Testimonials
I’ve been coming to NewEthic since my wife bought me a pass to the Foundations course in June. I’ve been interested in physical fitness for a long time, but I’ve avoided going to gyms because I don’t like the culture I’ve experienced in a lot of fitness centers. I noticed immediately how friendly and welcoming Ed was. I had a consultation with him and I got a good idea how to move forward with my goals and I feel great about my growth. What Ed has created is a healthy, inclusive and safe place where people of different body types can work toward their fitness goals with positive coaches who are truly concerned with the health and well being of the client. It also helps that the whole team is plant-based. Vegan strength is very important to me and NewEthic is also super dog friendly. Oh, and my 15 year old son has started going to the classes on Saturdays.
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Emily Wood
This place is amazing! They are open and welcoming to people of every single level: super-beginners (like me) to people who compete or are on track to become trainers themselves. It is not just a gym (which I would find totally intimidating), but is a body-positive, no-bad-vibes zone, and so is a total community of progressive folks.
I started in a Foundations class in November with Ed – he had to modify everything for me (including squats – I couldn’t do squats!). It was so low-pressure though, even in a class with people who totally knew what they were doing, I didn’t feel foolish or like I was holding everyone up. Now my squats are pretty good, and I’ve got muscle definition in all sorts of new places. Oh yeah, and I lift heavier and heavier things – grrrr!
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Nikki Defeo
Found this amazingly awesome spot due to a referral from a friend. Not sure how I didn’t find it myself or sooner considering I’m a
vegan AND a dog lover (and of course looking to get strong as hell)! On top of being a killer gym, the community and people who are a part of it is what makes it so special. If that’s not enough motivation, then I don’t know what is!
Ed is as knowledgeable as it gets when it comes to weight training, lifting and nutrition. I came from a gym (I’ll be nice and not mention the name) that had a crazy high turnover rate with their trainers and always seemed to push “extra” contests for more money. Lame. Give me NewEthic or give me nothing!
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Cayden Mak
I’ve been recommending Ed to all my friends and so I might as well recommend him to you, too, internet. I’ve been working out at NewEthic since April, and I’m hooked.
I was inspired to check out gyms in the area after having a long talk about fitness with a friend of mine in D.C. who told me that I should take a minute to find the right gym, the right trainer, and just give weightlifting a try. I have never enjoyed gyms (because genders) and really sort of avoid being around people when I exercise. I said, what the hell, and just started poking around. Although I’m not vegan, I appreciate Ed’s commitments to social justice and creating a fun, supportive atmosphere for all the athletes in his community.
The NewEthic community has totally changed my dislike of gyms and working out around other people. Not only do I look forward to the supportive and challenging class structure (always full of demanding, yet scalable, activities for many bodies), I’m also excited to see the other members of the gym community. It’s become a huge highlight of my week to work out — something I never thought I’d say. The community here is truly wonderful, a real testament to the efforts Ed makes to ensure everyone feels welcome as whole people.
My experience as a beginner with an old, troublesome injury has been fantastic. Ed has really taken care to make sure that workouts are safe and healthy for a busted-up wrist, for which I’m very thankful. I am confident I can ask for what I need, and if I ever have a question, it’ll be answered thoroughly and in a way that helps me improve as an athlete.
If you’re like I was, and worried that you can’t go to the gym, or that gyms are not friendly for you because you’re trans, NewEthic is a great place for you to start.
Jackie Gordan
I could not be happier to have found this place!!!! So exciting to have a vegan gym in the Bay Area (now Norfolk)! I have been training with Ed for 2 months now and I have never felt stronger in my life! I am brand new to lifting weights and NewEthic has a great environment for beginners (I am sure for the very experienced too). Ed is an excellent personal trainer who has the perfect balance of motivation, patience, and education. I am having so much fun lifting weights and have learned so much about vegan sports nutrition. I look forward to continuing to train here!! Thank you NewEthic!
Vladislav Davidzon
Few people have impacted my life as significantly as Ed Bauer. I spent five years training one-on-one with him, three times each week at his New Ethic Gym in Oakland, and his coaching dramatically improved the quality of my life in very profound and measurable ways.
Ed has coached me with extraordinary competency, deep humility, and seemingly unlimited patience. As a result, I significantly improved across a wide range of metrics, completely changed the way I eat, and built significant strength, while entirely avoiding any serious
injuries.
When we first met, I couldn’t do a single pullup when we first met and barely ran a mile. Now five mile runs have became a daily norm and I can do the Murph workout with its 100 pushups / 200 pull-ups / 300 squats while wearing a 20lb vest, bench 63% more than when I had started, and have hit numerous other goals. These metrics were entirely unimaginable and seemed super-human to me before our time together; now they’re literally just routine.
I was vegan for many years before meeting Ed, but I had no idea how poorly I was eating at the time, with all the excess sugar in my diet and idiotically low protein and fat. I was struggling with all sorts of health challenges and had very low energy. Within only a couple
months as I made the macro-nutrient ratio change Ed taught me, I suddenly felt a huge jump in my energy levels which only kept getting better as the years kept going.
If you’re thinking about training with Ed Bauer, contact him this moment, right now, and start your journey. The only thing that will dramatically improve when you train with Ed is your entire life. Highly recommended.
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Caris Rodriguez
I started going to NewEthic back in February after recovering from ankle surgery. My workouts had to be modified because I couldn’t run or jump. Ed did great at watching out for me. As time passed, I started getting stronger and stronger. Ed pushed me to be better and knew I had it in me to get it done. I won September’s Challenge for most fat loss and muscle gain by eating clean whole plant foods, lifting, and training for a marathon. Not only was I getting the training I needed, I got lots of advice on what foods to eat for different kinds of training. I have gained a level of strength that I don’t remember having in more than a decade. As of right now, I can deadlift 255 pounds and squat 205 pounds The best part is that getting stronger brought a lot of benefits: less stress, more confidence and happiness. Because of NewEthic, I will pursue further training in Olympic Lifting and continue running marathons. Whoever gets to work with Ed Bauer is one lucky person!
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Kevin Mosca
First disclaimer: the owner and I go back a way to our teenage years in upstate NY and for as long as we have known each other, Ed has always been a fitness guru. There are at least 2 decades of training experience that I know of. (This review is about what he has had me do physically and believe me I was pushed)
Now if you want a place to train that offers excellent advice, in a chill atmosphere then I highly suggest this spot for you. I dropped in for what I thought would be a causal workout and ended up grinding for an hour and a half.
Ed has experience in competing and training so on top of him being incredibly nice and outgoing, he has the tools to help you reach fitness goals and beyond. If you’re looking to stay out the the bigger gyms and looking for an intimate atmosphere to train in where you can enjoy getting pushed physically, then this is your spot.
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Heather Tuthill
This is the first time in my life I look forward to working out. It’s also the first time where I feel a slow and steady progression happening and can see muscles popping up and have more energy. Each work out is different, I’m constantly challenged but not feeling defeated and burned out like other classes I’ve tried, I feel like I learn something new every time. This gym is great for beginners and advanced athletes. Group classes are not one size fits all, we all have different strengths and goals and that seems to be embraced here. Everyone is certainly made to feel welcome here but I love their compassionate approach to fitness and nutrition, It’s a no brainer for me. Ed is not new to this, he is very respected in the vegan fitness community and just take a look… the proof is in the pudding. You don’t have that kind of resume if you don’t know what your talking about.
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Jen Rosenthal
When I started group fitness classes with Ed at NewEthic I was looking, in part, to get in shape for my wedding. What I found was a warm community of friendly, encouraging, non-judgemental folks. They made it easy to stay motivated and on track for my goals while having a ton of fun doing it.
Ed is a knowledgeable professional that made me confident to try new movements and lifts I had never before attempted. He takes time to explain and demonstrate optimal form and continue to monitor progress as you get stronger. This ensures that proper form is maintained and injuries are avoided.
By my wedding I had dropped my BMI by over 2% and had definition in muscles I didn’t even know I had. At the same time I maintained a feminine physique that I wanted as a bride. All this while getting great advice on achieving results on a plant-based diet…makes NewEthic my perfect gym.
NewEthic 