Barbell Family!

Normally when I am talking to a group of people, I give an Intro speech. I stole this idea from Jon North, and it’s a great idea. It’s a great way to let the audience know where you are coming from. I let them know the impact the barbell has had on my life. Towards the end I encourage them to embrace the beautiful side of training. Most of the time, I get confused looks on faces, but true training warriors understand.

Sure one can go to the gym, workout, and leave, but they are missing the part of training that makes working out so amazing. They are missing the “Barbell Family”. The trendy word nowadays is “community”. Barbell Family is the very thing that has kept most of us from losing our minds and slipping into depression. My Barbell Family is part of my family just as much as my blood family. I can’t explain this phenomenon. I just know it to be true.

Lisa G, as some of you know, is a friend of mine who passed away earlier this year. She had a rare form of lung cancer that I along with two others have started a non-profit. Her sickness and death where absolutely devastating to me. She was my friend and client every step of the way to building my gym. She was my advisor when I was still courting my now wife. Losing her was like losing a sister, and the gym will forever be altered in my eyes without her.

My point in telling you about Lisa is to let you know about the beautiful world of Barbell Family that awaits if you let it. My athletes feel like my children. The Mash Mafia online team feel just like family. The ones that communicate the most to me feel like my athletes on site. They feel like my kids. I can feel their victories and defeats deep in my bones just like the athletes that I see day to day.

Chris and Kristi Mason are two of my iron friends from college. They have stuck by me through some serious ups and downs. They have remained my friends when really they should have kicked me to the curb. There has Never been a time that I needed them that they weren’t there. The common bond between the three of us is simply the Barbell.

I encourage you all to experience the magic that can be formed by the Barbell. I encourage you to spend time with the people you workout with. You guys are in the trenches every day together, so learn about each other. My Barbell Family has been my crutch through most of my life. Without it, I’m not sure what would have happened. Embrace your’s today!