Writing this I am so happy with our decision to put forward Lewis Chan as our Member of the Month for March 2021. I jumped in the 9:30 class yesterday and finished the WOD sitting in a puddle of my own sweat and tears, I looked over to Lewis (whom I was trying to keep up with over that horrid 20 minutes) and see him calmly pop his weights away and start on a alternating EMOM of bike cals and sit-ups.
That’s the grit I love to see from BBB members!!!
Lewis is a good guy to know, holding a management position at our favorite pub The Royal, and at only 23. But this confident youngster did have a few nerves before starting up at Paddington. “I was mostly nervous about old injuries flaring up, having battled disc injuries over the last 4 years”.
After weeks of research and contemplation Lewis decided to take the leap! “I had nothing to lose. I was bored with solitary training and doing my own programs which evidently weren’t working as I wasn’t putting on weight and I kept injuring myself”.
Initially coming in with the body composition goal of wanting to increase his lean body mass after months of lockdown, “I was pretty close-minded when I first started. All I wanted was to put on the weight I had lost during lockdown to feel less skinny and more confident”, this eventually shifted to performance goals as his confidence grew.
Over the last couple months it has been awesome seeing Lewis evolve as an athlete and pushing his potential! “I have been stoked stringing together high volume sets of muscle-ups and with my olympic lifting, pulling out a few 75kg squat cleans and inching closer towards a body weight snatch”. I hear ring muscle-ups and a body weight snatch are on the horizon!
So other than figuring out that he could unlock his physical potential at BBB, what made Lewis hang around? “The people that train there, despite size, strength or fitness level, are some of the friendliest, most welcoming and encouraging people I have come across, which made coming to the gym so much easier and more enjoyable even when I was this small kid that had never power cleaned or snatched in their life”
I hope you are receiving MOTM as we are giving it to you Lewis!
It has been awesome seeing your progress over your time at BBB and we cannot wait to see what is store on your fitness journey
Harry Howe
Paddington Manager
BodyByBrando, Paddington