We started The Neighborhood because I couldn’t find any gyms or fitness centers that matched what I was looking for. All that we have access to these days are big box, corporate-style gyms, private personal training studios/warehouses, or gyms that trigger a lunk alarm when you are just trying to express yourself.  Not that there is anything wrong with any of these gyms, it just doesn’t match what I am looking for. 

 

Some of my favorite days throughout being a high school and collegiate athlete were not so much about actually playing football or baseball. The best part was the off-season training I shared with all of my brothers.  We listened to loud music, lifted heavy weights, and encouraged each other to become better each day.  Sharing blood, sweat, and tears with my teammates is an experience that I will never forget and I have found myself trying to find that again these days. 

 

Once you leave that competitive, athletic environment, all that you have left are the training options I mentioned above.  I don’t want to have to subscribe to anyone else’s written program to train in a competitive environment.  I love some of the fitness gyms and programs out there, especially for what they do for the community and the overall training experience.  However, my goals more than likely are different than the person next to me, yet we are being prescribed the same workout program.  So not wanting to subscribe to anyone else’s program, I decided to leave the big box gym and any other gym setting for that matter to train on my own terms and form a garage gym.  This seemed like the best answer at the time as I could listen to the music I wanted to, be as loud as I wanted, and train to my own style.  What seemed like a perfect solution to my problem years ago, was actually lacking.  After spending the better part of the last decade in my garage gym, I finally realized that I have been missing a community all of this time.  I missed the interaction with my teammates.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the opportunity to be in solitude from time to time, but constantly training by yourself doesn’t allow you to reach your fullest potential. 

 

I learned a long time ago that one of the keys to success and for happiness is to surround yourself by good people.  So the next phase of my journey is to create an environment and a community where individuals can train to become the best version of themselves whether that means body weight training, functional training, or weightlifting, and do so in a positive environment.

 

This will be our own community. This will be our Neighborhood.