DOJO News
Trail Mixer
The Nature Trails East Grand Opening is coming up
Ride, run, hike, or just hangout with us from 1-4pm on Saturday, April 26th, for the grand opening of Quincy’s new Nature Trails East recreation area, located at 3420 Kochs Lane.
House Blend
A curated mix of the best from all of our classes is coming to Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon starting April 1st.
There’s a new class coming to Tuesdays and Wednesdays at noon.
House Blend is a curated, rotating mix of Mat Pilates, weight training, and calisthenics that blends moves and methods from our other classes into one good ass workout. House Blend is perfect for fans of the noon session who want to break up the day with solid training that stays fresh.
Click here to sign up for House Blend.
Nutrition HQ Ladies Night
Heather will be at the Ladies Night: Wellness Roundup event hosted by Nutrition HQ at the Kroc Center on March 27th at 5:30pm talking about Pilates, strength training, food and answering questions about diastasis recti, pelvic floors, injury recovery, skate set ups, staying strong, mobile and energetic for the long haul–even after 40 and 4 kids...
Drop by our booth at the Ladies Night: Wellness Roundup event hosted by Nutrition HQ at the Kroc Center on March 27th at 5:30pm. Heather will be on site to talk about Pilates, strength training, food and answer all your questions about diastasis recti, pelvic floor strength, injury recovery, what skate set up you should get, staying strong, mobile and energetic for the long haul–even after 40 and 4 kids...
Do Swans Even Dive
New Mat Pilates class. Tuesdays at 6am.
Beginning February 18th we’re offering our Progressive Mat Pilates class on Tuesdays at 6am.
This is in addition to Saturday’s 9am class, so if you’re a weekend warrior, your class isn’t going away.
Sign up here
Progressive Mat Pilates
Progressive Mat Pilates is about going deeper. Doing less, but with more intensity, focus, and intention.
Progressive Mat Pilates is about going deeper—doing fewer moves and sequences with more intensity, focus, and intention.
Here’s the class description:
”This class isn’t about where you’re at—it’s about where you want to go. Whether you’re starting fresh or ready to go deeper with your practice, Progressive Mat Pilates offers a focused, intentional approach. Together, we’ll systematically drill the 34 classical Mat Pilates moves and sequences until they become second nature, giving you the confidence to perform them on your own. The class is structured so you can join anytime, with weekly progressions that build on prior sessions. Home practice is encouraged ”
DAWN PATROL
Personal training intention meets small group energy in DAWN PATROL, our new M,W,F, class.
We have a new class.
M,W,F at 6am
”We move at dawn. This early morning class is designed to build functional strength and expand your natural mobility—the kind of capability that makes you feel ready for whatever. Dawn Patrol blends the intention and guidance of personal training with the energy of tight-knit small group training. Using minimalist equipment like sandbags, kettlebells, and boxes, mixed with proven movement patterns and bodyweight work, you'll train to be stronger and move better on any terrain—home, work, or wilderness.”
Walk through walls for winter
Just you, the ground, and five minutes a few times a day, how hard can it be? WALLS is back to start 2025.
The spot on the rug between the fire and the coffee table.
It’s all the space you need.
The glow from the hearth throws your shadow across the dark walls of winter morning.
The drop of sweat hanging from the tip of your nose glints with fire light.
You hold.
You exhale.
Your blood is pumping.
Outside, a whiteout sky of winter wind whips against the walls.
It’s a battering ram of cold eager to crack your will.
A wry smile flickers on your face and says no.
Your heat nips back at the cold.
The sweat drips.
You breathe.
You push.
It’s only five minutes.
It takes that long to make coffee.
And you’re on your third already.
WALLS is back, and begins December 30th.
You don’t need anything other than a spot on the ground the size of your body, and 5 minutes at time.
Enrollment opens soon.
More details to follow.
Classes are back September 28th
Class break is this weekend. We'll be outside finding something fun to do, ideally somewhere beautiful. Hope you’ll do the same, send us a picture.
No class this weekend September 21st.
Night’s coming sooner and the day’s growing cooler.
The Autumn Equinox is this weekend and it’s our favorite time for doing anything outside.
This is our first weekend without class since the last years Autumn Equinox so we’'ll be doing something fun outside, ideally somewhere beautiful.
If you get into something similar send us a picture with the subject Fall Fun to thedojo@thedojoofdowell.com
We’ll see you next weekend on the 28th. Sign up for class here.
The Early panther
Panther People like to get started early, even on the weekends, but not too early. Panther now starts at 8am on Saturdays.
Panther people have spoken. Earlier is better.
Saturday’s Panther HIIT class is now at 8am.
Body heat
Classes started strong this year, so we added a second Mat Pilates class to Saturday at 10am.
In a blink we went from two classes on Saturday to filling a third. Body heat switched off the furnace switch,and steam froze to the windows from floor to ceiling. It was New Year’s Day.
That day we started stamping names and X’s into brass tags and nailing them to the wall. If you have the money, buying something is easy. Showing up day after day is hard. You’re body keeps score, but now so do we. 12 Xs earn you a free class.
Thank you all for your energy, effort, and commitment.
Here are a few photos from the start of the year. Below zero and Holiday, but you came anyway.
Walls of fire in winter
Keep your fire bright and your body strong all the winter long with WALLS in 2024.
Keep your fire bright and your body strong all the winter long, with just five minutes and a floor, a few times a day.
Long, dark, and cold, winters can take a toll on your mental and physical health.
Walk Through Walls for Winter is a 3 month program beginning January 1st, that we made so you can walk out of winter and step into spring stronger in mind and body than you were at the start.
The program uses a simple, systematic progression of short bodyweight exercise bouts we call Walls.
Walls are like swigs of fire that deliver a potent dose of movement to build strength and endurance.
We wanted to make sure the program could work for you even if you’ve never worked out, but also work if you’re athletic and looking for additional motivation through the winter.
We’ve ended up with a program that’s scaleable and approachable.
So, as long you have a body, the ground, and gravity you can do Walls in the time it takes to make a few cups of coffee each day.
When you sign up, you’ll be sent an email with a link to join Heather and the group in Everfit, our training app.
Once you click the link and join us in the app, you’ll have direct contact with Heather.
The program won’t begin until the 1st, but when it’s time to start we’ll add you to the Walls program, leaderboard, and message board.
$60 gets you in for 3 months, enrollment closes December 31st.
Give us your Wounded Knees
Blown out knees are a head game, doing it more than once takes a toll, one we’re helping Morgan overcome.
There’s life after ACL reconstruction, even a botched reconstruction from a hack surgeon of celebrity athletes, even when your ACL blows again. We’re stoked to be helping Morgan Long, a friend and BMX lifer build the strength, stability, and confidence he needs to keep riding.
Look for the winged panther paw
We’ve been in here since June.
Heather’s been training clients, leading Mat Pilates classes, and our own bodyweight class called Panther the whole time.
But now there’s a sign at the Dojo of Do Well.
It’s hanging up at 727 Hampshire Street in Quincy Illinois, between the music store(Square Music/Dusty Bins)and the new The District HQ.
When you see the winged panther paw, you’re in the right place.
Come to a class.
If you’re new, use the code wingedcats when you sign up to get your first class free.
The code’s good until 2.28.23.
The dangerous benefits of our new class, Panther HIIT.
We have a new bodyweight class, we call it Panther.
A beautiful dangerous
It feels good to be dangerous. Not broken bottle in a melee dangerous. Dangerous like a wave that knows it can carve the world from stone. Frequent our new Panther HIIT class and you’ll be dangerous like that.
You’re the epicenter. Like our Mat Pilates class, no bits, bobs, gadgets, gizmos, or equipment of any kind are used in the Panther class. Our classes are designed to be potent, useful, and easy to recreate outside of the Dojo. As long as you have yourself, the ground, and gravity you can apply what you learn in class wherever you are to get an exceptional full body workout that actually makes your body work better.
No, this isn’t a class centered around Burpees. We’ve designed a highly effective bodyweight class without using high impact movements. The techniques we use are rooted in science, draw on the best, current, sources of biomechanics knowledge available, and are used by Navy Seals, pro athletes, and grandmas in their 70s who need and want their bodies to work as good as possible for as long as possible.
Pricing and Memberships
Drop-in: $15
Class Pass: $135 for 10 classes
life experience enhancement center
The Dojo Of Do Well is coming to life, but you won’t have to wait until it’s finished for personal training or Pilates.
The torch was passed to us in July. We shared the space with the previous tenants, a yoga studio that operated here for a few years, until the middle of the month while they wrapped up their final classes with long time clients. Little by little the old signs came down, fresh paint coated the walls, and we stripped away the brown lacquer hiding the old copper trim outlining the front windows. The Dojo Of Do Well is coming to life, not in a flourish or a grand opening, but with a steady building drum.
It’s going to take time to see our biggest ideas realized, but we’d like to have you along while we work on it. Heather’s already working with personal training clients new and old, private Pilates lessons are happening, and our group Pilates class has already added a second slot for the week. Come by, check it out, and tell us about that time you backpacked Europe, rode the spillway in Malaga, or eloped to sail around Mexico—or whatever it is you love to do and want to keep on doing as long as you can.