Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Harman.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mark. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Before I began this adventure, I initially graduated from college overweight, out of shape & with very limited flexibility. Because of the weight gain, sedentary lifestyle and poor postural habits, I developed back & knee pain issues. As an 8-year veteran emergency room paramedic, I had helped many people before realizing I needed to help myself so I could continue to help others. Over the years, I sustained numerous back injuries and knee problems from kneeling on hard surfaces to start IV’s along with performing other medical procedures that placed an unnatural strain on my back & neck. I sought out many doctors that could not assure me that the results I was looking for would last. The practitioners would suggest a pain management routine. That routine including the typical daily narcotics routine mixed with an ineffective physical therapy. Those options were unacceptable so I sought out a more natural & sustainable solution to my chronic pain problem. To my pleasant surprise, the solution found me in the form of a simple black foam roller at a local 24-hour fitness. Within minutes of my first foam rolling experience at the local 24-hour fitness, I was obsessed with foam rolling. That magical experience eventually led to my ADD style obsession with the combination of stretching & foam rolling.
Over the next couple of years, I felt as though I saw major improvement in my posture and flexibility. As a typical guy thinks, I was certain that foam rolling was enough, maintaining that all my problems were all solved with a foam roller. My girlfriend at the time, Katina, a very talented massage therapist convinced me otherwise. She suggested that I work on my flexibility & posture more often. She even took the initiative to ease me into an agonizingly painful but also pleasurable experience. Even though I was up for it & did it, she continued to take photos of my poor posture. She then made sure that I remember by texting me the photo. That photo or series of photos gave me a constant reminder to continue to improve my general posture. Initially it was annoying but the visual kept me focused. Katina then convinced me to see a specialist. To make her happy I met with a young enthusiastic chiropractor named Ryan Bones.
My plan was to only see Dr. Ryan Bones for only one month to placate Katina, instead over the next 6 months Dr. Bones and I become great friends. Dr. Ryan Bones worked with me for over a 6-month period re-aligning my bones. Dr. Bones focused on my spine, pelvis and neck. After a month, I talked Ryan into helping me with my flexibility. Week after week I would visit Dr. Bones for an adjustment to improve upon my new-found obsession with flexibility gains; I wanted to keep those gains so I just kept going. I followed his advice related to standing posture & sleeping posture; believe me I worked on it daily so that Dr. Bones would give me that “Dr. Happy Nod” vs. a frustrated earful lecture chin down type of head shake. After our sessions, I continued to foam roll and stretch so that the improvements we made would stick! After every visit, my flexibility not only improved but Dr. Ryan Bones was surprised at how flexible I was becoming. It almost felt like I had a new superpower. Those improvements inspired me to create the “Foam Rolling and Stretch Therapy” program.
The “Foam Rolling Fitness & Stretch Therapy” program was not an easy program to initially begin. I started out with zero clients in my apartment gym until a representative from Class Pass reached out to me. They initially asked me if I had a studio location and of course I said “Yes.” Through Class Pass I started a program in my local apartment building in the West End of Dallas called “Foam Rolling Fitness.” The first month was just unbelievable! In the first month, there was so much interest that the apartment complex studio location I was almost evicted. All my clients at that time were gained through Class Pass. They saturated the apartment gym in West End Dallas. Different types of Class Pass clients sought out my class for foam rolling and injury recovery vs. the strength training aspect of the name “Foam Rolling Fitness.” I encouraged Clients to leave me feedback so I could improve the program to fit their individual needs. Some reviews were good, some bad and some were obviously polite. To keep the program running I had to work quickly to find a studio that was affordable & in the local Dallas area. FITNZ360 was the studio that I refined my techniques that eventually led to a program success but it was not easy getting there.
For the next year, FITNZ360 was at the center of my second “studio experience.” Initially I was looking to create a foam rolling and strength training program but most people were coming to my class for foam rolling and injury recovery instead of the Strength Training/Foam Rolling program I had such success with. So, I went with it. I decided to utilize my experimental skills that I had mastered in college at UTD & decided to create 2 classes. The first class was specific to foam rolling and the second was specific to stretching, foam rolling and strength training. Using the Class Pass rating system, the “Foam Rolling” class had high ranking & great reviews while the other “Stretch/Strength Training” class had mixed reviews. My conclusion was that the Class Pass clients really loved the stretching and the foam rolling while not expecting or sincerely enjoying the added “Strength Training” modality. Foam Rolling and Stretch Therapy was born in just over 2 years. It is now known as Atlas Stretch Therapy.
Has it been a smooth road?
I initially started out with zero clients until Class Pass reached out to me. To reach potential customers, I attempted to build the client base through both Groupon & the local Craig’s List online portal. I quickly learned that both Craig’s List & even Groupon were not the best way to reach potential clients at that time. In January of 2014, a Class Pass Representative contacted us about offering an experience in the upcoming Dallas based Class Pass market. Since our past efforts with grassroots, Craig’s List and Groupon had failed to achieve our desired results to create the most dynamic foam rolling & strength training group training experience we were excited to sign up with them. Working with Class Pass enabled me to re-launch my program & even take it to another level of expertise.
I never anticipated our client base to be so diverse before working with Class Pass. As it turns out, the client base is extremely diverse because everyone can benefit from stretching & foam rolling. We found out through talking with many of our Class Pass clients that the real attraction was rooted in injury recovery, injury prevention & fast flexibility improvements while also obliquely liking it for its core strength training effect. I launched the first class at my apartment building in the West End. The concept was a huge hit. Unfortunately, my apartment complex did not like me taking up the space at random hours so they gave me a choice, either stop the classes or we will evict you, Of course, I opted not to be a tragic evicted case. Fortunately, I found a new temporary home within a month at FITNZ360 in West Dallas. The month break was bad for business plus the area was sketchy. My number of attendees plummeted but I did not let that affect my overall vision for the foam rolling class.
After settling into FITNZ360, I slowly grew a following for the class. The next main struggle was finding a suitable mix between foam rolling and stretching. My ratings were all over the place initially. Clients would be confused or I would sometimes lose focus in the middle of the session. Group training is not easy! Throughout my “early days” I understood the struggles a group instructor goes through. But, since my class or idea was so novel and therapeutic the Class Pass clients & others cut me some slack. There were many clients that rated me a 1-3 just because they did not like the venue! So, how did I deal with that? I talked the owner into being able to improve the overall look of the studio. After I made those changes, my ratings increased. Disaster averted!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am most proud of my first patented invention called “The Atlas Foam Roller.” The Atlas Foam Roller is the most dynamic foam roller on the market. It is a foam roller with handles! The handles allow for total control of the foam roller movement and direction; the handles also allow for deep compression if the user simply pulls up on the handles causing a deep tissue myofascial release of the golgi tendon apparatus within the nerve bundles of musculoskeletal tissue. There are two different densities for those that enjoy the high density vs. a medium density option. The black foam indicates “High Density” for those that prefer deep tissue compression, the red or blue foam option are slightly less dense for a more comfortable “easing” into a foam rolling experience. The type of foam you choose depends on your needs. If you have muscle sensitivities, then choose the medium density option. But if you can handle high compression loads on your muscles and joints I recommend the Black High Density Roller option.
There are many ways to use & manipulate this foam roller to either simply foam roll, stretch or integrate a “body twist.” You can use this foam roller with other foam rollers or you can use it as a strength training tool. We recommend that the roller be used as a foam rolling & body twisting stretch tool but it up to the individual to decide how the Atlas Roller best fits their unique training style. Let’s just say, that there are hundreds of ways to use the Atlas Foam Roller & most importantly it pops your back instantly giving you that desired effect every single time! How do we know the roller is effective, what moves are the most effective and how long the roller lasts? Hundreds of Class Pass clients gave their verbal and non-verbal input. It was the people that helped develop the moves that we use & teach whether it is on our YouTube channel, at an expo or in a Stretch Therapy Foam Rolling session.
Secondly, the Atlas Stretch Bar has revolutionized my Stretch Therapy Class. After a single session clients are seeing results a Physical Therapist cannot even accomplish in a year! That aforementioned claim is only made because clients would tell me this constantly. Physical therapy is extremely important and necessary for many people. Unfortunately, after you get out of physical therapy you are left to nothing but a bunch of unfamiliar yet boring stretching exercises. Also, sometimes the therapist or doctor suggests foam rolling but they never suggest how to go about it and most don’t know much about foam rolling because it is such a new type of stretch. That is where Atlas Stretch Therapy thrives!
By the end of each session, many of our clients that could not touch their toes to be able to touch their toes in 55 min or within 2 sessions; that claim is well documented with progress photos and testimonials. Some of our clients have cried-out in disbelief after the session because they had never been able to touch their toes! Our main goal is to give each client at least 2.5-5” of flexibility in a single session and give them the tension or pain relief they desire. Simply put, we want all our clients to leave the session with more flexibility, less pain while leaving with a huge smiling!
We teach simple & complex stretch methods. These methods benefit all clients that have sustained an injury, chronic musculoskeletal stiffness or obscure muscle & joint discomfort. At the end of a 55-min session we compare a before picture to the after-session photo. We examine the photos and send them to you so you have an idea of where your postural problem areas are. Performing before and after pictures is one of the many reasons people come back to this class because they crave more. All clients experience fast results because of both our methods and our unique equipment. We give clients the tools and the methods to fight pain or discomfort at home associated with chronic back pain, sciatica, scoliosis, fibromyalgia, arthritis, sarcopenia, postural associated pain, chronic leg pain, pain associated with acute injury, inflexibility, general stiffness, general joint pain and many other musculoskeletal problem areas.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
This city is a perfect place to start out. In fact, if you have a vision and passion you can start anywhere.
Pricing:
- First 2 sessions are 50% off group sessions valued at $20/hour/person
- Private sessions are $70/session and 2 people can split the bill! There is an option where I travel to you!
- I offer 30 min. ($40) and 50 min. ($50) muscle release massage with the Atlas Foam Roller & other massage tools.
Contact Info:
- Address: Group Stretch Therapy :
2901 CityPlace West #100
Dallas, Tx 75204
Private Sessions
910 Texas Street
Dallas, Tx 75204 - Website: https://www.atlasfoamroller.com/stretch-therapy
- Phone: 972-804-4310
- Email: info@atlasfoamroller.com
- Instagram: @atlas_foam_roller
- Facebook: @atlas.roller
- Twitter: @atlas.roller
- Yelp: Atlas Foam Roller
- Other: YouTube Channel : Atlas Foam Rolling Therapy
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
