Restored Strength Might Not Be the Gym for You

“Whoa whoa whoa, WHAT?!”

Yup. You heard that right, avid reader, we honestly might not be the gym for you, and that’s totally okay! We’re not for everyone and, truthfully, everyone isn’t for us either.

We work to create a very specific culture for our community of Rebells. To ensure that we are providing this specific environment for our members’ success, we have to communicate who we’re for—and who we’re not. ☺

Here’s a story to illustrate of why we might not be the right fit.

I remember my first experience at Denny’s: It was awful. I was so excited for some warm, flavorful breakfast food before my flight to North Carolina for a weekend certification. There I was, bright and early in the morning ordering eggs, bacon, pancakes, and fruit. When my food arrived, it looked irresistible. I was so eager to get my first bite! I slid my fork into those soft, fluffy eggs ready for that savory taste—but it was not the case.

The food tasted so bland. I kept taking more bites hoping that it was an issue with me, but it wasn’t. I finished my breakfast, and the whole thing was as boring as that first bite. I left with a run-down hospital food taste in my mouth; I was so disappointed. Thinking that it must be that particular restaurant’s fault, I would go on to try other Denny’s restaurants two more times, only to have my first impression reaffirmed: Denny’s is not the breakfast place for me.

In my experience, the atmosphere is sad; the food is bland; most of the workers don’t want to be there, and it just didn’t live up to the hype people give it. But that’s totally fine; there are a lot of people who love Denny’s! That’s awesome; their preferences and expectations, and therefore their experiences, are different from mine, and that’s okay.

If I’m being honest, I prefer a good old-fashioned Waffle House. Everyone who’s been to Waffle House understands the culture and experience you get to have there. It’s not the fanciest or the cleanest restaurant, but the music is good, the eggs have flavor, the waffles are sweet, and the staff knows how to throw a punch if any customers fuck around too much. No one judges you; you’re welcomed just as you are!

Waffle House is my go-to place because I relate to the customers, the staff, and just the overall atmosphere. I feel comfortable and know that the staff want to ensure that I have a good time. They’ve found a way to balance caring for their customers and letting them do their own thing—like going to fight a human-sized rat in the parking lot (true story?). For me, Waffle House is the right fit; Denny’s isn’t.

…Which leads me to some reasons that Restored Strength may not be the right fit for you.

If you want to be “slim” at all costs, we might not be a fit for you.

Fuck diet culture. Diet culture is one of the toxic parts of the fitness world that glamorizes a false image of what you should look like, how you should eat, and how you should think about food and bodies. Diet culture does this by telling people that their bodies need to be a certain shape and size to be healthy and attractive, and that to obtain that particular shape and size, they need to monitor their food, starve, avoid “bad” foods, “earn” their food, etc.

These are unhealthy beliefs that are being told to you by people who either don’t know shit about how your body actually works—or don’t care. They use fear and shame to sell you a false idea of attractiveness, health, and “fitness.”

What matters to us is how your body feels, what it can do, and how active you are—all of which are much better metrics of health and longevity. We want to help people love their bodies and build the strength they need to live the kickass, active lives they want. We do this by helping you understand the different ways your body works and finding different habits that can work for you and your goals.

This is called eclectic thinking, it’s using the best of multiple ways of thinking to create a solution that works for you. Thinking outside of the box—and outside of diet culture—is where we begin to help our members understand how things actually work to be informed from a scientific, supportive standpoint.

If you want to have your “ass kicked,” we might not be a fit for you.

A lot of people tell us “I need my ass kicked with these workouts.” I’m here to say no the fuck you don’t. You just need to show up.

There’s this misconception that going hard and doing super difficult workouts will help people achieve their goals. Well, I’m here to speak the truth to you and let you know you that you need consistency, not intensity.

After you have some time under your belt, then we can talk about increasing the intensity; but you need start with challenging but manageable workloads and movements. Going all-out from the beginning would be like getting your first tattoo on your face—and not a small one, like, a BIG ASS one. It just wouldn’t be right, and you’re going to regret it later. So start small.

At Restored Strength, we help people meet themselves where they’re at by giving them the best exercises that they’re physically and emotionally ready for. We will give you appropriate challenges and, more importantly, help you learn what level of effort and challenge are productive for you. Often times I hear people say “I need to be fit before starting at a gym.” This is only true if you go to shitty gyms that don’t know how to accommodate your needs. This is why we’re different. We take the time to know you and find out what will work for you, not what works for everyone.

If you want the cheapest price, we might not be a fit for you.

A car payment can roughly average around $300 or more a month, but then you add insurance, maintenance, gas, oil, etc. to that cost and it can easily add up to over $500 a month. That’s insane because while the value of your car decreases by 20% after its first year, the costs don’t; they typically stay the same.

Think of your physical and mental health the same way you would a car, except you don’t get to replace your body when it breaks down. What you can do, though, is invest in your body!! How awesome would it be to lower your medical insurance by getting off medications, lowering the costs of going to the chiropractor or massage therapist, what about the confidence you’ll gain from being able to go up and down stairs without the fear of something hurting. Those things are priceless.

You can pay $30-50 a month for the following at public gyms:

- A place full fitness equipment you don’t know how to use.

- A place where you feel like a stranger.

- A place where you have no guidance or direction.

- A place you feel uncomfortable at.

- A place where you don’t get instructions to keep you safe.

Owners Saara & William being interviewed about RS on the Gym Lords Podcast

Or you can pay a less than a car payment at Restored Strength for the following:

- Education from certified professionals on equipment and workouts.

- A private setting with a group of friendly people.

- Immediate and direct feedback and guidance on your form, goals, and habits.

- A community of people who enjoy seeing you.

- Different modifications for your fitness needs.

If you want a quick fix, we might not be a fit for you.

I hate to continue to be the bearer of bad news, but if you believe that you can undo 20 or 30 years of injuries, inactivity, old beliefs, misunderstanding of nutrition, and unhealthy habits in less than 3 months, boy howdy are you in for a rude awakening.

Quick-fix exercise programs, supplements, or deals tend to be ineffective or unsustainable at best and damaging at worst. You can’t expect to change decades of living in a few months. Shit, it took me 7 years to become a mentally and physically healthier person after I quit drinking, and I’m still working on it every day.

Restored Strength is about starting a lifelong journey of growing your strength in so many physical and personal ways. We don’t offer quick fixes because we believe in resolving the root problem and not just giving you a shoddy product that will only work short term.

We help people find solutions to their long-term problems with fitness and keep them doing it consistently for the rest of their lives. Most of our members HATED being at the gym or anything to do with it before coming to work with us. Those same members have committed to their health and strength, and some have been here for 5 years now!!! They’ve been successful because they started with the easiest thing: They just showed up. Once you show up, we take care of everything from teaching you the warm up, giving you the right weights, giving you the best exercise for you, helping you correct technique, having fun, and most importantly having accountability.

We might be the right fit for you if you want:

- Accountability.

- Your privacy.

- To be strong for life.

- To be met where you are at.

- To invest in your health and feeling better.

- To find a long-term solution for lifetime problems.

We are here for you and want to see you succeed. Join our rebellious society of like-minded people sharing and celebrating each other’s successes!