During this
strange COVID-19 time, we’ve all been challenged and have had to make changes
to our daily and work lives. I noticed one of our clients, Hondre McNeil, posts
on Instagram. He had formally trained his clients in his well-equipped home gym
in the basement of his house, but needed a safer
environment in which to train his clients. So, he converted his garage into
what he calls the COVID CAVE!
I had to call Dre
and get the full story.
How I moved
my gym by Dre McNeil
At the beginning of COVID-19, I had to make some
crucial decisions. My personal training studio was in my basement. To be
honest, my wife was more concerned than I was as far as having my clients
coming into my home and into the basement training center.
But, after much
thought, I thought she was probably right concerning the safety of my clients
and our family. I knew if I moved some of the equipment to my garage, we could
work out with the garage doors open for ventilation. Also, since I do strictly
personal training, wearing a mask while training would be no problem. I picked
“foundation items” to move to the garage. One was my rower. It was easier to
move and more beneficial than the treadmill so I left my treadmill in the
basement. I moved half of my dumbbells,
my squat rack, and my Olympic bars. I also brought my suspension bands outside.
Being that I had to anchor these suspension bands on something, I chose my
power rack. I just anchored my rack down with a “Slater Strongman” cement ball.
(Ed Note: Steve Slater has been a Beverly client since 1991 and is now one of
the main guys at Rogue Fitness.) Some other items I brought outside were resistance
bands, my Pro Jumper platform for athletes wanting to improve their vertical,
my trap bar, Bosu ball, core balls, weight benches, and speed and agility items
such as my speed ladder and cones. Luckily, I already had bumper plates outside
so I didn’t have to move those.
Client
responses to the move
My clients were happy about the move. Some were
actually relieved. With this scare of COVID-19, one can’t be too safe. My
business didn’t suffer any. Grace to God, it actually increased. My virtual
training also increased as more and more people are doing workouts at home. For
my virtual clients, they tell me what equipment they have access to, if
anything. I then write a fitness plan for them including exercise descriptions
and videos. If they don’t have any equipment, I send a full body resistance
workout plan. Nutrition plans are also included when needed and there are also
regular accountability checks from me to help keep them on track.
It’s all about the battle!
Fitness has always been a major part of my
life. The focus has never been on the look though. It has always
been about pushing my limits and fighting through a workout. A phrase I love to
scream out at my gym, is "Bout That Battle!” That's the shortened
phrase of the full sentence, "It's all about the battle.” In other
words it doesn't matter what the next person is doing in the gym. It
doesn't matter what personal record numbers you saw someone post on
online. It doesn't matter how great someone else looks. The only
thing that matters is your workout in that moment. The only thing that
matters is you pushing through when you can easily quit. That's the
mentality, and, God willingly, that's going to continue to be the
mentality. I believe this mentality
transitions out of the gym into the real world.
Dre’s top
selling Beverly products: Mass Maker Ultra is his go-to products for clients
who are trying to gain muscle for sports, etc. Others love UMP both for
the taste and it is great for newbies on a diet. It tastes like a treat and
helps them slim down at the same time.
