ShellyFLEX Athletics 7516 Lindbergh Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20879

"I have been in my handstand journey for about 10 years and working on my press handstand for a good 3 years. I am 2 months into my program with Shelly and the progress I have made literally seems like it’s coming at the speed of light! The techniques and coaching skills Shelly and her team use are so different than any of the other coaches and teachers I’ve ever used! It’s not the same ole same ole. I can’t even imagine where I’ll be at the end of my first year membership at this rate! If you are on the fence, do it . You will not regret it!"

"I understand the first intention was perhaps to help, but the lack of understanding of people going through physical therapy, while engaging in what seems to not be a total “robot conversation”…it’s just rude and tacky. What professional texts you on Thanksgiving saying, “I hope that’s not another resource sitting in your inbox”. Not very flattering , encouraging or remotely polite at all. I have screenshots but I don’t want to go into how unprofessional the conversation went while I restated (explaining for the 2nd time) I have a cyst in a knee from an MRI weeks ago, so the warm up of “jumping around” wasn’t realistic and I am working with an osteopath, chiropractor, and physical therapist. So I filmed my routine and offered to send videos like discussed. Maybe it’s because I’ve had a yoga background for the past 13 years, and it’s a part of yoga to practice things like “ahimsa”. Shelly made it seem at first, like she was supportive and wanted to see my modifications, but this is clearly an elitist program that has no thing that actually is tailored to the individual. The lack of understanding and compassion, why would anyone return to this? I know no one is perfect, but there is also being straight up rude and not genuine. I guess she isn’t a yoga instructor or physical therapist….I’ll get myself back yoga class. So sad to see people being toxic in the fitness world once again."

"I am so happy to have found this training program. I was a child gymnast, and have decades of gymnastics, acrobatic, and aerial training (including in-person handstand classes), but never found balance in my handstands until I started training with Shelly and all of the other amazing ShellyFlex coaches. My shoulders can finally open all the way for the first time since I was a small child, and I can comfortably hold a handstand and even transition through different shapes. It is pricy, and the cost deterred me for quite a while but after doing several of the free workshops that Shelly hosts sometimes and seeing what a big difference the program was making for me I finally signed up for the monthly membership. (I also want to add that I fully acknowledge the privilege that allowed me to make the decision to spend this money on myself). I perform as an aerialist but I am hopeless at coming up with ground choreography, so I was very excited to see that the program now includes a contortion choreography class! I will be using some of the combos in my next performance (with permission of course). In addition to having better handstands and flexibility since training with Shelly and team, I am feeling stronger and healthier overall. Shout outs as well to Vera for helping me find stability in my handstands, Tikara for helping me access flexibility I didn't know was possible for my body, Natalia for teaching me choreography that will give the illusion that I'm graceful on the ground and not just in the air, and Mira for helping me gain so much strength. And Shelly for seeing potential in me and helping me achieve it."

"I took my very first class with Shelly when I was three years into kicking up a wall into handstands with pretty significant wrist pain and no signs of freestanding anything ever. On day one, Shelly was able to identify the most glaring of my bad habits (including the cause of my achy wrists), and broke everything down to a very basic level to start correcting them...complete with demos to show me what I was doing wrong, and how to change what I was doing to make it right. It's been 2 months since I joined ShellyFLEX and the progress I've seen in my handstands has been insane! This is the first time in my life that I've genuinely believed that I can do a handstand...like it doesn't even matter that I'm in my 40s, never did gymnastics, and understanding where my body is in time and space when I'm upside down doesn't come naturally to me. The fact that I no longer have wrist pain is just an added bonus. Speaking of bonuses, I signed up for ShellyFLEX for the handstands, but I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I also LOVE the flexibility classes. As a mom with 3 very busy kids, I don't have nearly as much time to work on my flexibility as I would like. Fortunately, there are numerous flexibility classes offered throughout the day, and they are so intelligently sequenced that there is an amazing efficiency to it. But more important than getting deeper into all of my bendy postures, I love that the coaches are so knowledgeable about form and alignment and know how to get you to activate the right muscles in the right way. As someone who truly values the importance of finding flexibility in a safe and sustainable way, I am so grateful to be learning and growing under the tutelage of such great coaches."

"Shelly and her team are the best. If you want a handstand, you’ll get one. I joined the program 3 years ago originally looking for flexibility. I was a cheerleader all the way up to College, and I’d never been able to do a handstand so I thought it was just a skill I couldn’t do. With her guidance I managed to feel those first floating feelings. After that I was hooked. Now we are working on one arm handstands. I can’t believe where I am on this journey. But Shelly always believed. And I’m so thankful to have her as a coach. Invest in yourself, you deserve it. "