We Did It Again! AFAC Gym Wins the 2026 Best of the Best Award
Three years. Three wins. And one incredible community that made it all possible.
Adventure Fitness Athletic Club (AFAC gym) is thrilled to announce that we have once again been named a Colorado Community Media Best of the Best Award winner for 2026. After receiving this recognition in both 2024 and 2025, AFAC gym has earned top honors for a third consecutive year.
For 2026, our community recognized AFAC as the Best of the Best in Thornton & Northglenn for the following categories:
- Workout/Fitness Center
- Weight Loss Center
- Yoga/Pilates Studio
We couldn’t have reached this milestone without our members, instructors, trainers, staff, and neighbors who continue to support AFAC gym. Every vote represents someone who has chosen to make our gym part of their fitness journey, and we are incredibly grateful.
Thank you for making AFAC gym your place to train, grow stronger, try something new, and connect with your community. This award belongs to the entire Adventure Fitness family!
What Is the Best of the Best Award?
Colorado Community Media’s Best of the Best is an annual contest celebrating businesses and organizations that make a difference in their local communities.
Unlike awards selected solely by a panel of judges, Best of the Best gives community members a voice. Residents can vote for their favorite businesses, restaurants, professional services, entertainment destinations, health and wellness providers, and more throughout participating Denver metro and Front Range communities.
For the 2026 awards, public voting took place from April 15 through May 20, 2026. Local residents had the opportunity to support the businesses they believe consistently deliver outstanding experiences.
That community-driven approach makes this recognition particularly meaningful to us. Being selected once is an honor. Being chosen three years in a row tells us that our members notice the work we put into creating a better gym, and motivates us to keep raising the bar.
What Makes AFAC Gym the Best of the Best?
There’s no single piece of equipment, class, amenity, or program responsible for the AFAC gym experience.
We believe a great gym starts by getting the fundamentals right: plenty of equipment, knowledgeable trainers, diverse workout options, a clean facility, and an environment where people actually enjoy spending time.
Then we go further.
From specialized recovery amenities and functional training equipment to an ever-evolving class schedule, AFAC gives members more ways to pursue their goals without needing several different fitness memberships.
Here’s what makes our Thornton gym different.
Better Strength Training Equipment Than Other Gyms
Strength training isn’t one-size-fits-all. A beginner learning proper form has very different needs from an experienced powerlifter, athlete, or someone training for a fitness competition.
That’s why AFAC gym provides an extensive collection of strength training equipment for virtually every training style.
Members can work with traditional favorites such as barbells, dumbbells ranging from 2.5 to 100 pounds, kettlebells, Smith machines, full cages, cable stations, and stacked weight machines.
Specialized lower-body equipment includes leg presses, hack squat machines, leg extensions, and leg curls, while dedicated chest, shoulder, biceps, and triceps equipment makes targeted resistance training easy.
But conventional weights are only the beginning.
Members can incorporate trap bars, landmines, resistance bands, TRX systems, BOSU balls, battle ropes, resistance sleds, maces, clubs, tires, exercise balls, slam balls, medicine balls, and our full Jungle Gym into their workouts.
The result is a training environment where you aren’t forced into one style of exercise. You can focus on traditional bodybuilding one day, powerlifting the next, and functional or athletic training later in the week.
Whether your goal is adding muscle, becoming stronger, improving athletic performance, preparing for a competition, or simply making everyday activities easier, AFAC gym gives you the tools to keep progressing.
Better Cardio Equipment Than Other Gyms
Cardiovascular exercise is essential for developing endurance, supporting heart health, increasing work capacity, and creating a well-rounded fitness routine. But doing the same workout on the same machine every day can get old quickly.
At AFAC, variety helps keep cardio workouts interesting.
Members can choose from treadmills, elliptical machines, StairMasters, upright and recumbent stationary bikes, spin bikes, and rowing machines.
Want something different? Challenge yourself on the VersaClimber or Jacobs Ladder for demanding workouts that engage muscles throughout the body while testing cardiovascular endurance.
Having multiple options also makes it easier to adapt your workouts. You can alternate between higher- and lower-impact activities, incorporate intervals, cross-train for a sport, or simply switch machines when you want a change of pace.
Better Amenities Than Other Gyms
A complete fitness program doesn’t end when your final rep is finished.
Recovery, mobility, progress tracking, and variety all play important roles in helping people maintain an active lifestyle. That’s why AFAC offers amenities that go far beyond the standard gym experience.
Members can take advantage of options such as our cryotherapy chamber, HydroMassage bed, Power Plates, and foam rollers. Our InBody 770 body composition testing provides detailed measurements that can help members look beyond the number on a traditional scale and better understand changes in factors such as muscle mass and body fat.
And if you’re ready for something more adventurous, we’ve got that covered, too.
AFAC features double auto-belay climbing walls, an indoor climbing cave, a cargo net, and boxing equipment. Members can flip tires, push sleds, climb, box, stretch, recover, and strength train, all under one roof.
Better Classes Than Other Gyms
Sometimes the hardest part of working out isn’t performing the exercises, it’s deciding what to do.
Group fitness removes that guesswork while adding expert instruction, accountability, variety, and the energy that comes from exercising alongside other people.
At AFAC gym, our diverse fitness class schedule gives members opportunities to train in completely different ways throughout the week, and group fitness classes are included with membership.
Looking for strength and conditioning? Try:
- Power Hour
- Rise and Shine
- Strength and Conditioning
- Total Body Conditioning
- Full Body Fitness
- Body BLAST
- Boot Camp
- Booty Blast Workout
Want to work on movement, stability, flexibility, and core strength? Explore:
- Yoga
- Flow-Motion
- Stretch and MORE
- Balance-N-Core
- TRX
- Power Plate and More
Ready to unleash your inner athlete? Check out:
- Sports Conditioning
- Youth Sports Performance
- KO Kickboxing
- DEKA/HYROX Performance
Members can even head outdoors for Nordic Walking with a certified instructor.
The variety isn’t simply about giving members a longer class schedule. Different forms of exercise challenge the body in different ways. Rotating between strength, cardio, mobility, balance, and conditioning can keep workouts engaging while helping members develop more complete fitness.
And there’s another benefit that’s harder to measure: community. Seeing familiar faces every week, encouraging the person beside you, and celebrating progress together can turn exercise from something you have to do into something you look forward to doing.
Better Personal Trainers Than Other Gyms
Equipment can give you possibilities. A knowledgeable personal trainer can help turn those possibilities into a plan.
AFAC’s personal trainers bring education, experience, and a genuine commitment to helping members make progress.
Our trainers include National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainers, along with professionals who have additional experience and credentials in nutrition coaching, group fitness, spin, CrossCore, Power Plate training, MMA, and other specialties.
That breadth of knowledge matters because personal training should actually be personal.
Someone trying to become stronger after years away from exercise shouldn’t necessarily train like an athlete preparing for an event. Likewise, a member focused on fat loss may need a different program than someone who wants to improve mobility or add muscle.
Our trainers get to know your goals and help create a program appropriate for where you are today and where you want to go.
Personal training can also support members working toward sport- or event-specific goals, people returning to exercise following an injury in accordance with their recovery plan, and anyone who wants greater structure and accountability. Nutrition guidance can complement those efforts by helping members make informed choices outside the gym.
Most importantly, AFAC trainers don’t simply count repetitions. They’re coaches, educators, motivators, and advocates who want to see our members succeed.
A Better Atmosphere Than Other Gyms
You can fill a building with incredible equipment, but that alone doesn’t create a great gym.
People do.
At AFAC, we’ve worked hard to develop an atmosphere that’s friendly, clean, safe, respectful, and supportive. We want experienced athletes to have everything they need to push their limits while making sure someone walking into a gym for the first time feels equally welcome.
There’s no single definition of fitness here.
One member may be training for a HYROX or DEKA competition. Another might want to lose weight. Someone else may be rebuilding strength, staying active as they age, learning how to lift weights, or simply trying to feel better.
Every one of those goals matters.
Our individualized approach recognizes that successful fitness journeys don’t all look alike. Members are encouraged to find activities they enjoy, ask questions, explore new challenges, and progress at their own pace.
AFAC gym isn’t interested in being an intimidating room filled with exercise equipment. We want to be a community where members know they’re supported.
That’s the AFAC family, and it’s one of the biggest reasons winning an award determined by our local community means so much to us.
What’s New at AFAC Gym?
Winning Best of the Best three years in a row doesn’t mean we’ve finished improving. It means we have even more motivation to keep getting better.
Our members are an important part of that process. We listen to suggestions, watch how people use our facility, follow developments throughout the fitness industry, and look for new ways to provide more value.
That commitment has brought several exciting additions and changes to AFAC.
A New Turf Training Area
One of our biggest recent upgrades is the addition of a dedicated turf area inside AFAC’s expansive Riot Room.
Measuring approximately 80 feet long by 30 feet wide, the turf gives members plenty of open space for functional fitness, athletic performance training, conditioning, mobility work, and countless other exercises.
Push a weighted sled down the turf. Practice sprints and acceleration. Incorporate lateral movements, agility drills, lunges, carries, and bodyweight exercises. Or use the open space for warming up and stretching.
The turf is especially valuable for functional fitness because it provides room to move naturally rather than remaining at a single machine or station.
With 2,400 square feet of turf inside the Riot Room, there’s room to get creative and room to work.
AFAC Is an Official HYROX Training Club
Competition training has also taken a major step forward at AFAC.
We’re proud to be an official HYROX Training Club, bringing members opportunities to prepare for one of the world’s rapidly growing fitness competition formats.
HYROX combines running with functional workout stations, requiring competitors to develop both cardiovascular endurance and strength. Training for an event therefore isn’t simply about being able to lift heavy weights or run long distances. Athletes must learn to perform demanding functional exercises while fatigued and then continue running.
AFAC’s equipment, spacious training areas, and specialized coaching create an ideal environment for developing those abilities.
And you don’t have to consider yourself an elite athlete to participate. HYROX training can provide a measurable new challenge for everyday gym members who want to discover what they’re capable of accomplishing.
DEKA Training and Competition
The competitive spirit is alive and well throughout the AFAC gym community.
We’re incredibly proud of our members who have competed in DEKA events across the United States, whether they crossed the finish line for the first time, established a new personal record, or found themselves standing on the podium.
The accomplishments are exciting, but we’re equally proud of everything that happens before competition day. The weeks of training, incremental improvements, difficult workouts, encouragement between teammates, and willingness to keep going when things get tough.
Members interested in experiencing that challenge themselves can join our regular DEKA/HYROX Performance classes. These workouts focus on developing qualities such as strength, endurance, mobility, efficient movement, and confidence that can translate to competition.
Whether you eventually compete or simply want to train like you might, these classes provide another way to challenge yourself.
Youth Sports Performance Classes
AFAC is also helping the next generation of athletes build strong foundations.
Our Youth Sports Performance Class is designed primarily for young athletes ages 8–18, although all ages are welcome.
Rather than focusing exclusively on a particular sport, training helps participants develop fundamental athletic qualities that can transfer across activities. That includes speed, strength, agility, coordination, mobility, and conditioning.
Just as importantly, structured athletic training can teach young people lessons that extend beyond sports. Showing up consistently, listening to coaching, practicing proper technique, working through challenges, and setting goals can help develop confidence, discipline, and resilience.
Whether a young athlete is trying a sport for the first time or already competing seriously, our goal is to help them become stronger and more capable while developing healthy attitudes toward exercise that can last well beyond their competitive years.
BusinessRate Best of 2025 and 2026 Thornton Award Winner
The Best of the Best isn’t the only recognition we’re celebrating.
Adventure Fitness Athletic Club was also named a BusinessRate Best of 2025 and 2026 Thornton Award Winner in the Gym Category.
What makes this recognition particularly exciting is the way the BusinessRate Best of Award is determined. Instead of businesses applying for consideration or gathering nominations, BusinessRate evaluates verified Google Review data to recognize businesses demonstrating strong customer satisfaction.
For us, that’s another reminder that the little things matter.
Every welcoming interaction at the front desk, clean workout area, helpful answer from a trainer, memorable class, and positive experience contributes to how members feel about AFAC gym.
Awards are wonderful, but knowing members are happy enough with their experiences to share them publicly is an achievement we’re especially proud of.
A Brand-New AFAC Website
Our improvements aren’t limited to what you’ll find when you walk through the gym doors.
We’ve also refreshed the AFAC website with a new, user-friendly design created to make finding the information you need easier.
Whether you’re researching workout options, exploring our equipment and amenities, checking out classes, learning about training techniques, or simply trying to decide whether AFAC is the right gym for you, our updated website puts a wealth of fitness information at your fingertips.
It’s one more way we’re working to make the entire AFAC experience better, both inside and outside the gym.
Three Years of Best of the Best Gym, and We’re Just Getting Started
Winning Colorado Community Media’s Best of the Best Award in 2024 was exciting. Winning again in 2025 was an incredible honor.
Being named Best of the Best for a third consecutive year in 2026 makes us even more grateful for the people who have made AFAC what it is today.
But we’re not treating three straight wins as a reason to coast.
We’ll keep listening to our members. We’ll keep adding new challenges and opportunities. We’ll keep improving our facility, classes, equipment, programs, and services. And we’ll continue working to make AFAC a place where people throughout Thornton, Northglenn, and surrounding communities can feel comfortable pursuing their fitness goals.
Whether you want to lift heavier, improve your endurance, lose weight, prepare for a competition, try yoga, work with a personal trainer, tackle your first group fitness class, or simply become a little healthier than you were yesterday, there’s a place for you here.
To everyone who voted for AFAC gym in the 2026 Best of the Best Awards: thank you.
You helped us do it again, and we can’t wait to show you what we do next.
If you’re not a member yet, we hope you’ll visit AFAC gym today to speak to our team about our affordable memberships and personal trainers. AFAC gym is committed to supporting your health and wellness efforts, so you’ll see the results you’re working so hard for. That’s why we were voted the best gym in Thornton, Colorado, and have hundreds of 5-star reviews.
To learn more about our top-rated gym and our incredible array of strength training and cardio equipment — as well as our unique offerings and amenities like daily group classes, cryotherapy, InBody 770 assessments, hydro massage, personal trainers, and our rock climbing wall and cave — please contact us or visit for a personalized tour. Our team will be happy to help you. For more information and assistance, you can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club.