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84 days until the Fourth of July.
"Bikini season" isn't my thing. "Beach bodies" isn't what summer is about in my mind or what the gym is aiming for. We all grew up around that culture - with the magazine articles and the language around fitness and "getting ripped", I honestly never connected with it. It might sound weird because I'm obviously into the gym now but when I was younger, I felt on the outside a bit because I could never get into the mirrors and the machines, I felt like it all implied that health and fitness was something you did for a big TV audience and wherever you were at now...it wasn't good enough.
What I found myself impressed by was the "Rocky" style fitness of doing pullups in a barn, sharpening the edge of self-determination. Or pulling sleds out in the snow in Russia, integrating the grit and toughness of winter into fitness. I also admired "Ninja" style training...doing the splits on bamboo struts out the asian rainforests. Training balance and strength for the body, mind, and spirit. So to then go into a sterile gym where the sex-based marketing is seemingly intent on exploiting and perpetuating our already-tender insecurities...couldn't do it.
Not saying it's bad to have a bodily focus! The fitness process of building muscle and dropping fat is generally aesthetic and there IS a blueprint for that.
But anyway.
To me the gym isn't about having more appeal for others, it's about living harder for our selves. More confidence to enjoy a hike. More energy to jump into the Sound or take a bike ride around the forest. Most of all, more freedom to say yes to the things that light you up and make you tingle, whatever they are.
What if instead of training for the mirror - we trained for the mountain. What if instead of working out to shrink our bodies- we moved to expand our energy. What if instead of aiming to impress - we aimed to express.
Summer is 84 days away. That's time to make a meaningful move on your fitness. And i'm not talking about FAD diets, or cutting out carbs, or tracking the scale. 84 days to build some momentum and we're here for it. Honest effort. Daily reps. No gimmicks. We keep it fun, simple (lift heavy, eat protein), and about being alive in a fuller way. A 90 day program to work with whoever walks in and meet them where they're at, instill some good habits, and make a routine out of strength training with good nutrition.
If you're ready to build strength and energy, there's a spot for you here. As always, book a No Sweat Intro to get started if you're a new member https://vashonstrong.as.me/nosweatintro or schedule an Inbody Scan & Goal Setting session if you're already a member: https://vashonstrong.as.me/inbody
Best,
Josh