HARD CLASSES. GOOD PEOPLE.
Motion Lab is Iowa’s original Lagree studio, with locations in West Des Moines and Ankeny. We’re here to help you build strength that goes way beyond the studio.
Our 45-minute Lagree classes combine strength, endurance, and core work into one seriously effective, low-impact workout on the Megaformer. Expect slow, controlled movement, intentional resistance, muscles that shake, great music, and instructors who actually teach you what you’re doing and why.
But Motion Lab is about more than the workout.
We built our studios for real people with full lives—the healthcare worker coming off a long shift, the attorney who needs to turn her brain off for 45 minutes, the mom who spends all day taking care of everyone else, the former athlete who misses feeling strong, the beginner who has no idea what a Megaformer is, and the 60-year-old who wants to keep getting stronger for decades to come.
You don’t have to already be fit to belong here. You don’t have to know Lagree. And you definitely don’t have to have it all together.
Just show up.
Our instructors will challenge you, teach you, encourage you, and help you get stronger—without the ego or intimidation that can make fitness spaces feel unwelcoming.
Because we believe movement should add something to your life. More strength. More confidence. More energy. More connection. And 45 minutes that are completely yours.
The workout is hard. The people are good. And the strength you build here? You take it with you.
Come find us in West Des Moines + Ankeny.
WHY IS LAGREE SO EFFECTIVE?
Because Lagree asks your entire body to work together. Strength, muscular endurance, core stability, balance, and cardiovascular demand are layered throughout the workout—not saved for separate parts of class.
1. SLOWER = HARDER
In Lagree, we move slowly on purpose. Slow, controlled movement keeps your muscles under tension longer and minimizes momentum, making even simple movements incredibly challenging.
2. YOUR CORE IS ALWAYS WORKING
The Megaformer is designed to challenge stability. Whether you’re training legs, arms, or obliques, your core is constantly working to control and stabilize your body.
3. MINIMAL REST. MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY.
Lagree uses intentional sequencing and quick transitions to keep your muscles working and your body challenged throughout class. In just 45 minutes, you’ll train strength, muscular endurance, stability, and overall fitness.
4. HIGH INTENSITY. LOW IMPACT.
You don’t need jumping, running, or pounding on your joints to have an incredibly challenging workout. Lagree uses resistance, controlled movement, and time under tension to create intensity while remaining low impact.
5. IT MEETS YOU WHERE YOU ARE.
The same movement can be modified or progressed depending on your experience and ability. That means your first class can challenge you—and your 500th class can, too.
6. YOU GET STRONGER FOR REAL LIFE.
The goal isn’t just to survive 45 minutes on the Megaformer. It’s to build strength, stability, endurance, and confidence that you take with you when you leave.
And yes—it’s also really fun. Great music, good people, and a workout that keeps you coming back.
Slow down. Shake more. Get stronger. ⚡️
WHAT TO EXPECT
A seriously challenging workout—and a really good time.
You’ll have your own Megaformer, your own space, and an instructor there to guide you every step of the way. We’ll explain the movements, help with your form, and offer modifications or progressions so you can make the workout work for you.
Expect to shake. That’s part of Lagree! Slow movement and time under tension challenge your muscles in a completely different way—and taking a break is always okay.
Expect to be coached. You shouldn’t have to guess what you’re doing or where you’re supposed to feel it. Our instructors are there to teach, not just call out exercises.
Expect great music, good energy, and zero judgment. You don’t need to know the Megaformer, be flexible, or already be “in shape.” Everyone had a first class once.
And most importantly, expect to leave thinking:
“That was HARD...but I did it.” ⚡️
Come as you are. We’ll meet you there.
Our Story
WE BUILT THE STUDIO WE WANTED TO EXIST.
Motion Lab started with a simple idea:
What if working out could make your life better—not just change the way your body looks?
I fell in love with Lagree because it was unlike anything else I had tried. It was challenging without being high impact. It made me feel strong. It pushed me mentally and physically. And somehow, 45 minutes on a Megaformer could completely reset my day.
When I came home to Iowa, I couldn't find anything like it.
So we built it.
FROM AN IDEA TO IOWA'S ORIGINAL LAGREE STUDIO
When we opened Motion Lab, we wanted to bring something new to Des Moines.
But we didn't just want to open a fitness studio.
We wanted to build the studio of our dreams.
A place with incredibly effective workouts and instructors who actually teach you how to do them.
A place that feels beautiful and elevated without feeling pretentious.
A dark room, loud music, shaking muscles, laughter, and people who genuinely like being around each other.
A place where you can walk in after a terrible day and walk out feeling a little more like yourself.
And most importantly, a place where people feel welcome.
You don't need the right outfit.
You don't need to look a certain way.
You don't need to already be fit.
You just have to show up.
THEN I BECAME A MOM.
Becoming a mom changed the way I thought about fitness.
Suddenly, strength meant something different.
I didn't just want to be strong because I liked the way it made me look or because I could hold a harder position on the Megaformer.
I wanted to be strong for my life.
I wanted the core strength to carry my growing family.
I wanted the energy to keep up with my child.
I wanted to take care of my body so that hopefully, decades from now, I'm still moving, traveling, playing, and doing the things I love with the people I love.
And I needed an outlet.
Something healthy that was mine.
Because when you spend your days taking care of patients, employees, children, families, clients—or anyone else—it's incredibly easy to put yourself at the bottom of the list.
Sometimes you need 45 minutes where nobody needs anything from you.
Motion Lab became that place for me.
HELPING THE PEOPLE WHO HELP EVERYONE ELSE
I'm a physician, a mom, a business owner, a wife, a friend—and like so many of our members, there are days when it feels like I'm carrying a hundred things at once.
That's shaped what I want Motion Lab to be.
I want this to be a place for the nurse coming off a long shift.
The attorney walking out of a stressful day.
The mom who has spent the last ten hours taking care of everyone except herself.
The woman in her 50s who wants to feel strong and athletic again.
The pregnant mom learning to trust a changing body.
The person who hasn't worked out in years and finally decided today's the day.
And the person who already loves fitness and wants to be challenged in an entirely different way.
Our members don't all look the same.
They don't have the same jobs, bodies, ages, fitness levels, or lives.
But they have something in common:
They're here because they want to become stronger.
STRONGER FOR WHAT COMES NEXT.
Yes, we love seeing our members' bodies change.
We love hearing that someone feels muscles she didn't know she had or that her core is stronger than it's ever been.
But some of my favorite Motion Lab milestones have nothing to do with appearance.
It's the member who realizes she can finally hold the move she couldn't do six months ago.
The pregnant mom who continues showing up and moving her body.
The woman who came in intimidated and now walks through the door like she owns the place.
The friendships that started on neighboring Megaformers.
The person who tells us that Motion Lab is the best part of a really difficult day.
Because eventually, you realize that the strength you're building in that dark room doesn't stay there.
You start believing:
I can do hard things.
And you take that feeling home with you.
MORE THAN A WORKOUT.
What started as Iowa's first Lagree studio has grown into two Motion Lab communities in West Des Moines and Ankeny.
And as we've grown, what matters to us hasn't changed.
We want to provide exceptional workouts.
We want our instructors to know their stuff.
We want you to get stronger.
But we also want to add something positive to your life.
In a world that can sometimes feel stressful, negative, and disconnected, we want Motion Lab to be a place of movement, encouragement, laughter, connection, and strength.
Come after the best day.
Come after the worst one.
Come when you feel strong.
Come when you don't.
We'll turn down the lights, turn up the music, and give you 45 minutes to yourself.
The workout is hard. The people are good. And there's always a place for you here.
— Ellie & Matt
Founders, Motion Lab
WEST DES MOINES • ANKENY