Is Steelworks Strength Systems’ client, Pat Bondisky, training for a marathon?
Nope.
How about dropping 5% body fat?
Nah.
Adding 20 pounds to his back squat?
Still no….
Keep asking Pat what goal he is looking to achieve and you might be surprised by the answer.
“I’ve never been a structured goals person. I’m taking it a week at a time and making sure I’m [training] well day to day. I’m very processed oriented. If I keep showing up and keep doing it, and having fun it will lead to somewhere positive,” says Bondisky.
Pat came to Steelworks after bouncing around some commercial gyms seeking to get generally active again.
But time and time again, he’d leave the gym frustrated, sometimes because he was bored doing traditional bodybuilding programming and other times due to long wait times for equipment to open up.
Training by himself also gave him permission to quit early when things got difficult.
And so, Pat set to change up his routine, found Steelworks, and signed up for his free class.
It was a completely different experience.
“I went in for my trial class and it felt like an hour’s worth of WORK,” says Bondisky.
But while his initial session was positive, training consistently wasn’t a forgone conclusion. Pat had some hesitancy around making the commitment to the program at first.
“I was hesitant to trust myself to stay with it and I worried that it was going to be a fleeting idea. When things start to feel like an obligation I struggle. The variability, however, in the classes helped a lot with keeping me engaged.”
The structured programming at Steelworks introduced him to new ways of training and the class structure provided extra motivation to get the most out of each class.
“Doing so many different types of workouts exposes you to new learning and an avenue of fitness that I could add. New goals constantly emerged. Barbell training was something that I found very interested in trying but lacked the knowledge of how to do safely….taking a heavy barbell from the floor and holding it over your head is pretty bad ass. Having people to workout with motivates me to push harder than I could by myself, too.”
Pat also found the workouts to be fun and the structure incredibly helpful, which makes the commitment to himself that much easier to maintain.
“I know I’ll have a certain block of time each day that I feel productive. Consistent schedule of getting out and doing something for me bleeds out into other areas of life. If I’m getting into the routine of going to the gym, might as well eat better, might as well sleep better. Keep putting good in and you’ll get good out.”
Focusing on the process and showing up consistently has also led to some other unexpected results.
“I’ve gotten to know a whole bunch of great people. You show up and start noticing the same faces and you feel a deeper sense of connection, especially as you are working through something challenging.”