Recently, I came across a parent-child style class for 3 to 5-year-olds with an adult at Iron City Ninja in Baldwin. After an epic fail of trying to enroll my son in karate a week before life was shut down due to the pandemic last year, I wasn't sure how it would go if I presented this class to him. My 4-year-old is super active and friendly, but can get really anxious in a class setting. Our 1 time karate experience consisted of him talking about it with excitement for a few weeks but then changing his mind once we got there. He sat on the floor the entire class, eyes locked on me to ensure I wasn't leaving, while I sat on the opposite side of the glass window. Needless to say, when it got cancelled due to COVID-19, we were ok with that. But a year later, this mama wants to get him involved with things that pique his interest and work through some of that social anxiety, and the Little Ninja's class at Iron City Ninja sounded like it was right up his alley.
On the way to our first class, someone was getting cold feet and told me he was “nervous” to go. When we got there, I could barely get him in the door until Miss Alaina came over and asked if she could show him around. As soon as my little man walked through the doors and saw the training equipment, his eyes got real wide with excitement, and he loosened his grip just a bit.
I, on the other hand, was just coming to the realization that this parent-child style class was MUCH more parent involved than I realized.... but clearly exactly what I need with this COVID slug I’ve been carrying around all year.
After Alaina walked us through the various obstacles we’d be doing, each parent-child pair started at a different circuit and for the next 40 minutes we busted our butts; working out disguised as ninja fun. By the end of the class, we were all tired, sweaty, laughing and having fun. In my experience, exercising doesn’t seem to hold those last two characteristics.
I love everything about Iron City Ninja's Little Ninja’s class for my little man AND me. Even though we are exhausted and sweaty by the end of class, we both leave there with feelings of happiness, confidence, and excitement for next week.
Parent and caregivers of 3-5 year olds looking for a way to burn off that extra energy this summer (or in my case, find some) can register for Iron City Ninja's Little Ninja classes on Tuesday’s at 10am and Friday’s. If an adult workout is more your speed, they offer adult classes for all fitness levels. Warrior Boot camp is on Wednesdays at 7pm and Saturday at 9am and Obstacle Race Training Camp is held Mondays at 7pm for ages 13 and older. Not ready to commit just yet? Follow our event calendar for Iron City Ninja's open gym times to see what all the hype is about before you secure your spot and come have some sweaty fun with us!
More About Iron City Ninja
Iron City Ninja is Pittsburgh’s premiere Ninja Warrior training facility. We want to bring the City of Champions a new and exciting experience. Our mission is to provide safe, affordable, and fun ways to exercise. We have over 2,000 square feet of space with over 20 obstacles. You can try some trademark obstacles from the show American Ninja Warrior like the Warped Wall and Salmon Ladder. You can also increase your upper body strength by trying our Devil Steps or Circuit Board. If you prefer balance training have fun on our 30 foot slack-line or some of our other balance obstacles.
Many people are afraid to even walk into a gym. This experience is unlike anything that you’ve tried before. You don’t have to be an extreme athlete to challenge yourself in order to complete our obstacles. You can even try it out for a day pass to see if you’ll come back for more.
All new visitors will be instructed on how to execute obstacles from the show American Ninja Warrior. We want the next Ultimate Victor to be someone from our city. We provide Open Gyms, Memberships opportunity, Coaching Sessions, Youth Classes, and Birthday Parties.
Meet the Trainer
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Alaina, our Boot Camp Trainer at Iron City Ninja, is a local South Hills mama (mother of FIVE) and is also an Orangetheory Coach. She is absolutely wonderful with kids (and us adult babies who whine while exercising 🤷🏻♀️). Every week she encourages us to push ourselves to our fullest ability in the most supportive way. Follow her on Instagram for wellness inspiration and to see the latest Boot Camps she is holding at Iron City Ninja.
This article was written by Macaroni Kid in collaboration with Iron City Ninja, but all opinions are authentic based on our experiences.
