Alternate Routes

Like many other competitor on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior, Alternate Routes is the gym I call «home.» Tony Torres, the owner, works tirelessly to develop new obstacles that challenge and prepare us for Mt. Midoriyama – and it shows. The folks who train at his gym routinely do very well on the show. Tony also puts on some of the hardest, most fun ninja warrior competitions out there (for kids and adults alike). He is always pushing himself and his gym to new heights. Check out AR — if you’re like so many of us, going there will be the first step towards a healthier, happier, more badass «you.»

My 9 year old son had an awesome first experience at Alternate Routes today. I would definitely recommend it to any ANW obsessed kids, and I know that we will definitely be back for future comps. It’s so nice to see kids competing with themselves only. They were all cheering each other on, giving each other tips, and being humble. The coaches were extremely positive and encouraging, too! It was a great, exhausting day!

My bro goes here and tried auditioning for American Ninja Warrior and had an awesome video. The trainers here have gotten him to improve his skills greatly over the last couple of years. If I had time to go I certainly would. This place is insane and awesome! No other Parkour Gym like it around.

Being really into Ninja Warrior, I have travelled around the US training at «Ninja Warrior» gyms the past couple of years. I’ve had the opportunity to train at Tempest, Apex, Warrior Lab, Urban Evolution, and Primal Fitness.
I just went to Alternate Routes last weekend and to me it’s been the best one that I’ve visited. They have re-​created the most obstacles of the gyms I’ve been to (listed below) and the owners are super generous.
Warped Wall
Double Salmon Ladder
Unstable Bridge
Ultimate Cliffhanger
Roulette Cylinder
Doorknob Grasper
Spider Climb
Quad Steps
Hang Climb
Spider Flip

This is a wonderful gym with an awesome community and great facilities to practice movement arts such as parkour, freerunning, martial arts, and tricking. There’s even collection of obstacles and areas created for Ninja Warrior enthusiasts and the like (warped wall, salmon ladder, a small climbing wall…).
The gym has many specialized obstacles and areas designed specifically for parkour, including: vault boxes; lache bars; a variety of walls (ranging from 3 feet to amost 20 feet) to practice vaults, cats, precisions, and leaps on; and mats/​pro pits/​blocks/​wedges to practice new tricks on. They have a great spring floor which I use all the time. Much of the equipment is mobile, and can easily be rearranged to create new challenges.
For me, the community surrounding this place is what sells it. When I first moved to the Baltimore area, I was pretty doubtful that there was much of a parkour/​tricking community. After a few months of finding the very few gymnastics gyms around the 695 and regularly attending, I found that there were indeed small groups of people practicing parkour, tricking, etc., but there was no single gathering place.
Since then, Alternate Routes has opened, and I think it’s really the unique home for anyone who is interested in learning or continuing their practice of movement arts. Everybody has always been friendly and helpful.
The open gym can’t be beat (the hours are great, the price is affordable), their classes are taught by experienced athletes with dedication to instruction, and their events (workshops, extended sessions/​gatherings, sleepovers, dodgeball?, zombie apocalypse simulations??) have all been amazing and entertaining.
This gym, the owner (Tony), and all the instructors are obviously sensitive to the needs of the community and they definitely, definitely deliver in the best kind of way.