About Allison

Allison Westfahl grew up on a rural farm in Kansas, where she raised sheep for the county fair and gained the intense work ethic that would eventually drive her fitness career. Allison left the family farm in 1997 to attend Yale University. While there, she sang for the White House Holiday Party, toured nationally with the a cappella group “Something Extra”, served on a committee for financial aid reform, and ran her first marathon. Allison graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Classical Music, and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa society for intellectual accomplishment.


After college, Allison moved to Boulder, CO  to pursue her other love:  fitness. In 2002, she became a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and founded a training and fitness consulting company called “The Athletic Edge”.  After only three years in this career field, she was named the youngest ever Director of Personal Training at Flatiron Athletic Club in Boulder, CO, a nationally known health club that was crowned  “Best Gym in America” by Men’s Journal in 2006.  Two years later she was honored with the Pursuit of Excellence Award, a full-ride scholarship awarded to only two trainers across the nation seeking higher education in exercise physiology.  Allison now holds a Master of Science degree in Exercise Science, and she has been profiled in both Athletic Business and Fitness Business magazines for her career accomplishments. Additional certifications include Certified Triathlon Coach through USAT, and Performance enhancement specialist through NASM.

Allison has taken her knowledge and passion for fitness into the media world as well. She has helped with choreography and/or served as on-screen talent in numerous fitness DVDs, including Bob Greene's "8 Week Total Body Makeover" and Valerie Bertinelli's "Losing It." Allison has also written over twenty articles on the topics of strength and endurance, and is regularly interviewed by publications ranging from the Denver Post to Bicycling magazine for her expertise in the field of strength training. In 2008, she was picked for the article “8 New Moves from 8 Elite Trainers” by Shape magazine.

In addition to her loyal clientele of amateur and youth athletes, Allison has coached such world-class athletes as Ryder Hesjedal, Timmy Duggan, Blake Caldwell, Mike Friedman and Tom Danielson.

In her spare time, Allison enjoys singing with a professional chamber choir in Denver, playing trivial pursuit with her husband, and cooking with too much garlic.