Normally, my boys think the living room furniture is their American Ninja Warrior course. I am grateful they are constantly catapulting themselves around because it means they’re healthy, but it would be nice if my furniture didn’t look like it had been through several fraternity parties.

Enter iCore Fitness. Located just outside West Chester, iCore is a unique gym that combines high intensity interval training, obstacles, and camaraderie to help people reach fitness goals. With 10,000 square feet of obstacles, foam pits, trampolines — and my kids’ favorite, “the blob,” –everyone in the family will come, conquer, and leave in an exhausted state of ninja bliss.

At iCore, there are several adult classes during the week (“Mobility Monday” anyone?), but we opted for the  Mini Ninjas class. It’s for kids ages 6-12 and is offered every day of the week, with the Fridays and weekends open for general public drop-ins starting at 2 pm. The cost for a drop-in class is $25, which I’d like to point out is cheaper than replacing a couch.

My bouncing boys spent the first 40 minutes under the guidance of Bryce, an experienced and encouraging instructor. Bryce helped them when necessary, but also let them work through the obstacles — even if it took them a few tries.

I’ve got a kiddo who isn’t into competitive team sports (he played more games of “London Bridge” during basketball than he did actually defending the basket). Needless to say, he was thrilled to race against himself during timed rounds on the kid-friendly obstacle course. He climbed up and over a wall, swung from a ring, bounded across inclined planes and balanced on a slack line before attempting to climb a warped wall. At the end, he was given his time and encouraged to better it.

There were about a dozen kids in the class that day, and as with all kid activities, there were wanderers. Because the class is run in conjunction with an open gym, it’s perfectly fine for kids to do what interests them. Some went and bounced on the blob, or climbed the rock wall, or got coaching from staff on specific obstacles. It was fine to just be a kid. Imagine that?

You can find iCore fitness at 300 Lawrence Drive (Suite C) in West Chester. They have several membership levels and punch-card options.  Visit their website for more information.

Photographs by Sarah L. Bender.