A Hard Year Not a Bad Year

One night in early March I was having a conversation with Alex. No way we will have to close the gym I confidently told him, unsure exactly what coronavirus even was. Tension built over the next week as friendly members gave skeptical looks if anyone coughed or sneezed. We implemented new cleaning procedures but couldn't even find proper supplies.

Throughout the day on 3/16 it became obvious we needed to close. Sending that email was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. After we shutdown for the night I laid on the floor unsure what was going to happen next.

What ensued was a heroic effort. We committed to getting everyone training at home, producing content to keep them engaged and spirits high. We posted a workout video each and every day for all 76 days. We uploaded hours of demo videos to YouTube and posted 3 follow along workouts every week for people who couldn't make our Zoom classes or live follow along mobility sessions.

By the time May rolled around we had already reorganized and repainted gym. We spent the previous months planning how to restructure, adapt and continue doing what we do. How would we program? How could we make sure no one shared equipment? How could we make sure our warm up was physically distant? Will people even want to come?

The solutions to all those questions happened to be more work. More cleaning, more writing, shuffling weights and bikes and rowers around. All of it was hard and unexpected, but it was all worth it.

Bashing 2020 is fashionable, but I'm here to tell you we're headed into 2021 stronger, more ready and more motivated to help people. Why? Because the pandemic shoved us into making positive changes. The gym is cleaner, more organized and people are getting more coaching in a more efficient session. I'm happy with the changes, and wouldn't have made them had this not happened.

Two parts of our Core Values is to have a growth mindset and to point positive. The adversity of the year forced us to examine those values and to put our money with our mouth is. Sure, it was a hard year, I faced more uncertainty than I thought possible, but I refuse to believe it was a bad year.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain