It’s not news: Atlantans are busy.
From school to work, long commutes in grueling traffic to busy weekends packed with dozens of local events, Atlanta and its people are always bustling, always in motion. In the hectic race of daily life, it can be difficult for many to find time to care for themselves, their physiques, and their health. Runs are interrupted by work calls; walks are abbreviated, just long enough to let the dogs get some fresh air; gym plans are canceled in lieu of long to-do lists. Almost without realizing it, people in the 21st century let their health and fitness fall to the wayside out of no fault of their own.
That’s where the new, technologically enhanced era of fitness comes in.
Glenn Braunstein is the founder of Pulse Performance, a high-tech fitness studio in Buckhead. Although he has long had a focus on health and wellness, his transition into the fitness world is fairly new.
“I spent 30 years working for very large technology companies in corporate America,” he told Georgia Voice. “Last year, I was tired of it, and I decided that I wanted to do something different.”
As a first-time business owner, he became the first franchisee of Pulse Performance, which is originally based out of Austin, Texas.
It doesn’t take long to understand Pulse’s namesake. The studio is focused on rapid muscle growth through the use of Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS), a method first employed by the physical therapy and rehabilitation world to help people quickly build muscle after injuries. When Pulse clients go in for sessions, they are equipped with electrodes that are controlled and monitored by a Pulse trainer. As clients work out, the electrodes deeply target muscles, even some that aren’t stimulated by or reachable through regular workouts.
Appointments are short and efficient, and EMS sessions are often used in tandem with the other services Pulse offers. Truflex focuses on body sculpting, targeting specific muscle areas like the abs utilizing EMS technology administered by licensed estheticians. One short Truflex session can be equivalent to thousands of crunches, saving clients hours on floor mats and gym commutes. To ensure that muscles repair and rejuvenate rapidly, Pulse’s Infrared Fitness Pod utilizes infrared light to reduce inflammation, soreness, and lactic acid buildup so that clients can bounce back quickly and return within a week or even a few days.
The efficiency of the sessions means that results appear swiftly, attuned to clients’ unique objectives.
“We want to customize programs completely based on clients’ needs,” Braunstein said.
Clients can pick and choose what workouts and services they want to partake in, spending anywhere from $50-60 per session to $1,500 a month on all services multiple times a week. Working with the Pulse staff, clients set goals for weight loss, muscle gain, and body recomposition, which is monitored through the use of an in-house 3D body scanner that analyzes people’s body composition in detail. Whether they want to supplement their workouts outside of Pulse or use Pulse services to the fullest, clients’ regimens are highly individualized. And for first-time clients that may be unsure if EMS is right for them, Pulse offers a free first workout.
Looking forward, Braunstein hopes to deepen and expand the Pulse community.
“Our community right now is made up of our ecosystem of a small staff and a constantly growing member base,” he said. “I want to expand as one large Pulse family.”
With plans to open new locations past the Buckhead area northward into high-demand markets, Glenn’s vision remains grounded in the fundamental goal of Pulse.
“Everything we do is tied to the one single goal of helping people build muscle, burn fat, and do it fast — faster than any traditional methods out there,” he said.
To learn more about Pulse Performance, visit pulseperformancestudio.com.