Chances are pretty good that when you walk into a really early or really late class at Steelworks , you’ll probably encounter one of the nicest, most smiley persons that you have ever met. (Maybe it is because she is Canadian?) Hailing from the west coast of Canada (Victoria, on Vancouver Island), Donna Bridgeman has been training at Steelworks for a little over three months now. She came to Philly for her dream job as an adaptive reuse architect, focusing on the public realm. Between lifting weights and making cool buildings, she also has “a re-upholstery project underway” and “a long standing passion for sauna culture and …cooking.” (Did you also know she has dual citizenship between Great Britain and Canada? Neither did I. Lucky duck.)
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Donna characterizes her time at Steelworks as “encouraging.” “It’s great to see the creative workouts posted on the board when I pop in…I love that at Steelworks , Brian is there invested in thinking up challenging, dynamic movements for me, every single day, and then encouraging me to tackle them – it’s very motivating and I love the feeling that I have a community of people and coaches that are there to support my physical health.
I’m definitely on the novice side of the group so the word encouraging also applies when I get to work out with people who have been training with Brian for a while. At Steelworks, I get to train with some really strong and technically skilled people (thanks guys!), and it’s encouraging for me to see a beautifully executed lift, and I am beginning to learn and pay attention to what goes into the seemingly simple but essential movements. I find myself appreciating the small details and the strength of others and I’m encouraged by this newly found (for me!) fountain of knowledge.”
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Making tremendous strides in the time she has spent training at Steelworks , Donna appreciates what her new level of fitness allows her to do and how it makes her feel. “The biggest improvement for me is the peace of mind and confidence that I’m investing in my quality of life. I had reached a point where I realized I wanted to go through my life as a fit person. I didn’t want to be someone who worried about not being physically ready or able to tackle fun opportunities that pop up whether it’s a great hike, a longer run, surf lessons, skiing a challenging slope or waterskiing the Delaware, I want to be that person who can generally get out there and get into it all. I was tired with feeling bloated, lethargic and soft. Since I began training my mind is at ease I’m on the right track.
Although I’ve never had big sleep issues, I wake up easier and I fall asleep right away. The fact that investing a few hours a week, has had such an overall and far reaching benefit to almost every aspect of my life is so impressive. Up until this past week I’ve been coming three times a week, to establish a manageable habit and not overwhelm myself, which works out to about 2% of my time. I’m in and out and always feel like I’ve put in a good workout. When I think about all the benefits I get from the time I spend at Steelworks, I feel very grateful.
I suppose my clothes fit better as well.”
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Donna loves training at Steelworks not only because of the results she sees, but also because of the community. “As I said I’m not the strongest, youngest, smartest, fastest, or the most athletic at the gym (by a long shot) but I never really feel out of place. Everyone has a different situation and it’s great to be able to all bring something different to the table.”
Few people love thrusters, but Donna is one of the rare people who does. She enjoys workouts with “basic combination of simple movements (like thrusters – a squat followed immediately by a push press)” but admits that she needs some work on her Olympic weightlifting “I’d love to get better at the snatch, right know it’s probably the thing I’m the worst at, I think it’s the most beautiful lift when done correctly.”
Donna encourages anyone who is considering to train at Steelworks , to come on and take up the challenge. “I read an editorial in an outdoor/fitness journal a few years ago, I can’t remember which one, that said if something scares you or makes you nervous, that that’s where you need to be! Olympic weight lifting and is that for me. Doing exercises that you’re already good at or know you’re going to be good at (for me it’s yoga) is fun and good for you but if something (a physical feat) worries you, check it out with patience… there’s probably something rewarding there that’s beyond a purely physical benefit.
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