A Brief Visit in 2015

The photo below was my instagram memory this week from 2015.

GAIN was less than a year old and my mom took my grandmother, Gram, 84 in this photo and her Auntie Carlene, out for lunch, a drive and a tour of the gym.

I coaxed Gram into some inverted rows, box squats and push ups on an elevated bar. What I remember most from that day is how different GAIN was than her interpretation of what a gym is.

She’s wearing her purse because she didn’t want to take it off and leave it in case gym patron would steal it. I explained to her that is impossible around here, and that it’ll be safe in the office. She opted to hold it, and proceeded to go crossbody style for added security.

She asked where the sauna was, if there were locker rooms and if members have 24/7 key access like some gyms she has heard of. She asked a couple times where all the people were and why no one was working out.

As she marveled in the strangeness of this warehouse gym, she kept saying, well as long as you’re happy and paying the bills, this is great.

Gram passed away this year, which is why I’m reflecting so much on her brief visit to, from her perspective, a strange gym, nothing like any she had heard of before.

The gyms my grandmother was familiar with are going extinct. They didn’t produce results or make real, long-lasting changes for people.

Gyms like GAIN are more and more common. People are realizing they need real training, real weights, informative, professional coaches and a strong community to belong to.

While it’s still a strange concept, it’s becoming more normal because more people are becoming aware of the positive impact small, strength and conditioning gyms can make in peoples’ lives. They don’t look like a traditional gym from the past, and that’s a good thing, they weren’t as effective anyway.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain