Local group joins international fitness movement, November Project

Fitlanta members, now November Project Atlanta, work out near Ponce City Market.

Credit: Nedra Rhone

Credit: Nedra Rhone

Fitlanta members, now November Project Atlanta, work out near Ponce City Market.

Fitlanta Movement, a local free fitness group, has officially earned status as November Project Atlanta.

For 29 weeks, Fitlanta leaders rallied more than 70 locals to rise each Wednesday and Friday at 6:27 a.m. for a morning workout. Members meet up in the parking lot of Ponce City Market near Lululemon on Wednesdays and at a rotating location announced via Facebook on Fridays. Here's a look at their Cupid Shuffle workout:

For weeks, they kept it going with the goal of gaining entry into the November Project, an international grassroots fitness organization that was founded in Boston in 2011 .

On Oct. 18, Fitlanta will host their first workout as November Project Atlanta. November Project founder Brogan Graham is traveling from San Diego to mark the official start of the Atlanta tribe, said the local tribe leaders.

Graham, a former member of a collegiate rowing team, created November Project with a friend as a way to stay in shape after college. They worked out together weekly and when other people began to join them, they turned it into a larger movement. A few years later, NP groups began popping up in places as far away as Malaysia, London and Paris, as well as in other cities around the country.

The group draws athletes, runners and cyclists as well as workout newbies and the gatherings are as much about fitness as camaraderie and positivity.

Each workout begins with a group bounce and chant followed by hugs. The workouts are a combination of plyometrics, functional movements and paired exercises that are accessible to a range of fitness levels.

November Project Atlanta was launched by Christian Lopez who began working out in Piedmont Park with a handful of followers. Through social media exposure, the group tripled in size growing to four tribe leaders and about 70 tribe members that regularly attend workouts.

November Project workouts around the globe take place rain or shine, making it an easy option for some members who need to know that no matter what, there is a workout happening. As Atlanta tribe leader Alexa Lampasona says, " just show up."