StrengthLoft Carrickfergus

Lifting weights isn’t just for the ‘young’. We shouldn’t stop exercising as we age, we should continue to exercise so that we can stay as mobile, as strong and as independent as possible.
Two new slots for this class have been added:
Tuesdays 10:45am
Wednesdays 7pm
Age Strong is a movement program designed to help older adults stay strong, mobile, and independent for life. Each class combines balance training, strength building, and flexibility exercises tailored to the needs of the ageing body. With expert guidance and a welcoming atmosphere, participants gain the confidence and capability to enjoy everyday activities — from climbing stairs to playing with grandchildren - with ease and vitality.
(This class doesn’t need to be age specific, it’s great for anyone who wants to start slowly with the true movement basics)

We all have different lifestyles, responsibilities and challenges. Let’s take steps as a small example ..
My job requires me to be on my feet a lot, to move around, it’s pretty physical. So the steps you see below are literally from coaching a 45 minute large group session. Getting these steps in was easy, it was part of my job, I even got paid while completing those steps.. and that was all before 10am. I also have a big dog who needs walking so you can be guaranteed that without too much effort I will easily complete +10k steps per day.
Now let’s take someone who works 9 hours in an office job, that’s a huge chunk of their day where they have to sit on their butts, and yes of course you can get some steps in on breaks etc , or on the way to and from work but that requires effort and organisation whereas my steps happened just because they are part of my job. The Wellness / Fitness industry loves to generalise and throw generic goals and numbers out there, but here’s they thing, we aren’t all the same, one size never fits all and so, when it comes to your health, wellbeing and meeting goals , you really need to honestly look at your days, your schedule & ensure your lifestyle will allow you to meet your goals . And if you’re being ‘influenced’ but what you see other people doing, then ask yourself honestly, is it relevant to you?

Every person in the gym has a story, every person is on their own journey.
Take this barbell total weight of 30kg… this barbell represents more than just a set of squats… today for one of our members it represented just how far she had come, just how hard she has worked to improve her health and take good care of herself.
I saw her just looking at the bar, I approached her and asked ‘You all good?’ ‘Yes’ she said; ‘I’m just having a moment and realising that that bar is how much weight I’ve lost!’
She had a moment of realising just how far she had come and just how much she has progressed, how much better and easier life has been since she hadn’t been living with that additional weight.
The whole gym took a moment to celebrate with her . What an achievement, not just the weight but the healthy changes for her healthspan.
Everyone in the gym has a story, everyone on their own journey , not everyone is there to lose weight, everyone has to here own reason. But regardless of that reason it’s amazing to see how much support everyone gives eachother .
(This ladies journey began before she joined us , this isn’t about our gym it’s about this fabulous lady)