About the Ass Kickers United Method
It was late 2017 when I had just accepted a new role with Amazon to lead a new office in Denver, Colorado for the Devices Sales organization. Professionally, it was an incredible opportunity — I was leading product and tech for a 45-person organization spanning Denver, Seattle, and Bangalore, India, and generating over half a billion dollars in revenue. My role was to build, develop, and embed Amazon’s culture in Denver, which meant frequent travel between cities like Seattle, Bangalore, and London — spending weeks at a time in hotels and airports. It was rewarding work, but also incredibly demanding.
To manage the stress that came with the job, I experimented with just about everything: CrossFit, personal training, and, admittedly, too much drinking. CrossFit was effective but required a level of social energy that I didn’t have left after managing large teams all day. Personal training taught me the fundamentals of lifting heavy but felt monotonous. I also traveled to Pattaya, Thailand to train in Muay Thai, Boxing, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — experiences that were transformative, but hard to sustain with my travel schedule. I needed something that could relieve stress, build strength, and keep me engaged — without relying on anyone else’s schedule or motivation.
That need became the seed of Ass Kickers United.
Inspired by the training scenes in Rocky IV — when Rocky retreats to a remote mountain cabin to rebuild himself after Apollo Creed’s death — I built the first Ass Kickers United gym at the top of Lookout Mountain, west of Golden, Colorado, at an elevation of 7,300 feet. I converted a shed into a rugged training space modeled after Rocky’s cabin: outside, an area for chopping and sawing logs; inside, a pull-up bar, Olympic bar, heavy bag, speed bag, and climbing rope. It was the perfect blend of solitude, simplicity, and intensity.
As I refined the Ass Kickers United approach, my son Akairo joined me. What started as a father-son training experiment quickly evolved into a shared vision — a lifestyle brand that embodies grit, independence, and discipline. Together, we co-founded Ass Kickers United, LLC, building not just a gym, but a movement that celebrates those willing to push themselves beyond comfort and convention.
This is how Ass Kickers United was born — from long hours, relentless travel, a Rocky IV cabin, and a shared belief that real strength comes from isolation, discipline, and the will to keep fighting when no one’s watching.
“Keep Fighting When No One’s Watching.”
– The Ass Kickers United Method
Founders Dave and Akairo — paying tribute to Rocky Balboa in Philadelphia.
