After 20+ years of being a gym rat, I have finally learned working with personal trainers provides benefits that cannot be found when working out on your own. Advanced Wellness provides high energy motivation and professional fitness guidance, all within a safe, community-based environment. Each workout is effective and comprehensive…and you are in/out within one hour! Advanced Wellness incorporates functional and strength training, which is exactly what my 40-something body needs. The trainers are engaged, knowledgeable and personable. The members are awesome. The owners are so ridiculously kind, supportive and welcoming. Highly recommend to anyone looking to invest in their health. You won’t regret it!
– Ellen M. Member
When I first started at Advanced Wellness, I had been suffering from a knee injury that had haunted my basketball career for years. Leo spent many hours with me that summer working on my hip strength and mobility, as well as working with Robbi and myself on my lifestyle as a whole. Since then, my knee has been injury free. After we resolved my injuries, I continued working with Leo on building my strength and athleticism. The results after two summers were remarkable. Everyone around me could see the tangible difference in the way I moved and jumped and ran. I do not think I could have made the transition from high school to college basketball without the help of the entire Advanced Wellness team. All of the trainers have great energy and are very committed to helping people truly achieve their athletic goals. The workout sessions are lively and encouraging, and the space is a great place to get an amazing workout. I would recommend Advanced Wellness to anyone and everyone who wants a gym that actually is committed to making noticeable progress and wants a holistic approach to training.
– Isaac F Oberlin Basketball
I have been a member at Advanced Wellness for over a year and I can’t say enough about Robbi, Leo and the whole team at AW. Historically, I’ve tried various gyms and none ever stick. Exact opposite has happened with AW, I literally am bummed if I don’t get there enough during the week! The trainings are tailored and new weekly and, most important, the team knows each of us very well (and our body’s idiosyncrasies) so they are able to customize on the fly. Best part is you don’t have to “think” about your routine, show up and the team walks you through the 50-60 minute routines. Can’t say enough, try them out with their intro offer, can’t hurt to try them!”
– David G. Member
I’ve worked with athletes ranging from John Wall to Rhonda Rousey. Leo Shveyd is a guy I trust and recommend to work with any type of athlete.
– Chad Waterbury, DPT, CSCS Performance Coach
In the world of fitness, lots of people want to style themselves as experts, but there are a select few who will do the work to achieve expertise with diligence and discipline. Leo Shveyd has consistently put himself at the front of the pack when it comes to creating a culture of sustainable gains in health, fitness, and performance. His facility, Advanced Wellness in San Francisco, is one where meathead culture is not glorified. Especially for people like professional athletes or tactical personnel who rely on their bodies for their living, the line between better and broken is of vital importance. Shveyd and his staff are clear about where that line sits and how to get you to your best levels of strength, health, and performance.
– Dr. Mark Cheng, PhD Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine
I used to work out and I was injury prone and got mediocre results. When I started at AW they helped me lift the right way and taught me how to treat and improve my body. I am forever indebted to AW because like Leo says “You’re ability is only as good as your availability” and Leo and his staff helped me stay on the court and take my game to the next level.
– Max Fried San Francisco City Co-Player of the Year 2018-19, Emory University
Leo is an intelligent and passionate coach that gives his all to every athlete he works with. His commitment to educating and providing quality coaching for his athletes is top notch.
– Kyle Barbour, Performance Coach Golden State Warriors Golden State Warriors
Incredible staff, all extremely knowledgeable. The trainers are friendly and encouraging. I played Division 1 Basketball at USF and the AW staff is top of the line training and therapy. They are willing to work with you to build a foundation and better you! I would trust the AW staff to all of my friends and family, and have recommended them to everyone who has asked me for help from wanting to build strength, wanting to come back from any form of injury, or people who are wanting to start working out for the first time. Community exercise is the best way to enjoy and keep a long-term commitment to exercise, because working out alone sucks and this staff understands everybody is different. They cater to every possible need an individual could have. Love this gym!
– Chase F. Member: Aurora, CO
I have worked out in many gyms (LA, SD, SF) of different methods, approach, groove. I must say that AW is by far, The BEST! Their expertise and skill is refined. The ambiance in the gym is clean, organized and the equipment is diverse, interesting and most of all, FUN! Customer service is superb. I truly have seen a huge improvement in my overall mobility and strength.
– Marilyn B. Community Member
I have been a member of Advanced Wellness for over a year, and it has been one of the best investments I’ve ever made. Your goals of fitness & health are their goals as well. From their welcoming attitude to the motivational sessions & training, you WILL succeed (well, as long as you put the effort in!). It’s like a family…the other members are very sociable and kind. I’ve made good friendships and shared many laughs while struggling to get through that final set, or “finisher”. Training is session based, which I believe leads to a higher rate of success. It is not the type of gym where you walk in at a random time and hit the bench press, isolated with earbuds blasting music (music is played in each room). The use of the MINDBODY app allows you to join a scheduled session, showing you what’s available or not; very convenient. Advanced Wellness isn’t a “churn & burn” type of gym. Their goal is to take on like-minded people who are able to commit to an exercise routine for an extended period, who will participate without complaints. The trainers, Meagan, Diana, Kelly, Jonathan, co-owner, and wife of Leo, Robbi (a trained nutritionist) are all experienced, positive additions to the experience. Call them up. Check it out. You will not regret it!
– Jeffrey R. Member
I’ve joined many gyms in my life, only to let months and months go by without attending once. When I joined AW 3 years ago, I was immediately impressed by how committed and skilled the owners and coaches are in helping you achieve your goals. They truly care about your whole well-being and will reach out to you if you haven’t been to the gym in a couple of weeks. The accountability they help you create for yourself is priceless. The great coach-to-client ratio means that whether you are in a team training or semi-private, you’ll get the tailored attention you need to achieve great form and physical results. The AW community feels like a family — trainings are fun and intimate, and easily become the highlight of your day!
– Sara C. Member
Advanced Wellness is the best place to work out in San Francisco, period. Anyone, of any fitness level, would improve the quality of their health by joining this incredible community.
Let’s back up. Advanced Wellness is a boutique fitness studio that specializes in small-group personal training. If you have ever worked with a trainer before, you know that it can be effective, but there are so many negatives: cost, scheduling, it gets boring, you become overly friendly or worse, you realize that you don’t like your trainer. In contrast, AW offers an extremely effective, evidence-based workout that is supervised by a team of experts who know their stuff and also know you and your personal struggles or physical limitations. Scheduling is a breeze with semi-private sessions offered every hour on the hour. The community is fabulous and you’ll see every stripe of person here – from 20-something women getting ready for their wedding to 60+ folks working to maintain agility and fitness. There are folks who look like fitness models and others who are working toward serious weight-loss goals. There is no social scene, just a group of people who are all rooting for each other in the most genuine way.
Owners Robbi and Leo live and breathe fitness. Their commitment to healthy living sets a model of integrity for everyone in the Advanced Wellness community. They are two busy working parents who live in the real world and yet their commitment to health and well-being shines through everything that they do. They are the real deal, and they are the best!!!
– Brooke F Member
I know Leo Shveyd for over a decade now. I am always impressed by Leo’s drive to help his athletes/clients. Leo is always consulting with other professionals and taking educational seminars to better himself. Leo is one of the best trainers; even a better person. I highly recommend Leo!
– Navin Hettiarachchi Director of Athletic Performance/Strength & Conditioning Athletic Trainer for the Washington Wizards
Best wellness center in SF! I’ve been a devoted customer for over two years now and I have to say, Advanced Wellness is the best place to get in shape and get diet and nutrition counseling in SF!
I have been a lifelong gym goer but always found the typical gym experience less than average. Usually I find myself bouncing around between exercises, barbells, dumbbells, and treadmills, trying to get in a good workout but usually because of my own lack of focus and motivation and having to think about what I’m going to do next I often end up just wasting a lot of time and don’t get in a good workout.
At Advanced Wellness, most workouts are in a semi-private format (although they do offer private one on one instruction) where you have one of their expert trainers (often one of the owners, Leo or Robbi) or one of their other trainers, Kelly or Ali or others. They usually take between 1 and 4 people and put them through a series of exercises that’s predetermined for you that day. There is a lot of thought that Robbi and Leo put into these workouts and for members like me I usually plan on working out 3x/week which corresponds to their overall workout plan. The best part for me is that I don’t have to think about what I’m doing because they’re doing all the thinking for me– it’s like having a personal trainer without paying the rates of a personal trainer!
Aside from that, they make it fun and the community of people who go there are all great people. And the staff always makes sure that everyone knows everyone–especially newcomers who gets introduced to everyone who is there so they feel welcomed. Really can’t say enough! Make an appointment to get in there and start to “Look good and Feel Great” now!”
– Elliott F Member
Leo Shveyd is a strength and conditioning professional that brings a tremendous blend of personal experience, research and application to his work. I have had the chance to work with Leo and would have my family train with him if we lived in San Francisco. He cares about finding what is best for the individual so they can achieve health and fitness.
– Brett Jones, MS, CSCS, ATC, Chief SFG FMS Advisory Board Member
I joined the gym last month. I am still recovering from a knee surgery and a shoulder injury. Leo has been very helpful with both recoveries, especially my shoulder. It was still bothering me after months of PT. He was able to address it and make significant progress within a couple of sessions. All trainers are super friendly and helpful. They customize a program for you and adjust it as needed. All these are extremely helpful for me because of my knee and shoulder. Highly recommend it!”
– Shanshan L. Member
Robbi, Leo and their crew keep me motivated to come back and one can see the results. I am more relaxed and can sustain stress more. Overall, my health improved significantly. Before, I just worked out on my own or would go running, but it was not as efficient as AW, as well as having fun working out. Try out their trial version, that’s how I got started.
– John L. Member
I joined Advanced Wellness 4 months ago and it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for, without knowing exactly what that was. I was tired of typical gyms where I was continually not knowing what exercises to do and losing self-motivation to workout. This is more than a gym, because it is an incredible full health program that provides tailored workouts and nutrition, and is a great community and culture. It is for anyone who is looking to improve their health and have fun doing it. To get an idea of the program, this is a gym that is designed for semi-private and group training. That creates a fun and motivating way to workout with others, but still receive individualized attention. The workouts are 1 hour long, that you sign up for in advance, and are offered during mornings and evenings 6 days a week (Mon thru Sat). The program is designed for you to make at least 3 workouts a week. The workouts are well designed, challenging but catered to your ability, and are a lot of fun. The entire staff is extremely knowledgeable, encouraging, and helpful. This gym has helped me prioritize my health, and I can honestly say it was through the people and program at Advanced Wellness.
– Eric L Member
I have been working out at Advanced Wellness for 7 years and have never felt better. No workouts are ever the same, so one doesn’t get bored or becomes apathetic. You are always challenged to the best of your abilities. You are constantly being supervised by very professional (yet funny) trainers, so the risks of injuries are slim and none. In these 7 years, I have met the most interesting people, made new friendships and never once, have I felt like I was being judged by anyone. Not only do you get assessed for where you are at that time and what type of workout you’ll be able to safely do to get you leaner and stronger, but they will keep assessing you every few months so that you can gage your results and move up in what exercises you are then able to do. They are also excellent at rehabbing people with injuries, work a lot with athletes, train athletes and prep people pre-post surgeries. That way, they go into their surgeries as fit as possible and the recovery time post-surgery is much faster. Anyways, thumbs up for AW. I can’t say enough good things about this place.
– Anita B Member
I have known Leo since 2009. I have referred my athletes to Leo in the past and he has done an exceptional job. I have great confidence in his ability to deliver results and will continue to refer my athletes to him in the future.
– Darcy Norman, PT, ATC, CSCS, Performance Coach US Men’s National Team & Formerly FIFA ’14 World Championship German National Team
Advanced Wellness totally changed my perspective on what a gym should be. AW takes a wholistic approach – creating wellness and health through movement, nutrition and having a good time.
I discovered Leo and AW as an athlete with a lot of issues. For years I’d dealt with hip, knee, ankle and foot issues and my past experience with trainers, therapists and surgeons had left me dissatisfied. The thorough initial assessment and subsequent work to address my specific individual issues has totally changed how I feel and my performance on the court has improved as a result. The experience was so profound that I now plan to pursue a career in this field!
Further, the community feel at the gym may be a bigger draw than the actual workouts. There will be days where you won’t have any desire to workout, but find yourself going anyway to see mates and for a laugh between sets.
– Matt McCarthy Donar Groningen & University of San Francisco Basketball
I can’t believe that it’s taken me this long to write a review, but I guess I’ve just been too busy working out at Advanced Wellness! My wife and I originally joined to get in shape for our wedding last year, but it’s become an amazing community of friends and awesome people for us. I joined 18 months ago, and 5-6 months in already lost more than 4” off my waist and put on a ton of muscle. The real difference for me is actually having a place that I enjoy coming to consistently; between the ever-changing workouts, the incredibly committed owners Robbi and Leo, the fun trainers, and the great people that you get to work out with it’s become my stress release instead of a chore.
Leo and Robbi truly care about having people feel better and leading happier lives. Whether it’s the workouts, nutrition advice, or anything else, they’re completely and utterly devoted to the members here. Luckily you don’t have to take my advice, just check out the trial!
– Austin L Member
“I’m going on my second year as a member of AW and can’t say enough great things about this gym. If you are serious about improving your fitness and health, there’s no place better. I work out 2-4 times a week and have noticed real improvements in my fitness as a result.
Things I particularly love:
The flexibility — I can schedule a work out in the morning or afternoon/evening, any time I have 1.5 hour of free time. It’s much easier than trying to schedule sessions with a busy personal trainer.
Robbi and Leo, the owners, are truly the best — knowledgeable, warm and motivating
Training is never boring, because there’s a new workout each time I go
Members receive personal attention from the excellent trainers, but never feel the need to make conversation for an hour (as I have in other personal training environments)
The location is accessible and — hard to believe for San Francisco — the parking is easy!
Nutrition counseling and sports massage are offered on site and both are excellent
They offer training for teenagers (which is not easy to find.)
I developed a whole new appreciation for AW, though, when I happened to mention to Leo that I had a foot injury. He made it his business to make the pain go away — and it did. Thanks to Leo (and Kevin Burns, AW’s awesome sports massage therapist), the heel pain that had dogged me for months started to heal and is now COMPLETELY GONE. Better than the results I got from visiting an orthopedist at UCSF. These are good people to have on your fitness team! You will not regret giving this place a try.
– Juliet W Member
Without Advanced Wellness, I probably wouldn’t be playing college basketball next year. When I started lifting with Leo, I was motivated, and willing to work, but didn’t know HOW to work. Leo taught me how to get the most out of my work ethic, and taught me the difference between working smart and working hard. When I started AW, I was coming off an arm injury that held me out of my summer baseball season, and bench role for the basketball team. The following season’s after 3 months of working out at AW, I made first team all league, pitched pain free, and committed to playing college basketball at Middlebury College. All of this has been in large part due to Leo’s mentorship and vast knowledge of what it takes to succeed athletically. Over the course of my training, I have been able to jump higher, move quicker, and strength, which used to be a weakness of mine, has become a strength, no pun intended. Working out at AW was definitely one of the best choices I ever made for my athletic career.
– Charley Moore Jr. Middlebury College Basketball
I’ve been going to AW for a couple of years now. I’ve been a gym-goer for 20 years and avoided personal training and group-type workout session because 1. most personal trainers are clueless, have no flexibility in teaching regimen, and will likely get you hurt and 2. group training tended to be boring and too one-size-fits-all for me.
The staff at AW will take a look at your movement patterns and workout/nutrition habits and cater to your specific needs. It is extremely obvious they care greatly about making sure you get and/or stay healthy. Leo, the co-owner, actually went to my physical therapy appointment to watch and converse with my PT to ensure he understood what was going on with me and to work in unison with what I was doing there. The workouts are challenging, are customized to your goals and recovery issues, and I am MUCH more efficient with my workout time now. I can spend 3-4 hours per week there and get better results than my previous 6-8 hours per week gym routine. I can’t recommend them highly enough.
– S.M. Member
Robbi and Leo have created a fantastic personal training experience at Advanced Wellness. I have been a client for over 13 years and I attribute their focused personal training with letting me lead an active injury free athletic life. Their personal focus on functional strength training really pays off on the ski slopes or the squash court. Many thanks Robbi and Leo!
– Brooks W. Member
