Ep. 32 | Redefining Strong

Today we’re explaining what “redefining strong” actually means to us, why we put it on the wall at Fortis Fitness Studio from day one, and why it’s still the mindset we coach by years later.

We start in the world of powerlifting because it makes the problem obvious: it’s easy to believe strong only belongs to the people lifting the most weight. But the platform tells a bigger story. For some lifters, strength is walking into a meet, wearing the singlet, taking commands, and doing hard things in public. For others, it’s learning to stop spiraling after a missed attempt, adjusting the plan on the fly, and finishing the day with pride. We also dig into the downside of gym culture online, where comparison steals your focus fast, and we share a practical way to define your strong before you ever worry about someone else’s numbers.

Then we zoom out to real life fitness. Strong might be showing up three days a week, rebuilding after pregnancy, or finding 30 minutes to move your body so you feel like yourself again. Nate shares a client story that proves how “small” goals like step-ups can become life-changing functional strength over time, especially for older adults who want mobility, independence, and confidence.

If you’ve ever thought “I’m not strong enough,” press play and start redefining strong with us. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube, and if this hits home, share it and leave a review so more people can redefine strong with us.

Transcript

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Welcome Back And What’s Next

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's going on, everybody? Welcome to another episode of the Fortis After Hours podcast. I'm your host, Nate, joined by my wife Liz. Hi. Guess that would make me a co-host.

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

And you're a co-host.

SPEAKER_01 0:09

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 0:09

And here we are hosting a podcast. And it's been a few weeks, two weeks, maybe a couple weeks.

SPEAKER_01 0:14

Uh something. I don't know. Life's been a little busy, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

A little busy as we move into the fall season. Um, and coming up next week, we're going to be traveling to Jacksonville for Liz's next meet. Um, we have Liz and Nico both competing in this one in a USAPL haunting Haunting at the Iron House, I believe. I knew it was haunting something.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

Uh haunting at the Iron House. There's little ghosties.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Okay, so little ghosties, which speaking of that, stay tuned. Uh, we're gonna have actually I probably dropped that this week. We're gonna have a pretty cool new shirt, uh, which I will tell you right now is really cool if you buy two of them. You'll see why when I drop it. Um, but it's a pretty cool design. The little ghosties inspired by uh their meat, and other people saw it, and now here we are.

SPEAKER_02 1:02

So now here we are.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

Yeah. Uh but anyways, yeah. So we have that coming up, and then it is our 10-year anniversary.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

It is.

SPEAKER_00 1:10

Um, our tenure wedding anniversary, so that's pretty cool. So that's crazy. Uh yeah, it is. Pretty awesome. Um it is crazy though. Uh, but yeah, so we're gonna do this episode and then take another couple week break, and then we'll be back again. Back again, you know. Shady's back.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Yeah, I got it. Yeah, I got it. Thanks.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

Um, all right. So

Where Redefining Strong Came From

SPEAKER_00 1:33

today we're gonna be talking about redefining strong, which is uh our mission, our motto. Uh it's been on the wall since day one of Fortis Fitness Studio. And I realized that we've never officially done like a whole episode dedicated to that and taking our time kind of diving into it. Uh so we're gonna do that for you guys live right here, right now. Crazy. Um, so yeah, so kind of we'll start with like where it came from and then um maybe talk a little bit about how we've seen uh you know our clients and members and uh how we have also kind of defined strong differently during different parts of our lives. Yeah. Um, because that's kind of the whole point. So so yeah, so redefining strong is a concept that we kind of came up with actually before uh we bought the gym. And uh really what it means is you know, strength looks different for every single person. Um and I think I think far too often in society and you know, it's just I guess kind of human nature, like you just think, oh, big weights, strong. Um, you know, or you think like physical strength only, or physical strength to a to the nth degree only. Um and you know, the reality is like you can be strong in very, very, very many different facets of your life in different ways. Um, and it's not just about physical strength, and it's not necessarily about lifting or moving the most amount of weight. Uh so we wanted to kind of like create a phrase and a motto that captured that. Um, and that was kind of how redefining strong is born.

SPEAKER_01 3:09

Yeah. Because strong is gonna be different for everyone, but then also at like different phases of your life, too.

SPEAKER_00 3:15

Yeah, different phases of your life, and then you know, even for what's interesting is even for people, and why I like the phrase is it it really scales up all the way to the tippy top, right? So, like if you're an elite athlete, I mean strong is gonna look different on a week to week, month to month, day-to-day basis. It just kind of depends. You know, like sometimes um strong, if you're you know, super elite athlete, might look like physically moving a ton of weight. Other times it might look like uh going to bed on time so you get your recovery going. So that's one of the reasons why I really like the phrase when we first came up with it, is just because, and I still like it today, is because you know, I think sometimes generalizations or phrases, mottos, whatever, um, they kind of like it kind of like isolates or can kind of like leave out a certain group of people. But redefining strong really, in my opinion, encapsulates everyone from beginner to intermediate to advanced to hobbyist, you know, just competing for fun and something to someone that's really wants to take something seriously. Um that's kind of the whole point, is that you know, like you can be doing any one of those things, but as long as you are moving forward trying to build strength in your specific way, uh, then you know, you're welcome as part of the team. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:28

Well, because I

Strength On The Powerlifting Platform

SPEAKER_01 4:29

think like this is obviously specifically gonna go with powerlifting, but you know, like a lot of people are like, oh, I'm not strong enough, or oh, I'm just not that strong, so it doesn't matter. Like, I can't do that, so it's just I'm just it's not strong. But like it is strong for that person. And I think that that's something like within I mean, obviously we can talk about like the different types of redefining strong, but like in the world of powerlifting, like with our powerlifting team, like strong doesn't necessarily mean having to lift the most weight or to get the medals at the the meets or get a state record or a national record. Like, of course, those are some versions of strong, but also for some people who are maybe terrified of getting up in front of people, strong might just be showing up um on meet day and squatting and benching and deadlifting with everyone watching you.

SPEAKER_02 5:17

Something.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

Um like it doesn't, you know, it's and it it doesn't make that person's experience or journey or whatever any less than someone who's out there hitting national world records, whatever you want to call it. Um, and I think that that's something that people need to remember when they're training or when they're at a meet or whatever they're doing. Like, strong is going to be a different thing for each, literally each person who is at that meet that day. They've had different um obstacles to face, they have different mental aspects they have to work through, they have different like actual physical strength, of course, because it is the sport of powerlifting. But just because someone is squatting 200 pounds and someone else is squatting 500 pounds, like either way, those people are pushing to their limits. They're doing the best that they can do with their season of life, their circumstances, or maybe that's just you know what they're capable of doing, what they want to be doing. But either way, like that is strong. So, you know, sometimes I'll have you like, oh, well, I'm just I'm not strong. And I'm like, you are like like you've never done this before. This is really cool. And I think people like, oh no, you're just saying that. Like, you can do this. This is like your warmup. Like, I don't care if it's my warmup, like you are doing it for the first time ever. That's really cool. You've pushed through whatever X, Y, and Z obstacles, like that is strong. And I think people kind of forget that sometimes, or I think it happens a lot of times.

SPEAKER_00 6:44

And I think you know, that was one of the topics I wanted to uh touch on today. So we'll just jump right in with power things. I think in in that sport specifically, you have a lot of people that do forget exactly that. Everyone is coming from different, uh, you know, different walks of life, different things going on. And to be honest, like, I mean, just getting up in front of people is a sign of strength, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

And I'm not saying especially wearing a singlet.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

Yeah, 100%. I tell you getting up in front of people wearing a single.

SPEAKER_01 7:11

As I was reminded today.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Yeah, I mean, you know, well, those one singlets you have are really cool. Yeah, I know, I know. It's fine.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

It's fine. I'm just saying for a lot of people, wearing a singlet in front of people is even harder than just like going in normal clothes because it is a skin tight singlet that everything is showing.

SPEAKER_00 7:29

Yeah. Um, so yeah, so even just like going to a meet, like Liz said, and competing, I think is a sign of strength. And and you know, on the contrary, that's not to say not going to meet is not per se, but like it is definitely a sort of thing. Oh, they're just different shrinks or different strong or whatever. Different different uh challenges for each person. And I think, you know, that's the thing, uh sticking with powerlifting for a little bit. I think

Stop Comparing Your Lifts Online

SPEAKER_00 7:52

like oftentimes, especially in the sport of powerlifting, because there's a lot of social media going on. Uh, same thing with bodybuilding. You know, there's a lot on social media of like the kind of strength sports, if you will, uh include bodybuilding, Olympic lifting, powerlifting, like all the gym sports, right? Like, there's a lot of social media, which is awesome. Like, in a way, it's really cool because you can see kind of like how many different people are out there, uh, what they're lifting, how they're training, what they wear when they're lifting, their fits, their equipment, all this stuff. It's really cool. And I think it's a really cool space that we live in now. Um, but the dark side of that is I think a lot of times people compare themselves to other people and they think, oh, well, you know, this is my top thing, and this person's doing it for a warm-up. It's like, okay, like it doesn't matter. You know, like at some point, that person was also like, you don't just go from zero to anything ever. Like, that's not how that works. Um, now there's different starting points for different people, of course. Uh, but you don't know how long this person might have worked for years. This person might have done it in a month, they might have worked for years. You don't know. Um, and regardless of however long it took that person, it really does not matter whatsoever because that person is not you. And I think that's the biggest thing uh with you know, like I said, just calling it the gym sports is it's very easy to compare in social media land these days. And people get stuck in that instead of focusing all that energy, because that's a lot of energy, bro. Focus that energy on you and what you can do to improve. And, you know, find, you know, actually like redefining strong, like defining your strong, that's I think the number one thing. Number one, you need to define what is strong to you. Is it squatting 135? Is it showing up to the gym three times a week? Is it uh competing on the platform for the first time? That's number one. Is I think a lot of people skip over that too. They just start the comparing already without even like you don't even know what you're doing. So, like the first thing you gotta find your strong and lay out a definition. Like, okay, what is strong to me, to Nate, to Liz, whoever, you know?

SPEAKER_01 9:51

But like in that current moment in time, yeah, that will also change.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

Because it changes, exactly. And I mean that's the other thing.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

Because at one point for me, squatting 135 was really strong.

SPEAKER_00 9:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:59

And then for me for a while, squatting 225 was really strong. Like, and then there was a point where I was like, oh man, I can never squat 300 pounds, and then I can do that for reps now. So, like what I view as strong for me has changed. Yeah, which it is probably going to for me.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Yeah, and I mean that's how that's how that works. Like it would be I mean, that would be weird if you were squatting 300 and being like, yeah, 135, this is really strong for me. It's like, I mean, it's just objectively not like anymore. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 10:26

Like at the end of the day, but again, for you in that moment.

SPEAKER_00 10:29

For you in that moment, was it strong to get to 135? Absolutely. And that's not diminishing, it's just that's where Liz is at in her journey right now. Um, if you're watching this and you're like, man, I would love to squat 135, that's cool. Like, that's what's strong for you. And that's kind of the whole point of redefining strong, is you're defining your strong, right? You're trying to define what is strong, what does strong mean for you, and what does strong mean for you in this season of life? You know, um, we have some people at the gym, the gym that just had uh their baby, some their first baby, some their, I don't know, they have a big family. Um, but you know, this is a great example of a time of life where like your definition of strong will look different, period. Like, I mean, you just went through a major stress on the body. Um, you know, even if that goes well, like childbirth goes well, which both these ladies I think were just fine, but like overall, that is a huge stress on your body. Period. Dot. Um, so it would be silly to define strong the same way as maybe two years ago before you were even pregnant or something like this, right? Um, and I think that's exactly what I'm talking about when you're you know defining your strong and what does strong for mean for you at this moment in time, define it first and then chase after it. You know, like that's the first thing. You gotta have like, okay, what am I going towards? Which is your definition is strong, whether that be just showing up to the gym, whether that be a specific number on the squat bench deadlift, or maybe a specific total you want to achieve on the platform, and maybe you want to win a meet. You know, you can you can have whatever goal you want. Um, but defining what that means for you and then coming up with a plan after that is exactly what it's all about.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Yeah. And I mean,

Numbers Goals And Bite Size Wins

SPEAKER_01 12:08

sometimes I do feel like with powerlifting, as far as like defining strong by like a certain number, that can get a little uh a little dicey, a little uh not so great for some people, be like, oh I'm only strong if I can squat 200 pounds. Like and that that's where I would caution you, I guess, depending on where you're at in your life, if you're gonna pick a specific number that like that is what is considered strong for you. Um, I mean, if that's if that's what works for you, that's fine. But sometimes picking a specific number can I almost want to say hinder your progress more than it can actually help it for some people. Some people are really good with picking a specific number. I am not. I am the person that I cannot be like, oh, I have to squat this weight or I have to bench this weight, or else I'm just I'm a failure. Like I have to, mine is more like my strong is like basically like coming in and doing the very best that I can do that day and lifting the most weight that I am capable of lifting that day is for me what has allowed me to like make progress versus being like I have to squat 400 pounds, I have to squat 400 pounds, I have to squat 400 pounds because like yes, I've done that before, but no, I'm not gonna do that every day. And if I hold that number as like my standard for strong, then I'm gonna have a really bad day, a lot of days because I'm not squatting that every day. Yeah. Um, so that's just kind of my my caution for people who maybe do get a little too like get hung up on numbers. Um for me, that is just not something that like works for me, like setting specific numbers usually. Um, totals work well for me. Um, and then also, like I said, just coming in and you know, following the program, but also doing just like pushing my body to what it is capable for that day and understanding that some days I have more to give than others, and just giving my 100% of effort that I have for that day is what works for me.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Yeah. So and you know, everybody's different. I think like some people they like uh to pick a number goal. And I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

Yeah, that's what I was saying. Like it's different. Yeah, I just can't do that.

SPEAKER_00 14:15

I was gonna say, like, a way that I would do that is start with a number that you think is too easy. I think that's a big hint, a big little uh there's a little uh pro tip for you, right? Like if you think, you know, you have this goal that's like way up here, right? And you think this goal down here, like let's just say we'll just use real numbers. Like, let's just say you want to squat 500 pounds, and right now you can squat 225, and you're just like, I'm gonna get through 315 and 405, no problem. Then I'm gonna squat 500. It's like okay. Like if you're squatting 225, probably the first goal should be 275. Like if you're if you have a goal of 500, that's pretty stout goal. So you can take a jump, 275. And then you go from there and you go 275, you go 300, you go 315, you go, you know, and make these smaller goals, you know, something that's kind of like a thing that I weirdly enough learned in uh all the way back in high school when I was running. Uh I used to like I was like decent and running distances. I played soccer for a long time, so it's like pretty good at running distances, but I didn't like it. Probably uh part of it was because I had no control over my ADHD brain whatsoever. So I was just like bored. Uh, but I was also pretty good at it. And this is how I would get through these runs. I would just start running and like let's say there's a parking lot right here, and there's like a light pole. I'd be like, all right, I'm gonna get to that light pole. And then I get to the light pole and I would just pick another thing pretty close, like not that far. Like, you know, like I'm like picking these little like uh markers, so to speak, like I don't know, 50, 100 feet out, like not much. And then I would just get to that and I'd be like, well, I could probably get to the next one, and then I just do that over and over and over. And like I think some people in the gym and power specifically would benefit a little bit from that. Uh, because you know, it's okay if you got a super easy goal. Um, the I think the last podcast, or I don't know, the one before, I talked about my goal of dealting 804 pounds. That's a massive goal. I've only dealt with 705 three times in my life, and I say only, but that uh, you know, that's there's still a lot of work to do, right? Uh and 705 is was a massive accomplishment for me and a huge goal of mine. Um, but I think 804 is gonna take even more work, and it would be foolish of me just to be like, well, like I'm gonna just dealt with 804, like at some point I'm gonna be ready. No. So I mapped it out like thing by thing, and like I am slowly but surely uh you know ticking off numbers, so to speak, right? Like one by one by one. Um and I think that's a that's a good way. If you are going to select numbers, that is going to be how how you kind of define strong for yourself. I think that's okay. But my advice, take whatever your goal is and chop it in half, and then maybe chop it in half again, and then start there. Because what's the worst case? If the worst case, you know, you go into the gym and you're like, Nate, this is way too easy. Cool, go to the next one. You know what I mean? Like it's not that hard. Like uh, I'm you know, I've been personal training now for almost 13 years, you guys. And like something that I've seen in the gym is positivity works, okay? Success works. So, like, why would you set yourself up for failure? You know, pick something that you know you can do and just knock it out of the park. Cool, then do it again and then do it again, and your brain gets used to succeeding. Um I think you did that on a more academic level growing up, and then that kind of transferred into the gym until you miss a lift. But uh terrible, but you know, like that is a really good way to train your brain to win. Um, so yeah, so so that's kind of a look at redefining strong and powerlifting. Um, and I think also maybe before we move on, just to touch on a little bit, like some some meets might look like trying to put up the biggest total that you've ever done. Um, some meets might look like you're recovering from an injury. Um, it might look like I'm just here to have fun with my friends. Uh, you can have different goals. That's okay.

Winning Meets And What You Control

SPEAKER_01 17:53

Um Well, and I think you said earlier, like having the goal of like going in and winning the meet or like winning whatever. Like, so someone asked me once, because I have won several meets, and they asked me, like, how do I do that? Like, how do I prepare for that? How do I like what do I do? And like, honestly, my answer is just I do the best that I can do on that day, is how I'm going to win, or like how I've been able to win. But also, it's very dependent on who else signs up for the meet. And you have no control over that.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

And you have no idea.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

No, which is fine.

SPEAKER_00 18:27

And so, but my-ways likes to use open paralleling over here.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

I do, but I do like to look at the roster ahead of time. Um, it just gives my brain an idea of where we're all at for the meet. Um, some people do better not knowing where everyone is at for the meet.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

I don't I don't use open parallel thing. I go into, and I like I've said this on here before, I go into every single competition, like prepared to win.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

Now, it just so happens if I did that, I would be it would be a no, I'm ready to win.

SPEAKER_00 18:53

Like, I am going to try and win. Now, I am I've only won one meet, and I uh, you know, there's been a lot of times when obviously since I've only won one, where there's people that are just stronger than me that day. Like, I can't control that at all. But what I can control is my brain, and my brain's gonna be ready to do the best that I can do that day to put me in a position to win because powerlifting, actually live powerlifting, not just in the gym, because that is, and that goes back to what I was saying. Like, it does take a different level of strength uh to show up and compete, whether you are hitting PRs or not. You know, a lot of people I've seen, I don't know, oftentimes recently I've seen a lot of like, oh, well, gym, meet PR. Like, really, if you're a power lifter, it just matters that you did it in a competition. That's like saying, Oh, I scored a goal in practice, like, sweet, dude. Like, you know what I mean? So, you know, if you are out there competing um and putting your best foot forward, I think you are already already being strong. Um, and then if you're able to uh go out there and hit PRs, even better. Uh, but yeah, I think going out there prepared to do your best, and I guess it's kind of the same mentality that you have, but in my brain, I'm like, I could win any day. Uh sometimes Liz be like, okay. But like that's just how I feel because you don't know, because that's what I was gonna say. Like, it's just like any other sport. You have no idea. Someone might misunderstand.

SPEAKER_01 20:11

Oh yeah, I can win. And I go into it like knowing that maybe there's a chance I could win, but not being like, I'm going to win. Because if I go into something being like, I'm going to win this, and then someone shows up and is like crazy strong and beats me, I'm gonna be like, wow, I failed. Like I didn't, I didn't do what I said I was gonna do.

SPEAKER_00 20:28

I'm like, like, let's doesn't work for my brain. You know, I deadlift, like I already said, so like I deadlift 700 right now. Like, let's just say uh I show up in the meet and someone's opening with 740. It's like, okay, well, like I don't like what am I gonna do? And I think and I think that's the other thing is like people that will happen and they're like, oh, well, this like what can I do to hit? It's like you're not hitting that. Nothing. You're just not gonna win. Yeah, exactly. You're just not gonna win. Like on this day, that's not happening, and that's okay.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

But that's how I treat every meet.

SPEAKER_00 20:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

But I go into it with the thought of I don't know what anyone else is gonna do technically, which is good, which is good.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

And that's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01 20:58

We I feel like we have like similar mindset, it's similar, but very different at the same time.

SPEAKER_00 21:02

I just like, I don't know, in my brain, I'm just like, well, like if somebody makes a mistake, I'm gonna be there. Um, and that and that is the thing with power thing is Power Thing Live is different than like just gym training, you know, like there's things that can go wrong, um, there's commands, there's standards, you know, like you got to see how you do on that given day. Um, and you know, I think that's the last thing we'll say about power thing.

When Meets Go Sideways]

SPEAKER_00 21:24

It's like, you know, sometimes strong can shift within even the confines of the meat itself. Uh, for example, you start the day, and you know, maybe you're feeling one type of way.

SPEAKER_01 21:36

You only get your opener squat, and then you only get your opener bench. Right. And then you go have a full meltdown in the parking lot, and then you come back and go three for three on deadlifts.

SPEAKER_00 21:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

That's a whole different kind of strong right there.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

But like, but for for Liz on that day, for Liz on that day, that was a strong option. Now, I did not on that day, I had no expectation of her doing anything but one deadlift because I was looking. At her eyes, and like she was very sad. And I was like, all right, like if we just do one, like I did, I told her, I was like, we'll go do two reds or one, you know, like at the time, like a very light weight for her. And I was like, no car, we just gotta finish it. Because on that day, that was what was important. Um, and that well, that became what was important um to me as just a coach and uh you know, as for Liz as like my athlete and or just my wife in general, like, you know, I don't want her to like not do something. Um wanna be able to finish strong. Uh, but yeah, our our our goals that day drastically changed, you know. At first it was like way up here, and now it's like, all right, like we just need to show up and do the best that we can do and finish uh finish strong. But just like you just said, like, is it really did it really change? You did the best you could do that day.

SPEAKER_01 22:48

It wasn't the best I could do that day.

SPEAKER_00 22:50

It's not like you didn't like you did it, it just you know, like it is not the best that I thought that I could do. I will say, if you can, if you can make that adjustment live, you're gonna be such a much better competitor and you're gonna be able to compete in the sport, uh, powerlifting, bodybuilding, weightlifting, doesn't matter. Like, if you can have a short-term memory, so to speak, you're going to do so much better than the person that just like lets that just like stew for the whole thing. Because like what already it already happened. Like, what's the point? Like, if you're you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 23:19

Like if you I mean, I can like now I'm just in a very better mental headspace in general now. So like now I can see that. And now I think it would be a little different. But also, probably on that day I wouldn't have made some of the jumps that I made because in my brain I knew that it was anyways, doesn't matter. Yeah, it doesn't matter. But yeah, forgetting if you miss a lift and just moving on with life is way better. Yes, I that's what I did in nationals. I missed some lifts and I didn't really care. We just continued on with our life.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

And then you like hit the first, well, I guess, uh second thousand pound total in a long while.

SPEAKER_01 23:54

No, that was the first one in a long time. Like in like four years.

SPEAKER_00 23:57

My bad. Just in my brain, you're already there. I know, I know. Um, anyways, so so yeah, so I think in powerlifting that's kind of how redefining strong looks. Um now

Redefining Strong In Daily Training

SPEAKER_00 24:08

let's talk a little bit about like everyday life. Um, and it's the exact same concept, you guys. So, like, you know, for some people, uh, they might be showing up at the gym every single day. That's just their thing. They love the gym. They're gonna be here every day. Maybe they'll only come for 30 minutes. That's cool. Uh, for some people, they want to come four times a week, five times a week. Uh, some people want to leave here heart rate zone four. Uh they've burned a thousand, fifteen hundred calories and they're just cooked. Other people want to leave here um feeling good about themselves, and maybe they barely broke a sweat, but they're in here moving some weight, and it's better than sitting at home. And that's kind of the thing, you guys, is like each individual person and anyone that's listening to this, I hope that you like kind of like think about for a second. Like, take a second, actually write it down. Um, turns out writing stuff down might be beneficial in 2026. Weird, even though Chat GPT can do it for you.

SPEAKER_01 24:59

Nah, but uh just do it yourself, bro.

SPEAKER_00 25:01

Yeah, just do it yourself. I did it the other day and it was uh super helpful. So, anyways, yeah, I think just writing out maybe some ideas for how you want to define strong for you for just take it a week at a time, just do one week and then chase that goal down. Um and you know, I've seen so many, I have so many awesome stories. Uh,

A Client Story About Real Strength

SPEAKER_00 25:21

I'll share one from and maybe if you want to share one from one of your clients, but um one from a lady that comes to my group personal training at 11:30. And she's I'm not sure exactly, I think she's in her 70s. Um, and you know, when when she first came in, pretty intimidated about just the gym setting in general, um, and had gone to like kind of like a globo gym and just you know didn't know what to do. So came here uh to Fortis and was asking some questions, looking for a little bit of guidance. I talked about the group personal training, and this is about, I don't know, a year, two years ago now. And one of the things that she wanted to work on was just going up steps, like just going over the curb in the parking lot was a challenge, like a pretty like I might fall challenge, right? And that's not good. Um, you know, like you're trying to live your life and you can't even, you know, get around uh the the world. So that became kind of goal number one. And so we started working together. Um, and you know, in the beginning, I think, oh, we have a skierg. So that was kind of how we got the heart rate up. Uh, we didn't do any rowing, we didn't do any walking on the treadmill. I don't think we did any sled pushing, none of that. All we did was do a little bit of skier. Um, and we did some upper body just so we could build good positive experiences in the gym. Uh, from there, we started working on step-ups, and I'm talking about like this, like super thin step-ups, right? Like literally like an inch, half inch. And we just got really good at that. And then we went a little bit more, up to like an inch, two inches, and then a little bit more, and then a little bit more. And then all of a sudden, we're at, you know, we have these little step boxes. We're at the actual step box, which I don't know what that is, probably about a foot, maybe a little less. Not a foot less than a foot, whatever. Um, I would say it's similar to a curb. So that was kind of my goal, right?

SPEAKER_01 27:15

I was like, once we can get here, might be a little higher than a curb, actually. Okay, but I don't know. Similar enough.

SPEAKER_00 27:20

Similar enough. So I knew in my mind, I'm like, once we can get this and we can do it for reps, she's gonna have no problem. Um, so slowly but surely, and this is we're talking time frame, this is like over months, okay? Like weeks, months. Um, slowly but surely, we get we're able to do just one step on that thing, or maybe a couple, and then now we're doing sets of 10. And now, so it really would be better if I knew the full timeline, but I know it's over a year at this point. Probably a year and a half, we'll call it, right? Uh, so now uh this person has lost, she's lost, I want to say 20 or 30 pounds. Uh like more than that. Probably more, yeah, probably more. Um, we'll say 30 plus pounds. So they've lost weight, 30 30 plus pounds. They're feeling good, obviously. Uh, they're way more mobile. They can go up and down, they got stairs in their house and go up and down the stairs, no problem. They volunteer at a dog shelter, they're able to go do that, no problem. They're able to do the rower, they're able to do the skier, they're able to push the sled, they're able to do step-ups, they can do a plank on the floor, uh, they can get up and down off the floor. That was another goal that we had. Um, and they're able to, quite frankly, live their life with no restrictions. Um, you know, maybe not going like 90 miles an hour, but like they can move around the world with no restrictions. And that is all because this person was able to break it down. You know, we work as a team to break it down into a very small, bite-sized goal. Um, and just for the day in the beginning, literally just being strong for this person was oh, and they're able to deadlift over 135 pounds for reps. Um, before they had not done a deadlift ever in their life, right? They're in their 70s.

SPEAKER_01 28:55

I mean, she used to have issues like picking up her dog, yes, just doing that.

SPEAKER_00 28:58

So uh that's another thing we're able to do. And again, in the beginning for her, just strong was just showing up to the gym three times a week. And I know I've been working with people for a long time. I knew that like if she if I could just get her in here three times a week, then we're gonna make progress. Because, and then the thing is, as a trainer and a coach, if you are listening to this and you're in that position, don't think that like don't rush it, you know, just a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, because there's no time frame. And like, you know, sometimes I'll I'll get some clients and work with people that are a little like pushy almost, like they're like, Well, I want to do this, this, this. It's like cool. Like, I mean, you're not there yet. Like, I don't, you know, like it's like, and I I just think if you uh can just break it down for the individual, then they're just having a good time. And that's kind of I think what it's been for uh for this person. Like, she's able to come in, she has a great time, and all of a sudden, quote unquote, this is where you get the all the sudden stories. All of a sudden, I'm able to uh walk up the stairs, I'm able to squat down, I'm able to pick things up. I'm gonna go get down on the floor, get up. Um, and the thing is, is this person did a great job and just taking it one day at a time and not necessarily really paying attention to anyone else um and just doing their thing. And what is strong for them is strong for them, you know. Like, and I just think it's a really awesome story and a good example of what redefining strong is because what is strong for her is not gonna be strong for you. You might be like, Yeah, man, like I can get upstairs no problem. It's like cool. Like, what is difficult for you to do, or what is maybe something you want to see improve in your life? Uh, maybe you want to look a certain way, maybe you want to be able to have more endurance to play with your kids or uh to go running or whatever. You can pick anything that you want to get better at, and that can be your strong. And I think that that's kind of the whole deal for redefining strong for everyone, not just uh people that are trying to lift heavy weights. Yeah, yeah. So that was kind of a long story. That was a long story. So I guess we can just that was a long story. It's a cool story, though. I think it's a good idea. It's a cool story, you know. And uh I just think it's a great example.

SPEAKER_01 31:08

So just know there are many, many stories like that.

SPEAKER_00 31:11

Yeah, there's I yeah, I got a I got 13 years of them, Gabby.

SPEAKER_01 31:14

Of different I could do recovering from injuries.

SPEAKER_00 31:16

I could do a different podcast on just uh yeah, like I mean needing to it's many different things.

SPEAKER_01 31:21

Needing to develop some stability, especially with like older age range coming back from pregnancy and postpartum and working through the different phases of that and sleep regressions and teething and having a husband who's deployed and all of that all at the same time. Like there's so many different stories of like so many different things of just you know, people doing that, redefining strong for themselves in their life, and just the difference of what strong looks like um at those different phases too.

SPEAKER_00 31:54

So yeah,

Strength Changes With Life Seasons

SPEAKER_00 31:55

because it will look different, and I think I think the overarching thing, you guys, and we'll kind of wrap it up here, is like, you know, if you have the capability to define your strong at any given moment and then chase after what that is, you're gonna you're gonna do very well. Um I think in the gym, I think in life in general, I just think that is a very good mindset and like capability mentally to have. Um, and I think it's a sustainable one. That's the thing, you know, like that's part of the thing with redefining strong, is strength is gonna look different for me uh right now in uh I was gonna say August, but it's September. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:33

It's almost October. All right.

SPEAKER_00 32:35

So for me right now in September 2026, it's gonna look different than it's gonna look in January 2027. It's gonna it looks different now than it looked in you know May of 2026. Like it strength is gonna look different for you at different times in your life, and that is okay. And the sooner you can understand that and just start working towards whatever it may be at that point in your life to get you stronger in whatever you know sense of the word you are trying to build towards, the uh the sooner you can figure that out, the better you're going to be able to do in the gym and in life in general. Um, and then we're all redefining strong together.

SPEAKER_01 33:13

Because also just a little tidbit is like redefining strong isn't necessarily just what happens in the gym.

SPEAKER_00 33:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:18

It's a lot of what happens outside of the gym. But I feel like that's a whole nother podcast. But um anyways.

SPEAKER_00 33:25

That might be another tidbit. Another podcast for another day.

SPEAKER_01 33:28

Redefining strong. Strong doesn't have to be what you're doing in the gym. Facts. For a lot of people, redefining strong is probably more of what's happening outside of the gym than in the gym. Or here. Which is also sort of outside of the gym because you're here 24 hours a day. You're only here for what, one, two, three hours a day, depending on the person.

SPEAKER_02 33:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:48

Um, so, anyways, just a little tidbit. Also understand that your redefining strong doesn't necessarily have to be something you're capable of doing in the gym. It could be something that you're doing outside of the gym that helps support what you're doing inside the gym or helps support the goals you have inside the gym. Or you could just be redefining strong in your life. Yeah. Might not even be fitness related. Yeah. Maybe you just want to be a stronger parent or a stronger spouse or a stronger employee or a stronger boss. There's things you can do to help redefine strong in that sense too. But that's a whole nother topic.

SPEAKER_00 34:19

That is a whole nother topic. But I will say this, um, which Liz Liz says something, so now I'm thinking of something else. Um, but I will say this, let me let me know.

SPEAKER_01 34:30

Because I can never just have the last word.

SPEAKER_00 34:32

Well, I just thought of something else. I just thought, and then yeah, you can close this out.

SPEAKER_01 34:36

I'm good.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

I'm gonna have Liz close this out today. Okay, and do the intro of the next podcast. Anyways, no, what what you said just reminded me of something, and that is that, you know, like redefining strong, like like you're saying, like sometimes it might just be trying to be like a stronger parent and uh employee, whatever.

How Fitness Improves Everything Else

SPEAKER_00 34:54

However, however, I really, really think and I really truly believe that the gym and some aspect of physical fitness is going to help you in those outside of the gym endeavors. I do not mean that you need to be lifting a ton of weight, that you need to be competing in a sport, that you need to be doing like your workout could literally look like coming in and walking on an inclined treadmill. That's it. Uh like I'm not talking about like anything crazy structured or anything like that. If that's what you're doing, that's cool. But I do genuinely believe that if you are able to find some time, 30 minutes, I don't like it, doesn't need to be a lot, like 30 minutes a few times a week to come into the gym and to work on your physical fitness. I do think that's going to bleed into all areas of your life outside of the gym. Um, physical fitness and keeping your body strong and healthy, I really do believe it will help increase, improve your mental health, improve your family life, improve, improve your work life, uh, all these things. And you don't need to do as much as I think people think. Um so yeah. All right, okay. Now you get to close this out.

SPEAKER_01 36:02

Okay.

Where To Listen And Closing

SPEAKER_01 36:03

You can't just say bye.

SPEAKER_00 36:06

You gotta tell the people where can they find this?

SPEAKER_01 36:08

Um anywhere. You can find it on Spotify, you can find it on Apple Podcasts, you can find it on YouTube.

SPEAKER_02 36:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:17

Yeah. Um yeah, you can comment on it, you can like it, you can share it, and you can come back in a couple weeks for another episode.