Originally, Steelworks athlete Nick Marchesiello wanted to be an actor or even a rock star. “I was in a pretty rockin’ band in college called The Wolverine Academy. We specialized in old school covers and wrote a handful of awful originals. I had long hair and played a mean rhythm guitar/bass. Sadly the group broke up in 2011,” says Marchesiello. With the dream of rock star glory long since faded into the past, this young account executive with the Philadelphia Flyers has picked up a new passion: training at Steelworks .
“It doesn’t compare to any other gym,” says Marchesiello. “I moved to Philadelphia in the summer of 2013 and heavily researched the numerous facilities in the area. After trying out two or three, my choice was obvious. Steelworks offers the best programming and coaching in the entire city.”
“Magic” (as he is known around these parts) has been working hard at Steelworks , tackling his most glaring weakness every day: mobility. “When I started at Steelworks, I couldn’t comfortably break parallel with a squat; let alone even attempt an overhead squat or snatch. 6 months later, I can comfortably perform all of these lifts and continually set PR’s as my form improves.”
While he has seen improvement, it has been the result of a lot of hard work. Nick describes his experience at Steelworks as “humbling.” “I always thought I was a pretty good athlete and fairly quick at learning new techniques. Olympic lifts have proven to be a whole new animal. I quickly realized that there aren’t any shortcuts, band-aids, or quick fixes when it comes to these. Relying on natural athletic ability will only get you so far. Form is everything and it has taken me a while to pick up all the nuances,” states Marchesiello.
Nick loves training at Steelworks because he gets to “feel like Tarzan.” His favorite movement is the muscle up, a higher-level gymnastics movement in whereby the athlete pulls himself up in the air and over a pair wooden gymnastics rings. Nick doesn’t like every movement in training, however. “I despise double-unders, especially when they are included in a chipper,” remarks Marchesiello. (A double under is when an athlete takes a jump rope, jumps but spins the rope twice around his or her body for every one jump.)
For anyone who is considering coming to Fairmount and training at Steelworks , Nick has this advice: “Go to the free Saturday class [at 12:00 pm] and see what it’s all about. The word “” can be intimidating, but the coaches will cater to anyone’s ability or experience. Once you try it, you will never be able to do a conventional workout again.”
Why settle for conventional fitness training? Come to Steelworks and see how our structured programs can transform your life today! Email Brian at [email protected] for details!