Athlete, I am overall more motivated and more fit. The ever-changing variety of workouts keeps me interested and challenged.
UA is a place for people who are bored with the usual gym routines. You will challenge yourself in ways you never thought possible in a positive and friendly and community. Athletes of all abilities will enjoy these workouts that will improve your performance no matter what your sport or activity.
Sally P.- “I dropped 20 lbs”
Working out at UA has transformed my life. Before starting, I was completely out of shape and overweight. I had knee and back issues…so I was a bit scared to join this gym… worried that I wouldn’t be able to do the exercises without injuring myself and worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up.
What I found was that the UA trainers can instruct you on workout modifications to accommodate any fitness level and issue…they give personal attention even in a group setting. The workouts are always different, never boring, challenging in a good way…and fast…typically done in only 45 minutes! Also UA has a very supportive atmosphere, which makes working out fun and creates a real sense of community.
When I started Pamela, the owner, also set me up with a nutrition program as part of an eight week challenge… and over that time I dropped 20 lbs. Six months in… still losing weight and that’s a thrill, but the best part is that I feel amazing… stronger and healthier. My knee and back pains have disappeared, which was unexpected and awesome. I have so much more energy and mobility in everything that I do… it’s truly a transformation and I have UA, Pamela, and all the trainers to thank for it!
Sari H. - “I feel mentally and physically strong and healthy”
Before joining Urban Athlete, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. After a year of surgery and chemo therapy, I developed right arm lymphadema. I started to work with a trainer twice a week that was trained in working with women that had lymphadema. After a year, in was time to try a gym. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up in a gym with people that were healthy. I was worried that I would run into problems with my arm with lymphadema. I was very self conscious about the compression sleeve that I had to wear on my arm. Lastly, my body, stamina, and strength were not what they were before my surgery and cancer.
Given my two years prior to UA, I felt weak and unattractive. I had gained weight in the year following my surgery and chemo and I weighed more than prior to the diagnosis. Urban Athlete brought me back to life. I feel mentally and physically strong and healthy. And, my arm with lymphadema is strong and has shape and muscles. I have lost weight and I fit back into my clothes.
The UA trainers have been amazing. When I first started at UA, my workouts had to be modified. Initially, because of my arm, the trainers were excellent about making sure that I didn’t push too fast and that the weight and repetition increases were incremental and slow in progression. Now, I do the same workout as everyone else. The trainers have also helped me with nutrition and my diet. I don’t even think about the compression sleeve that I wear on my arm when I’m at the gym – it’s just part of what I wear to work out.
Brenda L. - “Urban Athlete is sacred to our family”
Urban Athlete is not a gym. Pamela and the coaches are not trainers. They are much more than that.
Urban Athlete has become a home of sorts to many of its members. Pamela and the coaches, family.
Our family entered the doors of Urban Athlete a little over two years ago with the same expectations and hesitations that many experience when beginning a new chapter in the quest for fitness. Within a few days we learned that this was something truly special. The members are friendly, honest, helpful; true members of a special little community. There’s no “strange guy lifting weights way too heavy for him” or “skinny chick that I swear is judging my extra 10lbs.” Everyone comes here to improve and maintain their physical health in a safe, comfortable, challenging and encouraging environment. As a family of previously competitive athletes, we can proudly state that after training at Urban Athlete, we are in better shape now than during peak competitive years….perhaps a tad slower, maybe…
Urban Athlete is sacred to our family. Pamela, the coaches, and members have helped us realize that fitness and health can be fun and while it certainly is not easy, hard work coupled with an incredible support system can certainly make the journey much easier.
Rachel & Doug Z. - “I appreciate Urban Athlete...”
With two small children I make thousands of decisions each day. I appreciate Urban Athlete because I can walk in and the workout is already written for me and I’m instructed on exactly what to do and how do it.
Amanda H.
