I really was just looking for something different with a bigger focus on strength and keep me motivated to work hard. I was in my 50’s when I joined and had read/learned that as you age strength training becomes much more important and if you fall behind too late that it’s hard to bounce back.  So I can’t say I had any specific goals other than to keep up the cardio but add a good amount of strength training.  I would 100% say I’ve achieved those goals as I feel stronger than I ever have (not that the bar was all that high!). 

I now have more specific goals I want to work on: improving my front rack mobility (including so I can perform barbell thrusters much more efficiently) and continue to build up my strict pullups (I showed up having not done a legit pullup since I was a kid). There are others I’d like to accomplish (eg. double unders, overhead squat) but I know I’ve got time to continue to work on those.

The list is too long! I’m inherently a bit lazy, so left to my own devices with all the same equipment, etc, I’d probably work out at 85% of what I am able to do.  That is, I need a class + coach to make me work as hard as I can.  But really what keeps me coming back and motivated is being surrounded by great people working their asses off. I’m a pretty social guy, so while I’ve only been here for about 3 years, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know some of the members – sharing a laugh, talking about the workouts (because my wife sure as hell doesn’t want to hear about it – though I make sure to tell her anyway), or learning a bit about who they are – all of these are great aspects of this gym that make it very enjoyable to walk through the doors no matter what kind of pain the ensuing workout may inflict. I never imagined that a gym could feel as much like a community as BSC does and it’s a big reason I enjoy it.

I look forward to going to BSC as much as a I can.  My work interferes more than I’d like between travel and morning/evening obligations at times – so when I’m able to I’ll get in here as many days as I can manage.

I don’t know that there’s been one specific moment, but I think at some point I realized that I don’t have to accomplish every goal all at once (especially as I’m not a spring chicken anymore – I do still maintain my chicken legs though). Improvements can occur over time rather than in 1 week or workout – I enjoy feeling stronger and having more mobility as I’ve just stuck with showing up and working hard and consistently as I’m able.  I don’t need to be better/stronger/faster than others in the gym (and God knows I’m not) – I just need to be better/stronger than I was 6, 12, 24 months ago – and that is definitely the case.

Another thing that’s been fun is the addition of barbells in workouts – outside of typical bench/squat/etc that I had done some of earlier in my life (with zero guidance or coaching), the barbell and the various lifts were completely foreign to me.  Doing a metcon that incorporates barbell complexes has been fun but also shown you can have a movement that builds your cardio capacity while working under a load of weight. Those workouts can be grueling but rewarding and fun.

So many members are inspiring – I don’t want to try to name them all.  When I first joined I remember Kelsey and Michelle kindly introducing themselves to make me feel welcome – the downside is that ever since then they’ve proceeded to kick my ass in workouts.  My first partner workout I was paired with Deep (Gangadeep) and Coach Joey told me “Deep’s a beast” – he wasn’t wrong! Ray is someone who is particularly inspiring as he has completely transformed himself from when I first met him. That’s just a few off the top of my head – but also there’s a ton of inspiration at looking across the gym and seeing someone like Brett pounding the assault bike at 2X the watts I am – again, I likely won’t ever be able to match that, but I can get better myself. I also like seeing many athletes in my age range crushing workouts – so I know I can too.

All the coaches are incredible so I don’t want to exclude any of them – but I’ll just say I really appreciate the combination of them being supportive and positive but also demanding – none of them will “let me off the hook” on anything that is challenging for me.  I’m dying on my 75th wall ball and I can hear (either in real life or in my brain) Coach Mike’s booming voice “get down below parallel on that squat!!!” – so I know I better get below parallel (also Emme doesn’t want to see any Hyrox wall balls). I know when Derick is coaching there’ll be a solid hip hop playlist and probably some golf banter.

So thank you to all the coaches and the athletes who make this a fun place to work hard and stay motivated to come back for more.