Lake Travis - Westlake Edition | April 2025

Business

BY BRITTANY ANDERSON

Westlake-based gym Train 4 the Game has served the Austin community for 25 years in a facility oering “an unbeatable culture with a unique vibe,” said Chris Braden, managing partner and coach. What they oer T4TG is not a passive-use gym, Braden said, and instead oers training sessions to help clients bridge the gap between physical therapy and exercising, prevent exercise injuries, or simply reach their health goals. “[Working out] almost implies excess energy that they’ve just got to get out of their system,” Braden said. “I think ‘training’ implies a lot more intentionality.” The science behind T4TG’s approach is rooted in Applied Functional Science, which combines physical therapy strategies with more conven- tional training methods, Braden said. “We’re not afraid to lift weights or move with velocity or speed, but we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got your ‘structure’ prepared to function doing those things,” Braden said. Alongside group sessions, T4TG oers custom- ized personal training to address specic issues, programs for elementary through high school students, and a new 3D Move senior program. What’s special about it? T4TG’s three-step movement strategy—Melt, Mold, Move—consists of preparing muscles and tissue for movement with foam rollers or a massage gun; molding the newly-pliable tissue by stretching; and then moving the body. Melting and molding helps the body properly warm up and reduces the likelihood of straining or injury, according to T4TG coaches. “Almost inevitably when people get dinged up, it just gets sidelined,” Braden said. “Being able to get people out of that pattern is a big deal for us.” Respecting the craft Braden’s background as a former college basketball coach means he saw routine injuries and performance gaps. “We had to go learn how to prevent those things from occurring,” Braden said. “A lot of those same principles and strategies have a lot of application to folks like you and me who are trying to hopefully train with some intensity over time, but not have that parallel increased risk of injury.” Train 4 the Game oers unique gym experience

Move

The gym oers group and individual coaching sessions and utilizes a variety of 3D movements including frontal, sagittal and transverse plane exercises

PHOTOS COURTESY TRAIN 4 THE GAME

Mold

Melt

Coach Chris Braden utilizes the stretch cage with a client to “mold” the melted tissue.

Clients often utilize foam rollers to target tense areas as part of the “melt” step.

Step 1: Melt Prior to each session, pressure is applied to areas with built-up tension to “melt” brous tissues between the muscles. Step 2: Mold The stretch cage allows clients to stretch and “mold” the tissues while standing instead of sitting or laying down. Step 3: Move Clients now have the proper range of motion for 3D movements such as lunges.

OLD WALSH TARLTON

3201 Bee Caves Road, Ste. 121, Austin www.train4thegame.com

LAKE TRAVIS WESTLAKE EDITION