Every Wednesday at 6:30 pm, hundreds of Atlantans gather at Piedmont Park for Hills4ATL; a free, high-energy workout led by DJ “A.B” Bailey. What began as his recovery journey after a car accident has evolved into a diverse fitness community within the Greater-Atlanta area.

“I’ve always been in the fitness world … playing ball, growing up with different things,” Bailey said. “I was here visiting Atlanta and I got hit by a car on Peachtree Street [while] running … So after that, I decided I was going to start going back to the [Piedmont] park to a safer environment. You don’t have to worry about cars and … other people.”

Bailey believes that he never would have thought his solo workout plan in the park would have ever evolved into a community of this scale.

“I didn’t really know what it was at first,” Bailey said. “It was just me working out and I was just inviting people to do it with me. When I started the social media for Hills4ATL and kind of let people spread it organically, it tailored for the people who were interested in that type of activity.”

Bailey said Hills4ATL’s growth was steady for the first two years of its founding. Entering year 3, Hills4ATL partnered with Lululemon. Along with that, a feature on Good Morning America and a local segment with Fox 5, helped attract more prospective participants.

“A local Fox 5 Segment here in Atlanta also helped a lot,” Bailey said. “They came out to one of our morning classes and featured us. But for the first 2 years we were kind of in that 40 to 60 – 70 range. Year 3 is when it really started. When people started to share it, that’s when it really picked up and then, now we got, … probably 400 people, for an evening class and a good 150 for the morning class. So you’re looking at well over 500 people in a day that’s running the hill.”

Hills4ATL offers a diverse range of workouts for people throughout the week; some more intense than others which are more laid back like the yoga classes and mile pacers (light runs). Bailey encourages a variety of workouts in order to attract all different types of people.

“It’s a good mix,” Bailey said. “Most of them are cardio based like cardio HIIT workouts. We do offer a yoga class as well on Saturday mornings, so that’s a different flow, a different body.” 

Emily Vergara, a Midtown High School senior who has participated in Hills4ATL’s workouts for nearly 2 years, enjoys the sense of community and intensity of the workouts, which she would not have otherwise.

“It was definitely A.B. for sure made me want to come back,” Vergara said. “You can tell he cares a lot about the people there … It’s really grown a lot since I started. Honestly it’s a good energy … It’s good music. It’s just a really good environment to be in and you’re getting a free workout out of it.” 

While seasoned members like Vergara return each week without hesitation, many first?timers arrive curious or uncertain, and leave surprised by how welcoming the club truly is. A recent newcomer from Smyrna admitted she’d only seen small?group clips online before showing up in person.

“I’ve seen videos of like a smaller crowd, but I’ve never seen it in person,” Rehanna Welcome said. “So it’s a lot bigger in person.

For those who crave variety, Hills4ATL’s midweek hill runs are just the beginning. On Saturdays, the “mile crusher” sessions mix tempo efforts with light?hearted challenges, giving members a chance to gauge their progress away from the packed slopes.

“I do the Saturday one too,” Georgia State University student Kierra Mcintyre said. “It’s the mile crusher. You can go at your own pace.”

Also, what sets Hills4ATL apart is its intergenerational range of participants. Bailey said he has families running with strollers, young athletes and retirees mixed in together in his classes.

“We literally got people from five years old to 85 years old,” Bailey said. “Families come out together, it’s not just fitness, it’s memory?making.”

Bailey said he gauges the success of his club not by the headcount, but by personal milestones and stories from his members.

“Honestly, I think just seeing the impact, people sharing personal stories about what they’ve been through,” Bailey said. “And how Hills helped them find community and belonging, that’s my greatest satisfaction.”

Additionally, partnerships have broadened Hills4ATL’s reach, such as those with Lululemon and the feature on air. Bailey said that one of the biggest moments for him was seeing that his club structure could translate elsewhere. 

“We started our first club outside Atlanta last year, Hills4SLC,” Bailey said. “They’re already at like 50 to 60 people a week, which is great because it took me a lot longer here [in Atlanta].” 

Even for those who are tentative about joining, the community will always reach out to support newcomers. One Atlanta resident and second time class participant explains that he enjoys Hills4ATL’s classes because of the group setting.

“It pushes you because of everyone around you,” Christopher Broughton said. “You don’t want to be the one slowing down.”

Hills4ATL also has a profound impact for youth who enjoy working out, even if they have never experienced group workout settings. 

“I think that’s a great idea to start off,” Vergara said. “Especially if you’re younger and like, you don’t know what you really kind of want to go for yet …. you should just try it out and see if that’s for you. Because honestly, that’s not for a lot of people. That’s okay, everybody has their different preferences. But I really think that’s a really good community to start off in because it’s just like they motivate you to be there.”

Looking ahead, Bailey aims to expand beyond Piedmont Park and the Atlanta community. Plans for Nashville, Houston, and others could be in the books. 

“We’re trying to get to Nashville, also DC, Washington, possibly Houston. So we’re looking to expand outside of the Atlanta area as well.” Bailey said.