We recently put up an Instagram post celebrating those who joined us one year ago in January 2024 and have been consistent in their training with SSP!
It’s always incredible to reflect back on the journeys of all our members who celebrate their anniversaries because we remember so clearly their first few sessions. Seeing them now is like witnessing a completely different person – not only the amount of weight they’re able to lift but how much better they feel and the confidence with which they move around the gym (not to mention the friends and community they’ve made since being here!).
Because we’re pretty geeky around here, we decided to look at a few data points and were just astounded by their progress. We’ll keep these case studies anonymous (using fake names) since it’s a little weird talking about specific weights for our members, but just know these are real people who have gained so much this past year.
Let’s call the first person Jenny. Jenny came in that first month and was bench pressing a 15# dumbbell and deadlifting a 24kg (53#) kettlebell for 8-10 reps. At 6 months, she was up to 30# dumbbells and 125# barbell deadlift. At 1 year, she’s now bench pressing 95# on the bar with a deadlift of 175# for reps!
Then there’s Sammy. She came to us having severe back pain and mobility restrictions. We made the decision to start with a limited range of motion on many exercises so we could build strength in the patterns while slowly increasing her ability to lift more weight with a greater range. Having started with a 14kg kettlebell deadlift on an elevated platform, she has now doubled her deadlift with the KB starting from the ground (using significantly more range without pain). She’s also increased her dumbbell row from 15# to 27.5# for 8-10 reps!
Lastly, there’s Kate. Here’s the thing with Kate. She came in having never strength trained before in her life with the pure goal to increase muscle mass and strength. At only 6 months, Kate went from deadlifting a 16kg (35#) kettlebell to 115# on the barbell! She now squats a 40# dumbbell for 8-10 reps, and bench presses 27.5# dumbbells when she started at 7.5# back when she first came in!
Seeing this progress is honestly incredible. It keeps me going and it shows me how much impact you can have by following a smart and progressive strength training program consistently for a year.
Ready to see what you can accomplish in a year?
Best,
Coach Chris