Katelyn Ctvrtlik Brings Her Favorite Practice to Hermosa Beach

Imagine you could grow 1½ inches taller. That’s what Californian blue-eyed beauty Katelyn Ctvrtlik claims happened to her as a result of the GYROTONIC® Method.

GYROTONICS is a little known, original and unique movement method that addresses the entire person—opening energy pathways, stimulating the nervous system, increasing range of motion, and improving strength and movement efficiency. It’s the method of movement and exercise currently being devoured by celebrities and elite athletes as they strive for the most effective and natural methods to stay in shape and promote peak performance.

Health and fitness has long been a way of life for Katelyn too, and athletics run in her blood. Her mother was a professional dancer, and her father and uncle were both athletes. But putting her body under strain growing up as a dancer also meant she would often injure herself, and she had to do many cycles of physical therapy over the years.

One day her dad suggested she do Pilates and GYROTONICS as a means to protect her body from being injured. She started Pilates at the young age of 16, and she instantly “fell in love.” When she was in high school, she managed to convince her instructor to give her a key to the studio so she could just go in and practice. She continued to dance but just knew that Pilates and GYROTONICS was the career path she was going to follow.

The GYROTONIC Expansion System®  Method was created by Hungarian professional dancer Juliu Horvath. He suffered a series of debilitating injuries during his dance career and began developing these methods as a way to heal and regain strength and agility.

GYROTONIC classes are designed to take the body beyond current limitations to show what we can do if we stretch ourselves. People come out of a GYROTONIC class with increased freedom of movement, greater strength and more agility. Athletes see improved performance. Rehabilitation clients recover quicker and more fully post-injury.

The method is practiced in group or private classes under the instruction of a qualified trainer. The exercises are performed on custom-designed GYROTONIC equipment and feature spiraling, circular movements that flow together seamlessly in rhythmic repetitions. These carefully crafted sequences create balance, agility, strength and flexibility. The unique system simultaneously stretches and strengthens the body with minimal effort while increasing range of motion and developing coordination.

Katelyn was also one of the youngest teachers of GYROTONIC at the time. She started teaching Pilates and GYROTONICS at the age of 19 after spending countless hours getting certified. She even taught while she was attending the University of Boulder, where she studied dance and psychology. She loved every minute of the learning and teaching process because she loves connecting with people, instructing them and getting them stronger.

Fate stepped in one day when a connection of hers from Boulder told her about a studio named Pilates Place in the South Bay looking for an instructor. At the time, Katelyn was planning to move back to Long Beach but was willing to do the commute back and forth to Hermosa Beach. She was actually working at six different studios at the time trying to build a clientele and figure out where she wanted to be. She fell in love with the South Bay lifestyle and decided to make it home.

Noticing the GYROTONIC method was not readily accessible in the area, Katelyn saw an opportunity to introduce it to the South Bay. In 2015 an opportunity opened for her to buy the studio business. Ever since, she has offered the GYROTONIC Expansion System® in her studio.

“Take the body beyond its current limitations—beyond what we can do if we stretch ourselves.”

With GYROTONIC exercises, each movement flows into the next, allowing the joints to move through a natural range of motion without jarring or compression. Where Pilates is linear, GYROTONICS is spiraling. Katelyn describes it as a very natural fluid movement that feels almost animalistic in nature. It gives you the tools to move your spine in all the ways it’s supposed to move. It’s also the perfect complement to any other workout.

And the secret is getting out. There are a few more GYROTONIC studios popping up, and some major celebrities such as Sting and Lady Gaga are already hooked. Shaquille O’Neal got his own equipment made and customized for his size so he can work it into his weekly regime.

Out of the studio, Katelyn works with many of the LA Kings hockey players, some NFL athletes and golfers. “This past summer I set a goal to become more flexible so I could take my game on the ice to the next level,” says Jack Campbell, the LA Kings goalie. “After working with Katelyn for only a week I could already see the difference on the ice with my core strength and flexibility.”

Katelyn can’t promise you’ll get taller, but increased balance, agility, strength and flexibility all sound like great reasons to get hooked.