With years of kung fu, gymnastics and two seasons on TV show “American Ninja Warrior” under his belt, Josh Grant wanted to help others channel their own strength by founding Jungle Movement Academy last year.

Located in Round Rock, the gym teaches an assortment of movement-based classes—including parkour, gymnastics, dance, yoga, martial arts, rock climbing, aerial silks and more.

Grant said the intention behind “The Jungle” is to challenge the mind and body through problem solving and positive engagement within the community.

“It’s more than just a gym,” Grant said. “It’s a movement temple.”

Jungle Movement Academy teaches kids, teens and adults. Members can start as young as the age of 2 and participate in classes when they are 16 and older.

Grant and co-owner Matt Johnson first met at a parkour gym in South Austin. Grant said the owner at the time did not appear to care about the gym, which ultimately led to Grant and Johnson leaving the gym in 2016.

The two believed they could do it better. That year, Grant and Johnson looked into locations and investors. At the same time, Grant and Johnson built community by hosting events in parks and even in their own backyard, where they put in trampolines, boxes and bars to swing on.

Two years later, in February 2018, they opened Jungle Movement Academy.

Grant said the gym “blew up” almost instantly. In a year, Grant said Jungle Movement Academy has a little over 300 members and has had over 1,000 people check it out.

“I’ve had so many moms come in here and say, “You completely changed my son’s life,’” Grant said.

In the end, Grant said these stories made the journey worth it.

Grant said he came up with Jungle Movement Academy’s motto “Move. Learn. Adapt.” in a matter of seconds. He explained that “move” represents trying something new. “Learn” represents improving from past mistakes, and “adapt” ingrains this lesson everyday activity.

“And that’s what these movements are supposed to be about,” Grant said. “You train so much that it becomes a part of who you are.”

In the future, Grant said he hopes to open a second location in South Austin along with a third location with its own land and custom-built facility with an outside training area. He said the gym is working on a skydiving certification to add the feeling of flight into options “The Jungle” provides.

Jungle Movement Academy
2701 Gattis School Road, Ste. 100C, Round Rock
737-202-4428
www.junglemovement.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-11 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun. noon-8 p.m.