Susan Cashdollar: Gym Crasher

Susan Cashdollar joins us to share a really cool project she has been working on – called “Gym Crasher.” Many professionals struggle to find a place where they can get a great workout – especially when traveling for work or on vacation. Susan and Gym Crasher are here to help. Gym Crasher is a community for gym-goers and fitness enthusiasts to discover and shares gyms, equipment, and training ideas. 
Susan travels the world and documents all the gyms she’s been to, making it easy for others to quickly find a good gym to train at while on the road. In this episode, she hits on some of her favorite gym's across the U.S. and some of the unique equipment she's trained on. 

00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:08.260
Welcome to the Keiser Human Performance Podcast.

00:00:09.380 --> 00:00:12.960
The goal of this podcast. is to educate and inspire you to make the most of your

00:00:13.040 --> 00:00:14.520
journey in health and performance.

00:00:15.900 --> 00:00:21.170
Each episode will provide an in-depth discussion on a specific topic related to human performance.

00:00:22.100 --> 00:00:22.940
If you're a growth-minded

00:00:23.040 --> 00:00:25.290
individual seeking knowledge and better solutions,

00:00:26.010 --> 00:00:26.200
this

00:00:26.240 --> 00:00:26.720
podcast

00:00:27.020 --> 00:00:29.140
is for you. We're glad you're listening

00:00:29.220 --> 00:00:31.020
in, and we're excited to learn alongside

00:00:31.060 --> 00:00:46.940
you. My name is Gabe Derman, and today I'm joined by Susan

00:00:47.040 --> 00:00:51.960
Cashdollar. Susan joins us to share a really cool project she's been working on

00:00:52.020 --> 00:00:57.080
called Gym Crasher. Many professionals struggle to find a place where they can get a great workout,

00:00:57.660 --> 00:01:00.019
especially when traveling for work or on vacation.

00:01:00.900 --> 00:01:03.010
Susan and Gym Crasher are here to help.

00:01:04.060 --> 00:01:09.240
Gym Crasher is a community for gym-goers and fitness enthusiasts to discover and share

00:01:09.260 --> 00:01:11.000
gyms, equipment,

00:01:11.030 --> 00:01:16.080
and training ideas. Susan travels the world and documents all the gyms she's been to,

00:01:16.600 --> 00:01:20.140
making it easy for others to quickly find a good gym to train at

00:01:20.180 --> 00:01:20.840
while on the road.

00:01:22.080 --> 00:01:24.980
In this episode, she hits on some of her favorite gyms across

00:01:25.020 --> 00:01:30.000
the United States and some of the unique equipment she trains on. The best place to

00:01:30.020 --> 00:01:32.080
follow Gym Crasher is on Instagram

00:01:32.380 --> 00:01:32.960
at gym

00:01:33.480 --> 00:01:33.880
period

00:01:34.440 --> 00:01:36.940
crasher. We hope you enjoy today's

00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:47.980
episode. Susan Cashdollar,

00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:50.140
how are you doing today? I'm doing good.

00:01:50.560 --> 00:01:52.020
I'm recovering from

00:01:52.140 --> 00:01:57.160
a two-week cold or whatever it was, but I am on the ups, so it's good.

00:01:58.220 --> 00:01:59.060
Awesome. I'm glad to hear

00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:04.630
it. So I'm excited for this live episode of the Human Performance. Podcast today that we're recording within Keiser Community,

00:02:04.740 --> 00:02:10.960
a place for human performance. education and collaboration. Uh, and with that, we' have a really unique episode today. We're

00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:13.180
here to talk about you' and Gym Crasher.

00:02:14.200 --> 00:02:19.080
What is Gym Crasher, one might ask? Well, why don't I let the creator, Susan Cashdollar,

00:02:19.320 --> 00:02:19.980
let us know what that

00:02:20.060 --> 00:02:20.960
is. All

00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:26.900
right. Well, Gym Crasher, I think, is ever-evolving, but what it started

00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:27.700
out to be,

00:02:28.100 --> 00:02:29.920
uh, was a place for

00:02:30.020 --> 00:02:32.040
people to go to find a

00:02:32.120 --> 00:02:33.980
gym to drop

00:02:34.020 --> 00:02:36.010
in on while they're on the

00:02:36.100 --> 00:02:38.640
road. So I found myself,

00:02:38.780 --> 00:02:45.020
uh, for a very long time, when I'm traveling on vacation with family, friends, by myself,

00:02:45.740 --> 00:02:48.040
I would spend a lot of time on Google Maps

00:02:48.640 --> 00:02:49.020
searching

00:02:49.100 --> 00:02:51.080
for a gym to drop in on.

00:02:51.920 --> 00:02:54.420
Uh, one, is there a day pass available?

00:02:54.820 --> 00:02:58.160
What are the hours? What kind of equipment does this gym have?

00:02:58.940 --> 00:02:59.380
Um,

00:03:00.500 --> 00:03:01.120
can I even

00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:02.900
go there? I mean, is it

00:03:03.060 --> 00:03:05.140
staffed? Um, there were so many

00:03:05.440 --> 00:03:07.060
questions that I had to, like, get

00:03:07.160 --> 00:03:11.180
through before I could determine this is the gym I'm going to.

00:03:12.280 --> 00:03:12.620
So

00:03:13.820 --> 00:03:20.150
I just started documenting my travels, I guess. Uh, the gyms that I would go to. I would take pictures

00:03:20.200 --> 00:03:21.920
of the gyms, what kind of equipment it

00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:23.920
has, how much is the day

00:03:24.060 --> 00:03:27.480
pass, um, basically what to expect.

00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:34.300
Uh, and then right now, what I have going on is just a, an Instagram page

00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:36.080
dedicated to shouting

00:03:36.160 --> 00:03:40.030
out all of those gyms that I've gone to, all of the good ones

00:03:40.100 --> 00:03:40.660
at least,

00:03:41.340 --> 00:03:43.980
um, and my experience

00:03:44.020 --> 00:03:45.300
there, uh,

00:03:46.420 --> 00:03:49.120
thorough pictures of the space, what kind of equipment

00:03:49.540 --> 00:03:50.500
the gyms offer,

00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:53.020
how much is the day pass, can you. drop

00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:53.440
in.

00:03:54.260 --> 00:03:56.320
Um, and hopes,

00:03:56.680 --> 00:04:00.500
uh, I think the end goal here is, and I'm working on- this currently,

00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:01.600
uh,

00:04:02.140 --> 00:04:03.960
it'll be an, app for somebody

00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:06.040
to use to quickly and

00:04:06.140 --> 00:04:07.940
easily, uh, open

00:04:08.020 --> 00:04:12.850
up. Uh, it's gonna be a large Google Maps with just little pin drops of all the places that I've

00:04:12.880 --> 00:04:15.109
been to, uh, and approve of,

00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:21.060
and hopefully just an easy tool for somebody to use to find a gym.

00:04:22.780 --> 00:04:25.040
Yeah, as you're talking, I'm thinking about all the times that

00:04:25.080 --> 00:04:25.900
I' could have used this.

00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:29.880
Um, I, I've traveled a lot for work,

00:04:30.120 --> 00:04:32.010
and I... especially when I was

00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:41.240
coaching. Even trying to bring athletes and teams to gyms has proven to be difficult. Oftentimes you reach out, to,

00:04:41.300 --> 00:04:45.360
you know, the other universities, maybe the one that, that is hosting you, and if they're not available,

00:04:45.420 --> 00:04:49.980
it can be really difficult, especially in the baseball world, where you have to bring in guys multiple times on

00:04:50.020 --> 00:04:51.280
a weekend, so-

00:04:51.340 --> 00:04:56.740
Yeah ... um, I see the utility here. And it's funny, you know, we were in London not long ago,

00:04:56.800 --> 00:04:57.020
and

00:04:57.240 --> 00:05:00.020
we actually really struggled to find a gym that

00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:04.180
we could use. Um, I called a lot of places. I even signed up for an F-45

00:05:04.370 --> 00:05:08.280
class- Wow ... because I wanted to work out so bad, and I wanted to train.

00:05:08.840 --> 00:05:10.280
Um, but even that was difficult,

00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:15.060
you know, just to do a trial or, or, or even sign up just for a solo class. So,

00:05:15.200 --> 00:05:20.100
um, I think a lot of people can benefit from this, and I'm really excited to see where that

00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:24.020
goes. You were working on a project, I

00:05:24.040 --> 00:05:24.900
think, that was similar,

00:05:25.420 --> 00:05:32.040
um, initially. You were working on this top 10 grittiest gyms, something like that. Can you let us

00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:35.020
in? Is this similar? Is this, uh, a one-off from that? How did

00:05:35.060 --> 00:05:38.260
this start really? Yeah, this kind of, uh,

00:05:38.660 --> 00:05:41.920
kind of started the process. Um, my niche is very

00:05:42.040 --> 00:05:48.360
much the hole-in-the-wall gritty gym. I love those types of gyms. I love the old-school

00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:48.840
gym.

00:05:49.560 --> 00:05:54.000
Um, uh, I'm okay with getting a little dirty when I

00:05:54.040 --> 00:05:56.900
work out. Um, I know that's not everyone's,

00:05:57.140 --> 00:05:59.000
um, I

00:05:59.020 --> 00:06:00.280
would say favorite,

00:06:00.840 --> 00:06:07.028
um, but that's something that I, I enjoy. So I started working on, um-Kind of a, a last, a

00:06:07.088 --> 00:06:08.348
last of a dying breed,

00:06:09.268 --> 00:06:12.448
uh, the top 10 grittiest gyms, in America.

00:06:13.408 --> 00:06:16.188
And, uh, I'm pretty much done with that

00:06:16.328 --> 00:06:19.988
article. Um, there are just a couple of gyms that I need to,

00:06:20.048 --> 00:06:22.488
get to and experience firsthand

00:06:23.088 --> 00:06:24.228
and take pictures

00:06:24.328 --> 00:06:27.248
of, um, before I want- before it's complete.

00:06:27.678 --> 00:06:30.508
And I wanna make sure that I get there in person and experience

00:06:30.608 --> 00:06:33.088
it, um, before I put anything out there.

00:06:34.188 --> 00:06:37.088
So we'll get back to Gym Crasher in a second, but I wanna stay, I wanna stay

00:06:37.128 --> 00:06:37.308
here

00:06:37.348 --> 00:06:40.008
for a moment. What makes a gritty gym?

00:06:41.008 --> 00:06:41.108
It's

00:06:41.148 --> 00:06:41.788
a good question.

00:06:42.148 --> 00:06:45.428
Uh, I think it's a combination between

00:06:46.208 --> 00:06:47.208
the gym's history.

00:06:48.168 --> 00:06:48.628
Um,

00:06:49.008 --> 00:06:50.148
obviously, a gym with a lot

00:06:50.188 --> 00:06:52.128
of history is gonna be an older

00:06:52.228 --> 00:06:54.188
gym, and,

00:06:54.508 --> 00:06:59.108
uh, just being an older gym, it's gonna be a little more gritty, unless it's been, like,

00:06:59.748 --> 00:07:06.988
just renovated, which happens a lot. Um, so it's a combination of history, the owners, the people who have

00:07:07.048 --> 00:07:07.278
worked

00:07:07.368 --> 00:07:10.508
out there, and then also the environment.

00:07:10.868 --> 00:07:11.768
The environment,

00:07:12.088 --> 00:07:13.128
the demographic, the people

00:07:13.168 --> 00:07:17.308
who train there, um, the type of equipment that it has.

00:07:17.968 --> 00:07:18.408
Um,

00:07:19.728 --> 00:07:21.148
yeah, so I, I think there's,

00:07:21.828 --> 00:07:22.968
there's a lot that kinda goes

00:07:23.008 --> 00:07:27.268
into play there. Um, but for the most part, I would say it's history

00:07:27.748 --> 00:07:28.568
and environment

00:07:29.028 --> 00:07:30.058
and, you know, equ-

00:07:30.248 --> 00:07:39.818
equipment. Terrific. And I love that you bring up the term history because, you know, the history of gyms, gymnastics,

00:07:40.088 --> 00:07:41.008
and strength training go

00:07:41.188 --> 00:07:45.898
way back, like way back, and, and it's pretty well documented. You know, Dr. Jan Todd at the University of

00:07:45.948 --> 00:07:52.038
Texas and, um, the Luther Stark Center, they do a terrific job of this storytelling and capturing

00:07:52.048 --> 00:07:59.308
the history of physical culture. So it's cool to see you on the modern-day forefront of this storytelling, and I

00:07:59.368 --> 00:08:03.048
think that's really what Gym Crasher is, is, is it's telling a story about the... You know,

00:08:03.508 --> 00:08:05.968
it's not just access to what gyms are really great,

00:08:06.068 --> 00:08:09.328
but it's, it's a snapshot of where we are at in time,

00:08:09.768 --> 00:08:12.148
especially as it relates to strength training and physical culture.

00:08:12.228 --> 00:08:14.087
So very cool. Yeah.

00:08:14.427 --> 00:08:14.557
Uh,

00:08:14.948 --> 00:08:15.927
I agree. I think that

00:08:16.008 --> 00:08:19.078
I'm learning a lot, um, about gyms, about things

00:08:19.168 --> 00:08:22.148
that um, I never thought I'd be learning about,

00:08:22.788 --> 00:08:28.088
um, just by going to these gyms. I usually contact the owners in advance and let them

00:08:28.128 --> 00:08:29.068
know that I'm coming,

00:08:29.608 --> 00:08:34.048
so it's a little more personal. I get to talk to them. They get to tell me their story.

00:08:34.828 --> 00:08:37.967
So it's, it's definitely a lot more personal, and I like to

00:08:38.008 --> 00:08:43.268
hear the owners' stories and just kind of how the gym evolved.

00:08:43.988 --> 00:08:46.188
Um, and in doing so, I've learned a lot

00:08:46.588 --> 00:08:48.068
about gyms, the history

00:08:48.108 --> 00:08:50.308
of gyms, and, uh,

00:08:50.708 --> 00:08:52.028
I'm like that girl

00:08:52.748 --> 00:08:55.268
at the dinner table who can tell you, "Oh,

00:08:56.168 --> 00:08:58.308
there's a gym like two blocks

00:08:58.348 --> 00:09:02.448
from there." And I can tell you, like, exactly where a gym is in reference

00:09:02.508 --> 00:09:05.288
to, like, you know, whatever the conversation is about.

00:09:06.448 --> 00:09:07.188
Oh, that's awesome.

00:09:07.728 --> 00:09:11.148
And, a- and you brought up this history of gyms and gritty

00:09:11.248 --> 00:09:11.548
gyms,

00:09:12.048 --> 00:09:14.988
and I don't know if it's y- you would categorize... I'll ask you. Um, you

00:09:15.028 --> 00:09:20.038
may have been there. I was working at UCLA, and I lived near Santa Monica, and I just

00:09:20.088 --> 00:09:22.048
knew that I had to go down to Gold's Gym in

00:09:22.108 --> 00:09:23.128
Venice- Mm-hmm

00:09:23.128 --> 00:09:23.908
... um, which is like

00:09:24.048 --> 00:09:24.738
a classic,

00:09:25.188 --> 00:09:29.968
uh, gym. Have you been there? Yeah. Yeah, I've been there. Right. So it's awesome. You know, they have those

00:09:29.988 --> 00:09:31.978
portraits of, like, Mr. and, and

00:09:32.028 --> 00:09:34.088
Miss Olympia, uh, and Arnold

00:09:34.128 --> 00:09:37.368
Schwarzenegger. Um, but I've just -- I think about

00:09:38.428 --> 00:09:42.018
one of the machines they had there, and this will lead to a question, but they

00:09:42.048 --> 00:09:43.548
had a machine called the Bisculator,

00:09:44.028 --> 00:09:48.488
which, I don't know, it's the Cybex... I think it's an old-school Cybex machine where it's like an incline,

00:09:49.248 --> 00:09:49.528
um,

00:09:50.288 --> 00:09:51.228
resisted curl-

00:09:51.828 --> 00:09:52.018
Mm-hmm ...

00:09:52.018 --> 00:09:52.508
essentially.

00:09:53.188 --> 00:09:57.048
Um, and I think I have a photo on my computer, but either way, I think I must have spent

00:09:57.088 --> 00:10:01.348
like 10 minutes on it or 15 straight minutes on it just going. It was so much fun, and that

00:10:01.408 --> 00:10:06.078
gym, when you look around and you lift there, you -- like I said, you see those portraits. There's

00:10:06.108 --> 00:10:11.068
such a rich history in that gym. I mean, I felt like I had to spend three or four hours

00:10:11.108 --> 00:10:14.928
there just 'cause I was enjoying it so much, which was really- Yeah ... cool. And then they, they have

00:10:14.948 --> 00:10:17.108
some new modern equipment. We have this clash

00:10:17.668 --> 00:10:21.988
of, like, old-school history on one side and this new modern stuff. But, um, it brings

00:10:22.028 --> 00:10:25.508
up a question for me, which is out of all the gyms you've been to, and I'm definitely gonna ask

00:10:25.528 --> 00:10:26.048
some more questions

00:10:26.088 --> 00:10:29.008
about that, do you have a favorite machine

00:10:30.228 --> 00:10:33.988
that you've used or something that's, like, super unique that you didn't

00:10:34.008 --> 00:10:34.768
know existed?

00:10:35.328 --> 00:10:35.468
Uh,

00:10:36.068 --> 00:10:39.108
yeah. I think this is gonna be,

00:10:39.148 --> 00:10:45.058
like, something that I've been to recently because there's so much that I've come across. Um,

00:10:46.558 --> 00:10:49.508
I was recently at a place in Philly called XForce,

00:10:50.188 --> 00:10:52.468
and this entire facility,

00:10:53.488 --> 00:10:53.948
uh, it -- I

00:10:54.008 --> 00:10:56.048
mean, it was, it was set up like a Curves,

00:10:56.388 --> 00:10:57.168
so it was all machine

00:10:57.248 --> 00:10:57.668
weights.

00:10:58.568 --> 00:11:04.108
Um, and this is my first time experiencing something like this or coming across something like this. I'm sure other

00:11:04.148 --> 00:11:07.028
people have already. Um, but

00:11:07.128 --> 00:11:15.068
it is -- uh, the machines are all designed to load the eccentric portion of the exercise by 40%

00:11:15.128 --> 00:11:16.568
more than the concentric.

00:11:17.468 --> 00:11:21.428
So the weight stacks on all of the machines would tilt

00:11:22.448 --> 00:11:23.088
prior to

00:11:23.188 --> 00:11:25.448
you, uh, doing the concentric

00:11:25.508 --> 00:11:27.988
portion, and then once

00:11:28.028 --> 00:11:31.048
you reach the top, the weight stack would go

00:11:31.108 --> 00:11:36.968
to vertical, essentially loading that 40% more with that vertical

00:11:37.048 --> 00:11:38.108
stack just

00:11:38.148 --> 00:11:44.388
due to gravity. Um, and then you would perform the eccentric portion, and it would be an overloaded eccentric.

00:11:45.088 --> 00:11:46.108
Um, I thought that was

00:11:46.148 --> 00:11:51.268
really cool. Of course, there's, um... I mean, that was their entire programming.

00:11:51.588 --> 00:11:58.468
So, like, if you go to this gym, that's all you're doing. Okay. Okay. Um, and I, I'm not, uh,

00:11:58.508 --> 00:12:00.048
you know... I, I don't think there's one

00:12:00.168 --> 00:12:04.068
way. This is not the way. I'm all about there -- this is

00:12:04.228 --> 00:12:06.948
a way. Sure. Um, but it was definitely cool

00:12:07.008 --> 00:12:11.076
to experience, um-And I think

00:12:11.116 --> 00:12:13.336
there are going to be

00:12:14.296 --> 00:12:16.636
a lot more advancements,

00:12:17.276 --> 00:12:20.196
uh, with our technology to allow us to do things

00:12:20.236 --> 00:12:21.916
like that. Um,

00:12:22.036 --> 00:12:22.136
so

00:12:22.216 --> 00:12:26.096
I'm, I'm excited to see, like, what pops up next,

00:12:26.515 --> 00:12:27.676
uh, equipment-wise-

00:12:28.276 --> 00:12:33.046
Mm-hmm ... and how they'll improve upon that. Uh, just given with science too, what we're learning,

00:12:34.116 --> 00:12:42.076
um, with eccentric training and just with different things. Um, so that wasn't my favorite machine, I would say,

00:12:42.156 --> 00:12:44.996
but that was a unique machine that I recently came

00:12:45.036 --> 00:12:46.876
across. Um-

00:12:47.016 --> 00:12:50.336
Oh ... probably one of my favorite gyms,

00:12:51.696 --> 00:12:51.976
oh, this

00:12:52.016 --> 00:12:52.756
is gonna be tough.

00:12:53.196 --> 00:13:00.056
Um, there's a gym in Jersey, and, uh, the three states that are stacked, in my

00:13:00.096 --> 00:13:03.096
opinion, with some of the hardest gyms

00:13:03.176 --> 00:13:06.016
in America, uh, are Jersey,

00:13:08.096 --> 00:13:08.816
Texas-

00:13:08.816 --> 00:13:09.976
Yeah ... and

00:13:10.036 --> 00:13:14.126
Ohio. Yeah. And if you can argue with me on that, I would love

00:13:14.176 --> 00:13:20.316
to hear every, you know, people's opinions. But just in, uh, based on, like, the gyms that I've been to,

00:13:20.356 --> 00:13:25.076
those three states are just stacked with some really cool hardcore

00:13:25.116 --> 00:13:25.556
gyms.

00:13:26.596 --> 00:13:30.136
Yeah. I, I'm thinking here. So going back, just so the

00:13:30.236 --> 00:13:34.476
stack, I'm kind of still on, on that stack. So the stack essentially just moves

00:13:34.796 --> 00:13:37.296
as you go throughout the range of motion, going back to the eccentric

00:13:37.336 --> 00:13:40.036
one? Yeah. Very cool. Very cool. Yeah. So, okay.

00:13:40.456 --> 00:13:40.616
That's

00:13:40.676 --> 00:13:40.936
awesome.

00:13:41.416 --> 00:13:41.616
Um,

00:13:42.096 --> 00:13:47.096
Jersey, Texas, and Ohio. There's a rich history in a lot of those.

00:13:47.436 --> 00:13:47.856
Um,

00:13:48.556 --> 00:13:49.056
I, I'm not

00:13:49.076 --> 00:13:52.336
gonna argue with you. I think Columbus,

00:13:52.996 --> 00:13:54.106
uh, has obviously been,

00:13:54.496 --> 00:14:00.146
been famous, as well as Austin now, are, are two hubs for strength training for sure.

00:14:00.716 --> 00:14:01.056
Yeah.

00:14:01.236 --> 00:14:06.116
Um, that's really cool. So I know that you've seen a lot

00:14:06.156 --> 00:14:11.856
of gyms, a lot, and it's would be really hard... I know you said some of your favorite ones are

00:14:11.916 --> 00:14:12.016
in

00:14:12.056 --> 00:14:16.876
those states. Um, as we go through this, if there's one that pops into your head where you're like, "Yep,

00:14:16.936 --> 00:14:18.185
that's the one that I really enjoy,"

00:14:18.895 --> 00:14:19.016
um,

00:14:19.156 --> 00:14:19.556
please,

00:14:20.076 --> 00:14:23.006
uh, share with us. Okay. Is, is there one right now that,

00:14:23.436 --> 00:14:23.476
you

00:14:23.516 --> 00:14:27.956
know, maybe, maybe it's recent, but just one where you're like, "Man, that was just such a fun day and,

00:14:28.076 --> 00:14:30.226
and that, that was really awesome."

00:14:30.876 --> 00:14:31.076
Yeah.

00:14:31.436 --> 00:14:31.716
Uh,

00:14:32.076 --> 00:14:33.236
ooh, my experience

00:14:33.316 --> 00:14:38.136
at, um, the East Coast Mecca, which is Bev Francis' gym on Long Island.

00:14:39.036 --> 00:14:39.236
That

00:14:39.316 --> 00:14:39.996
was great,

00:14:40.376 --> 00:14:42.936
uh, not because the gym was oh so

00:14:43.056 --> 00:14:44.156
special. Um,

00:14:44.236 --> 00:14:47.316
it's a great gym, lot of equipment. She has, like,

00:14:47.956 --> 00:14:48.116
10

00:14:48.176 --> 00:14:48.776
of everything.

00:14:49.316 --> 00:14:52.056
10 of every, uh, 10 leg extensions, 10

00:14:52.096 --> 00:14:53.956
leg curls. And the nice thing

00:14:54.016 --> 00:14:57.056
about that is it's not all the same brand.

00:14:57.356 --> 00:15:01.136
So, you know, it might be a Cybex, it might be a Hammer Strength, it might be a Life

00:15:01.216 --> 00:15:04.536
Fitness. But she has, like, one of every brand

00:15:05.416 --> 00:15:07.016
of every leg curl, of every leg

00:15:07.056 --> 00:15:09.016
extension. So we

00:15:09.096 --> 00:15:11.096
all know that, you know,

00:15:11.496 --> 00:15:17.096
these machines are basically one size fits all a lot of times. I mean, there's different ways to adjust,

00:15:17.656 --> 00:15:24.245
but sometimes it just doesn't feel right. The machine, for whatever reason, just doesn't suit you. Um, so that's always

00:15:24.276 --> 00:15:31.136
a plus when you have a gym that isn't so much about the aesthetic of, like, everything being

00:15:31.216 --> 00:15:33.176
Arsenal or everything being Hammer

00:15:33.256 --> 00:15:40.116
Strength- Yeah ... but having a variety and knowing, like, Hammer Strength makes an excellent leg curl machine.

00:15:40.196 --> 00:15:44.896
I don't know if they do, but that's just an example. Mm-hmm. So I'm gonna have that here. I'm gonna

00:15:44.916 --> 00:15:47.176
have an Arsenal calf raise.

00:15:47.696 --> 00:15:51.296
I'm gonna have, you know, just something that I think is the best,

00:15:51.836 --> 00:15:54.616
and it's just, like, this eclectic mix of brands.

00:15:55.216 --> 00:15:55.496
Um,

00:15:55.816 --> 00:16:00.026
and it's not for aesthetic reasons, it's just these are the best machines. And that's

00:16:00.036 --> 00:16:03.056
what she does great. She, she has her machines, she has

00:16:03.076 --> 00:16:03.836
her favorites.

00:16:04.576 --> 00:16:08.476
Um, and so the just- the, the gym is just stacked with great equipment.

00:16:09.156 --> 00:16:13.056
And also, I got to spend two hours with her just chatting it up

00:16:13.676 --> 00:16:17.076
and hearing her story about her upbringing in

00:16:17.116 --> 00:16:19.336
Australia and,

00:16:19.436 --> 00:16:19.756
um,

00:16:21.356 --> 00:16:27.336
you know, Pumping Iron too, you know, the movie she was in. And basically paving the way

00:16:28.196 --> 00:16:28.516
for

00:16:28.836 --> 00:16:30.535
women with muscles

00:16:30.916 --> 00:16:34.096
to be normalized. "Hey, I have muscles. I'm

00:16:34.296 --> 00:16:36.036
strong," and that,

00:16:36.336 --> 00:16:36.596
that's

00:16:36.605 --> 00:16:41.036
cool. Um, so it was, it was really cool to talk to her and, uh,

00:16:41.416 --> 00:16:41.946
work out at the

00:16:42.036 --> 00:16:44.176
gym. Yeah.

00:16:44.356 --> 00:16:46.136
I mean, I, I was thinking about

00:16:46.156 --> 00:16:52.076
Gym Crasher, uh, leading up to this, and I was thinking, "Man, Susan must enjoy this so much," 'cause

00:16:52.116 --> 00:16:54.006
it's really not just the workouts, but it's

00:16:54.016 --> 00:16:55.366
really, I imagine,

00:16:55.366 --> 00:17:01.026
a- a- and covering the gyms, it's really... Like, you get the opportunity to meet so many people,

00:17:01.116 --> 00:17:03.026
uh, from so many different areas. So can

00:17:03.056 --> 00:17:07.276
you talk more about that experience, traveling the US and to other parts of the world,

00:17:07.736 --> 00:17:10.116
and getting a chance to meet people who

00:17:10.675 --> 00:17:12.236
may be from a totally different background,

00:17:12.556 --> 00:17:13.455
like you just mentioned-

00:17:14.036 --> 00:17:17.396
Mm-hmm ... yet they share a really common passion for fitness and performance

00:17:17.435 --> 00:17:17.816
with you?

00:17:18.496 --> 00:17:20.116
Yeah. Um,

00:17:21.876 --> 00:17:23.356
I think that everyone...

00:17:24.175 --> 00:17:25.435
So besides Bev,

00:17:25.836 --> 00:17:26.215
um,

00:17:27.435 --> 00:17:27.955
I would say, like,

00:17:28.016 --> 00:17:28.636
another,

00:17:29.696 --> 00:17:31.116
uh, similar experience

00:17:31.156 --> 00:17:35.976
would be the Metroflex, the original Metroflex in Arlington,

00:17:36.076 --> 00:17:40.236
Texas. So that was, uh, founded by, um, Brian

00:17:40.276 --> 00:17:48.176
Dobson. And of course, Ronnie Coleman trained there, and Brian trained Ronnie for a period of time. Um, that's definitely

00:17:48.236 --> 00:17:51.456
in the top 10 grittiest gyms in America.

00:17:52.796 --> 00:17:53.136
Um,

00:17:54.436 --> 00:17:58.116
so, uh, you know, that was another opportunity to chat with Brian,

00:17:58.456 --> 00:18:00.456
um, and just kind of experience

00:18:02.236 --> 00:18:05.176
the gym and the environment and how they do things there.

00:18:05.916 --> 00:18:06.376
Um,

00:18:08.056 --> 00:18:09.196
and then I think,

00:18:10.136 --> 00:18:17.060
you know, besides those two, I would say those are very prominent people in the fitness industry-The other

00:18:17.100 --> 00:18:22.640
gym owners have been, you know, like, it's been mom and pops. It's been people who have come in- come

00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:26.160
from, like, different backgrounds. It's not always, like, fitness

00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:26.800
people.

00:18:27.520 --> 00:18:27.900
Um,

00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:34.180
but one thing I would say that everyone kind of has in common

00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:37.100
is the gym is their baby.

00:18:37.840 --> 00:18:38.160
Like,

00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:40.040
when I walk into their gym,

00:18:40.620 --> 00:18:45.990
I'm all theirs. Like, I listen to whatever they have to say, I respect their rules, you know,

00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:47.240
how they do things there,

00:18:47.860 --> 00:18:50.160
because the gym is, like,

00:18:50.600 --> 00:18:51.020
that's their

00:18:51.060 --> 00:18:51.400
baby.

00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:55.200
Um, and there's always...

00:18:55.340 --> 00:19:00.020
I... Just being a gym owner comes with a lot of, you know, struggle. No

00:19:00.040 --> 00:19:02.200
one, I don't think, gets in it to be super

00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:05.960
rich, you know, being a gym owner. And, uh, it's a lot

00:19:06.040 --> 00:19:08.860
of, a lot of hard work that

00:19:09.100 --> 00:19:10.980
I probably don't know the half of

00:19:11.040 --> 00:19:11.240
it.

00:19:12.020 --> 00:19:12.980
Um, but I

00:19:13.040 --> 00:19:16.960
respect everyone, all the owners that I've

00:19:17.060 --> 00:19:18.140
met and

00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:20.270
for just doing it, for just,

00:19:20.620 --> 00:19:23.240
"Hey, I'm gonna start a gym." Because that's something

00:19:23.300 --> 00:19:27.100
that I would like to do probably one day. Um,

00:19:27.800 --> 00:19:29.000
I just love to train.

00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:32.060
Um, but for whatever reason, I haven't done it

00:19:32.080 --> 00:19:34.100
yet, and these people have.

00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:35.180
So

00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:38.170
I give them major props for, for doing

00:19:38.220 --> 00:19:42.170
it. All right. So my question to you then

00:19:42.600 --> 00:19:42.760
is

00:19:42.840 --> 00:19:46.970
y- it, it seems clear that you've thought about starting your own gym before.

00:19:47.040 --> 00:19:49.060
If you ever do, or maybe I should say

00:19:49.140 --> 00:19:53.690
when you do- ... have you thought about now, after all of these experiences,

00:19:54.820 --> 00:19:59.050
what you would want your gym to look like and feel like, and what that experience would

00:19:59.060 --> 00:20:02.000
be for somebody coming into your gym to train would be like?

00:20:02.600 --> 00:20:03.000
Yeah.

00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:04.360
Ooh,

00:20:04.740 --> 00:20:06.140
I think it would probably be,

00:20:06.440 --> 00:20:06.840
um,

00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:10.150
a, a smaller

00:20:10.280 --> 00:20:16.350
gym. Uh, I don't see myself having... I love a massive warehouse

00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:20.960
gym. I love walking into a gym, and it's just massive, and there are a ton of

00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:27.100
them out there. And this is another reason, this is a segue here, but, um, I'm in Manhattan,

00:20:28.140 --> 00:20:33.230
so it's- it's because of it being the city and just super expensive,

00:20:34.380 --> 00:20:39.020
uh, the gyms in Manhattan are a way because of that. So they're very boutiquey.

00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:42.480
Uh, it's, it's a small space. They're very private.

00:20:42.940 --> 00:20:45.540
And it's because you can't have, you can't even afford,

00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:49.140
like, a big- Right ... warehouse gym here in New York City. So that's kind of

00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:56.200
why I've realized Manhattan has the gyms the, uh, that it does,

00:20:56.840 --> 00:20:57.200
um,

00:20:57.600 --> 00:20:59.120
because of the space. It's limited

00:20:59.160 --> 00:21:00.040
with- Mm-hmm ... space. You can't

00:21:00.060 --> 00:21:06.360
make a lot of noise. It's super expensive. And so for that reason, it's just, like, home of a ton

00:21:06.420 --> 00:21:10.260
of boutique gyms. Um, and you go to Ohio,

00:21:11.120 --> 00:21:15.000
you got a ton of warehouse gyms, ton of massive gyms. You have a lot more space.

00:21:15.040 --> 00:21:19.180
It's a lot more affordable to have that space.

00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:20.400
Um,

00:21:21.640 --> 00:21:22.100
so

00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:22.440
I

00:21:22.460 --> 00:21:24.520
would say, c- going back to your question,

00:21:25.180 --> 00:21:25.580
uh,

00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:27.100
I think my

00:21:27.140 --> 00:21:28.120
gym would

00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:33.120
be kind of on the smaller size, but mid-sized. I want it to be open

00:21:33.160 --> 00:21:35.000
to everyone. Um,

00:21:35.840 --> 00:21:38.640
I'm going to have an eclectic mix of brands,

00:21:39.040 --> 00:21:41.000
you know, my f- my personal favorites.

00:21:41.860 --> 00:21:42.260
Um,

00:21:43.980 --> 00:21:44.300
maybe,

00:21:45.120 --> 00:21:47.940
not maybe, but definitely a Keiser functional trainer

00:21:48.040 --> 00:21:50.160
is in there. Mm-hmm. Putting a plug

00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:50.480
in.

00:21:51.360 --> 00:21:51.660
Yeah.

00:21:53.280 --> 00:21:55.160
Um, and, uh, definitely

00:21:55.220 --> 00:21:58.100
a one- one story, one level open

00:21:58.160 --> 00:21:58.820
concept.

00:21:59.520 --> 00:22:02.060
Um, I think the- Mm-hmm ... the owners that I've talked

00:22:02.140 --> 00:22:04.120
to, those who

00:22:04.260 --> 00:22:11.820
have, uh, like, multiple level gyms, you know, they might have a weight, a weight room down below, cardio room

00:22:11.860 --> 00:22:13.080
up here, another room up

00:22:13.100 --> 00:22:13.420
here,

00:22:14.220 --> 00:22:17.060
um, that was just kind of,

00:22:17.100 --> 00:22:18.820
like, their option

00:22:19.120 --> 00:22:21.440
for, uh, what was available,

00:22:21.780 --> 00:22:25.260
you know, in their city or, you know, wherever they were looking and what they could afford.

00:22:25.860 --> 00:22:28.080
But I think most people, or most

00:22:28.180 --> 00:22:29.980
owners would opt, if they

00:22:30.020 --> 00:22:33.040
had the choice, for just, like, one big

00:22:33.120 --> 00:22:33.980
open space.

00:22:35.160 --> 00:22:38.260
Yeah. Have you been to

00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:40.300
East Bank Club in Chicago?

00:22:41.140 --> 00:22:41.339
East

00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:41.780
Bank?

00:22:42.360 --> 00:22:43.960
No. All right. I was curious. It sounds

00:22:44.040 --> 00:22:46.920
familiar. It's- it's a, it's a very

00:22:47.060 --> 00:22:47.940
famous gym,

00:22:48.320 --> 00:22:49.270
um, only

00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:51.080
because it's been around for a

00:22:51.120 --> 00:22:58.350
really long time, but the square footage is absurd. I mean, it- it takes up, like, an entire block of

00:22:58.360 --> 00:22:59.050
Chicago, and it's

00:22:59.100 --> 00:23:03.500
on the river. Um, if you get the chance, I know you were here a few months ago, and you

00:23:03.520 --> 00:23:06.930
were visiting some stuff, uh- Yeah ... west of the city or southwest of the

00:23:07.040 --> 00:23:13.940
city, but the square footage is absolutely insane, and there's a pool at the top of it that's, like, a

00:23:14.040 --> 00:23:16.020
summer hangout spot, a great smoothie

00:23:16.100 --> 00:23:23.770
bar. But it's, the building itself is a little bit older. Um, but there's about seven floors, like, 10 different

00:23:23.820 --> 00:23:28.020
elevators that you can take. But when you walk into kind of that weight room area,

00:23:28.040 --> 00:23:30.080
and there are multiple, you get that high

00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:35.110
ceiling, big open space, um, which sounds like that's kind of something

00:23:35.160 --> 00:23:41.070
that you would enjoy. Yeah. Yeah. I think, uh, what's kind of like a pain in the ass sometimes is

00:23:41.100 --> 00:23:47.240
to, you know, be in the middle of your workout, and you're on one floor, and then maybe you're super

00:23:47.340 --> 00:23:50.760
setting or you wanna go right into the next thing, but then you have to go down, like, a couple

00:23:50.800 --> 00:23:52.860
of flight of step, or stairs to-

00:23:53.060 --> 00:23:53.840
to get to it.

00:23:54.520 --> 00:23:56.690
Um, so that's just my opinion.

00:23:57.320 --> 00:23:59.980
One big open space where you can see everything and access

00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:06.060
things quickly, uh, just makes a little more sense to me. Yeah. East Bank Club in itself, it's, and it's

00:24:06.100 --> 00:24:09.480
known as, like, a bougier place in Chicago, but it has...

00:24:11.020 --> 00:24:13.070
Like, it has the big open space that you would want,

00:24:13.380 --> 00:24:15.140
and you could just spend your whole day there,

00:24:15.800 --> 00:24:19.990
or you could take an elevator up and go to a different space and go here. The, it's,

00:24:20.200 --> 00:24:20.300
it's

00:24:20.340 --> 00:24:22.060
absurd. So maybe next time

00:24:22.100 --> 00:24:23.960
you're here, uh, we'll try to go over

00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:28.196
there Okay. Yeah ... that'd be pretty, that'd be pretty fun. Um, but definitely is a, is a name

00:24:28.276 --> 00:24:34.276
brand here in Chicago. Um, I was thinking when we first met at Paulie's Place in Brooklyn,

00:24:34.316 --> 00:24:36.296
I mean, I- Oh ... I like the vibe of that place.

00:24:36.636 --> 00:24:40.026
You know, the warehouse-y vibe that you were talking about, has that loft- Yeah ... feel to it,

00:24:40.136 --> 00:24:44.006
the exposed brick. Um, I know that one's multi floors because he has the Keiser

00:24:44.036 --> 00:24:47.896
equipment up top, but I thought that was, like, a really cool space and,

00:24:48.016 --> 00:24:51.036
um, I think that was one of the first gyms I went to in New York where it was,

00:24:51.056 --> 00:24:55.046
like, kind of like an odd entrance and just, like, off the side street. Very unassuming,

00:24:55.476 --> 00:25:00.256
I- I- I would say- Yeah ... compared to a lot of other gyms that you would see. Yeah.

00:25:00.336 --> 00:25:00.516
Uh,

00:25:00.556 --> 00:25:06.896
and he, uh, his gym is a little different too because his focus is more power lifting. Uh, so he

00:25:06.936 --> 00:25:13.176
does, you know, the setup kind of works for him, so he has, you know, all the racks down- downstairs,

00:25:13.296 --> 00:25:15.476
all the power lifting equipment downstairs,

00:25:15.976 --> 00:25:20.316
and then upstairs is, you know, all the Keiser equipment.

00:25:20.676 --> 00:25:21.046
And that

00:25:21.056 --> 00:25:27.156
works because, you know, the Keiser equipment's great for New York City because you're not slamming any weights,

00:25:27.516 --> 00:25:30.976
and if you're on that second floor and somebody's down below

00:25:31.056 --> 00:25:34.096
you, you're barely making, you know, any noise.

00:25:34.636 --> 00:25:37.056
Right. But he has such a cool setup, and that's so,

00:25:37.096 --> 00:25:39.016
like, classic Brooklyn.

00:25:39.616 --> 00:25:40.116
Yeah. I love it.

00:25:41.736 --> 00:25:41.996
When we

00:25:42.056 --> 00:25:44.176
first walked in there, the place was...

00:25:44.536 --> 00:25:48.076
I was like, "I think we're in the right place." Uh, you know, and then there's construction everywhere

00:25:48.096 --> 00:25:50.016
around there and, and all sorts of, uh,

00:25:50.676 --> 00:25:55.116
you know, city noises and whatnot. So I, I have a question for you. I'm curious to know what your

00:25:55.156 --> 00:26:00.056
training is like. I mean, I know you're training all the time. Is it regimented? Like, you do so much

00:26:00.096 --> 00:26:03.996
traveling, do you follow a plan or you show up and say, "I don't know what this gym's

00:26:04.016 --> 00:26:08.056
gonna have in here today. Uh, hey, this machine is awesome, let me just go over there and

00:26:08.156 --> 00:26:13.296
use it," like me on the Bislater. Like, do you have a plan? Yeah. I, I do have a plan.

00:26:13.506 --> 00:26:19.336
I mean, there's, there's like, I guess, a method to the madness. It's a very loose plan, uh, and that's

00:26:19.356 --> 00:26:23.176
just kind of where I am in my life, I think, right now. I think I was...

00:26:24.136 --> 00:26:26.096
Not I think, but I was very strict with

00:26:26.136 --> 00:26:26.836
my training,

00:26:27.416 --> 00:26:33.896
um, years ago, and I went through different phases. I went through a bodybuilding phase, I went through a CrossFit

00:26:33.956 --> 00:26:34.956
phase, and I,

00:26:35.035 --> 00:26:36.996
I think at this point in

00:26:37.036 --> 00:26:40.116
my life, I'm a little more about just

00:26:40.916 --> 00:26:43.236
having fun and not getting

00:26:43.336 --> 00:26:48.996
hurt and, uh, making sure that I'm kinda maintaining, uh, my

00:26:49.116 --> 00:26:50.966
strength and, uh,

00:26:51.176 --> 00:26:59.216
my gains. Uh, I'm definitely aesthetic person, so I'm all about the muscles. Um, so just kind of maintaining that,

00:26:59.276 --> 00:27:03.116
and then the rest of it's just having fun and trying new things and

00:27:03.536 --> 00:27:04.956
trying not to injure myself,

00:27:05.036 --> 00:27:08.196
which so far, knock on wood, I've been doing okay.

00:27:09.976 --> 00:27:13.076
Absolutely. So how do you decide, like, what city to go to or what gyms to visit?

00:27:14.496 --> 00:27:14.836
Um,

00:27:15.496 --> 00:27:21.176
uh, uh, so at first it was all based around, you know, finding the hardest gyms in America,

00:27:21.476 --> 00:27:25.116
so I, I was hitting up all of those. And believe it or not, like, believe

00:27:25.216 --> 00:27:27.396
or not, a lot of those are in Jersey,

00:27:28.376 --> 00:27:29.346
Texas again,

00:27:29.796 --> 00:27:30.956
California has some good

00:27:31.016 --> 00:27:32.096
ones, uh,

00:27:32.176 --> 00:27:34.116
Ohio. Um,

00:27:35.216 --> 00:27:39.996
so a lot of it was based on that. And then I just, I think I just love

00:27:40.036 --> 00:27:44.176
to travel too, so it was wherever I would go, wherever I would plan

00:27:44.216 --> 00:27:47.206
to go, I would just look into gyms

00:27:47.676 --> 00:27:52.236
in the area before I went. So I just got back from, uh, Puerto Vallarta

00:27:53.036 --> 00:27:54.396
and, uh, there

00:27:54.596 --> 00:27:56.216
were so many

00:27:56.876 --> 00:28:01.196
great gyms, and I've coined this word, it's like a dive

00:28:01.236 --> 00:28:05.076
gym. I guess if you, if you know what a diver- Right ... is, this is just,

00:28:05.136 --> 00:28:09.056
like, ton- tons of dive gyms just Never heard of

00:28:09.116 --> 00:28:14.076
it. Um,

00:28:14.676 --> 00:28:17.136
but there were just so many, like, great

00:28:17.696 --> 00:28:18.036
holes

00:28:18.076 --> 00:28:21.176
in the wall. Uh, but also modern gyms

00:28:21.276 --> 00:28:24.016
too. Uh, but again, just my niche is

00:28:24.436 --> 00:28:25.076
those gritty

00:28:25.196 --> 00:28:27.016
gyms, and there were so

00:28:27.056 --> 00:28:27.756
many of them.

00:28:28.496 --> 00:28:33.116
Um, so I just... I think I went to, like, seven or eight gyms in

00:28:33.156 --> 00:28:33.836
three days.

00:28:35.156 --> 00:28:41.096
And, uh, it, you can't, I obviously can't meet with all of the owners and spend that much

00:28:41.196 --> 00:28:41.955
time at every single

00:28:42.015 --> 00:28:42.636
gym, it'd be

00:28:44.136 --> 00:28:44.756
very, uh,

00:28:45.075 --> 00:28:48.096
exhausting. Mm-hmm. Um, so I usually pick

00:28:48.136 --> 00:28:49.996
a couple and I'll spend a bit

00:28:50.016 --> 00:28:55.216
more time there. I'll chat with the trainers or the owners or get to know some of the members,

00:28:55.696 --> 00:28:57.236
um, and just make buddies.

00:28:58.296 --> 00:29:04.026
Um, but yeah, that was just, like, a personal trip. I, I hadn't been there, um,

00:29:04.076 --> 00:29:04.496
and

00:29:05.076 --> 00:29:11.215
so I just, on top of, like, enjoying Mexico and sightseeing and eating all the great

00:29:11.296 --> 00:29:16.965
food, um, I made sure to hit, hit up a bunch of gyms and, uh, take a lot of pictures

00:29:17.036 --> 00:29:19.096
and, um, add those to the map.

00:29:20.496 --> 00:29:21.035
Absolutely.

00:29:21.696 --> 00:29:27.136
Well, there's one thing that gym owners outside of, you know, performance and,

00:29:27.256 --> 00:29:31.216
and fitness, there's one thing they know, and that's good food,

00:29:32.136 --> 00:29:37.276
right? Like, they alway- I... They always know where the good food is. Good food. So I feel like,

00:29:37.316 --> 00:29:41.956
you know, it's very efficient to go in and train, and then obviously you wanna go eat afterwards.

00:29:42.016 --> 00:29:44.066
All you have to do, you don't need to even look that up,

00:29:44.956 --> 00:29:47.056
you can just ask the gym owner and they'll know the spot, right?

00:29:47.536 --> 00:29:47.796
Right.

00:29:48.596 --> 00:29:53.516
Yeah. And that's happened a lot of times too. I've, I've become close with the gym owners. Um,

00:29:53.516 --> 00:29:56.036
uh, one place in, in particular, I

00:29:56.076 --> 00:30:04.336
was out, uh, in LA, I think this is in Culver City. Uh, there's a place called Six Packs Gym.

00:30:04.416 --> 00:30:07.436
It's a, a former gas station turned

00:30:07.496 --> 00:30:13.986
gym, so it sits right there on the corner. It's a lovely spot. It's beautiful. Uh, it's just

00:30:14.056 --> 00:30:16.196
one story. It looks like a former gas

00:30:16.236 --> 00:30:18.036
station. Still has, like, the

00:30:18.096 --> 00:30:18.736
signage.

00:30:19.436 --> 00:30:22.096
Um, so I'd contacted,

00:30:22.716 --> 00:30:23.036
uh,

00:30:23.396 --> 00:30:27.040
the owner, and I'm drawing a blank here on his name.Sorry.

00:30:27.760 --> 00:30:28.100
Um,

00:30:28.780 --> 00:30:33.100
but I- that was one of my first stops in LA- in LA maybe about a year

00:30:33.120 --> 00:30:33.180
and

00:30:33.220 --> 00:30:37.480
a half ago, and I worked out there. He took me through an entire

00:30:37.540 --> 00:30:37.980
workout,

00:30:38.380 --> 00:30:41.080
um, which he wanted to do, and I gladly

00:30:41.120 --> 00:30:46.580
went through it. Uh, did the full workout, and then he's like, "All right, let's go eat." And then we

00:30:46.620 --> 00:30:50.680
went and ate, and then we just chatted- Oh ... some more and he told me his whole story and,

00:30:50.760 --> 00:30:57.800
um, I think he, he came from Iran and it, it was just like a fight for him to, to

00:30:57.860 --> 00:30:59.240
get to the US.

00:30:59.700 --> 00:31:02.940
He has such a crazy story. Um, and

00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:08.040
he had no money, and a lot of times, that's an- another thing of these stories. These gym owners

00:31:08.460 --> 00:31:11.960
have nothing to start with but like a pair of dumbbells, and they're not even

00:31:12.020 --> 00:31:15.980
like the same weight dumbbell. Right. You know? It's like- Mm-hmm ... this is what

00:31:16.060 --> 00:31:21.120
I had to start. Um, and then it just grew from there, and it's just the passion behind that.

00:31:21.640 --> 00:31:25.220
So he really had nothing and it, it, he struggled, um,

00:31:26.220 --> 00:31:29.100
to even get to America and get to the US, and,

00:31:29.840 --> 00:31:31.280
um, he had like

00:31:31.839 --> 00:31:33.060
a couple of dumbbells

00:31:33.220 --> 00:31:39.020
and then the community kind of got behind him as he was building things up and training people.

00:31:39.080 --> 00:31:44.050
He had a lot of help from the community, you know, putting things together, and now he's just

00:31:44.080 --> 00:31:45.340
like flourishing.

00:31:45.380 --> 00:31:48.100
He's killing it, and it's such a cool gym, and he's

00:31:48.880 --> 00:31:49.120
such

00:31:49.220 --> 00:31:55.020
a, a enthusiastic person. His passion for it just, you know, comes out and you just get

00:31:55.040 --> 00:31:55.530
excited.

00:31:56.240 --> 00:31:58.240
Mm-hmm. So that was just a great experience.

00:31:59.660 --> 00:32:03.000
Very cool. So how much have you done outside of the

00:32:03.020 --> 00:32:06.000
US? Not a lot. Not as much

00:32:06.060 --> 00:32:11.160
as I, I would like. Um, you know, I just, I did Mexico a couple of times. I was in

00:32:11.180 --> 00:32:18.080
Barcelona, but, um, I only went to maybe one gym there. Uh, I've been to Iceland

00:32:18.780 --> 00:32:23.170
and, uh, I would like to get back there because there are, uh, some great gyms

00:32:23.540 --> 00:32:33.140
and some heavy hitters there. Um, so it's definitely starting, starting local. I've been to probably most of the gyms

00:32:33.180 --> 00:32:35.100
in the greater, uh, New York City

00:32:35.110 --> 00:32:37.990
area. Mm-hmm. Um, which is a lot, which is

00:32:38.040 --> 00:32:41.960
great because I, I live in an area where, you know, I have the

00:32:42.020 --> 00:32:44.020
subway, um,

00:32:44.120 --> 00:32:47.100
I have trains, so I have access to a lot of

00:32:47.160 --> 00:32:52.580
gyms. Uh, so I can hop on the subway and get to Brooklyn, Manhattan, go up to the Bronx,

00:32:52.880 --> 00:32:55.020
take the train to- Right ... Jersey or take the, the bus

00:32:55.060 --> 00:32:57.030
to Jersey or get to Long

00:32:57.160 --> 00:33:00.040
Island. So just living in

00:33:00.100 --> 00:33:05.120
New York has given me easy access to a lot of gyms right off the bat.

00:33:05.729 --> 00:33:07.310
And then I think from, from

00:33:07.400 --> 00:33:07.770
here

00:33:08.200 --> 00:33:11.220
I'm, you know, s- slowly starting to expand.

00:33:12.140 --> 00:33:18.020
And then the end goal too with, with Gym Crasher is for it to be a crowdsourced, uh, site. So,

00:33:18.300 --> 00:33:21.760
um- Yeah ... not just me, but other people contributing.

00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:22.600
Uh,

00:33:22.920 --> 00:33:24.040
everyone's a gym crasher

00:33:25.300 --> 00:33:31.920
and- Right ... everyone contributing their photos, uh, their favorite gyms and adding to the map. Um,

00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:34.860
yeah. I, I think that would be, that would be

00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:35.580
the, uh,

00:33:36.160 --> 00:33:42.920
the end goal. Well, very cool. Well, now you are my Iceland gym person, okay? So when I go

00:33:43.020 --> 00:33:44.100
there, I know who I'm gonna

00:33:44.580 --> 00:33:49.150
reach out to to get a recommendation, for sure. What's next on your list? I know you mentioned

00:33:49.200 --> 00:33:52.440
you wanna go to a few of the ones that are on your griddy, you know, top 10 grittiest list,

00:33:52.540 --> 00:33:56.860
but are there some places maybe in the world or in the US that you wanna get to that you

00:33:56.900 --> 00:33:57.020
haven't

00:33:57.040 --> 00:34:04.440
been able to yet? Ooh, yeah. There's always a gym to crash and, in fact, there are, um... That's, that's

00:34:04.500 --> 00:34:08.830
one thing too. I thought like, "I'm gonna run out of gyms," but you will never run out of gyms

00:34:08.900 --> 00:34:11.980
to go to. Um, even in New York, there's

00:34:12.060 --> 00:34:18.179
just like always a gym popping up, always something new, something that I just

00:34:19.219 --> 00:34:21.020
maybe looked over and, you know,

00:34:21.139 --> 00:34:24.060
I just, I, I think that I've been to them all and then something will

00:34:24.100 --> 00:34:29.080
pop up. Um, as far as gyms that I haven't been to that are on my list,

00:34:29.900 --> 00:34:30.739
um,

00:34:35.690 --> 00:34:36.139
I'm drawing

00:34:36.150 --> 00:34:40.909
a blank. Let me look at my list. I do have my list here. Yeah, go ahead. There are a

00:34:41.060 --> 00:34:43.960
few, there are a few in Chicago.

00:34:44.080 --> 00:34:49.960
Um, the last ti- okay, so the last time I went to Chicago, um, I went to some

00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:52.100
great gyms. I went to Quads, of course.

00:34:52.460 --> 00:34:52.750
Mm-hmm.

00:34:53.360 --> 00:34:53.780
Um,

00:34:54.639 --> 00:34:59.050
but if you're in Chicago, which you are, and maybe somebody else listening to this is,

00:34:59.780 --> 00:35:02.080
there is a great gym called B&W

00:35:02.120 --> 00:35:06.280
Gym, and it is the oldest gym in Chicago.

00:35:07.220 --> 00:35:10.180
It was established in 1978,

00:35:10.760 --> 00:35:15.080
and I think Quads, uh, came along in '76, two

00:35:15.140 --> 00:35:15.860
years prior,

00:35:16.220 --> 00:35:20.939
but I think at the time Quads was kind of outside of the Chicago,

00:35:21.040 --> 00:35:29.179
uh, border, and then they relocated. So technically speaking, this B&W Gym is the oldest gym in Chicago. It's been

00:35:29.240 --> 00:35:31.420
around longer than Quads in Chicago.

00:35:32.220 --> 00:35:32.320
Right.

00:35:32.680 --> 00:35:33.360
I

00:35:33.440 --> 00:35:36.140
see it. Uh, the owner- I see it now, over by Senn High S- oh, Senn Bulldogs.

00:35:36.220 --> 00:35:38.140
All right. Yeah, you gotta get

00:35:38.160 --> 00:35:42.000
there. You have to get there. Okay. That is just filled with like

00:35:42.160 --> 00:35:43.980
relics, with just...

00:35:44.240 --> 00:35:45.100
It's nothing

00:35:45.160 --> 00:35:48.740
modern. Uh, just a lot of old school equipment.

00:35:49.020 --> 00:35:49.420
Uh,

00:35:50.220 --> 00:35:51.840
the founder's

00:35:52.020 --> 00:35:54.240
brother, forget his name, is still

00:35:54.300 --> 00:35:57.000
there and still m- still manning

00:35:57.040 --> 00:35:59.220
the front desk. Um,

00:36:00.460 --> 00:36:03.000
but that was such a cool gym. And then Quads

00:36:03.100 --> 00:36:05.300
too, I mean, great gym.

00:36:05.980 --> 00:36:06.060
That

00:36:06.100 --> 00:36:08.980
was my first... M- My last trip to Chicago was my first

00:36:09.040 --> 00:36:09.580
time there.

00:36:10.340 --> 00:36:13.980
Uh, that gym is just massive. I didn't realize how

00:36:14.040 --> 00:36:15.140
massive that

00:36:15.160 --> 00:36:19.400
gym is. And un- unfortunately, uh, the owner passed away,

00:36:20.200 --> 00:36:23.240
I think it was early ear- yeah, early last

00:36:23.300 --> 00:36:24.000
year, so,

00:36:24.080 --> 00:36:26.960
um, I didn't have the opportunity to speak with

00:36:27.020 --> 00:36:30.110
him and I'm, I'm really bummed that I didn't because,

00:36:30.560 --> 00:36:36.232
you know, I, he sounded like a really cool guy and, you know, I'd spent-A lot of time at Quads.

00:36:37.272 --> 00:36:37.672
Um,

00:36:38.492 --> 00:36:38.942
that's another

00:36:39.052 --> 00:36:42.252
great one. Chicago's filled with great gyms.

00:36:43.492 --> 00:36:43.712
Yeah.

00:36:45.032 --> 00:36:46.952
Well, you have to do another trip, and we can- Yeah ... go back

00:36:47.012 --> 00:36:52.212
to it. Yeah. Quads is not too far away from me, so, uh, actually neither of those are, so

00:36:52.252 --> 00:36:57.092
I'll have to, uh, reach out and make the trip over there for sure. And

00:36:57.132 --> 00:37:00.832
like we talked about, plenty of great food here. Oh, yeah.

00:37:01.012 --> 00:37:02.992
I... The hot dogs. I gotta come back for

00:37:03.032 --> 00:37:09.212
the hot dogs. Plenty of gr- plenty of great food, and we can contrast that with the East Bank Club.

00:37:09.832 --> 00:37:10.052
Um,

00:37:10.692 --> 00:37:15.572
so what's something that you didn't expect when you started Gym Crasher

00:37:16.192 --> 00:37:16.632
that

00:37:17.492 --> 00:37:23.192
you've really enjoyed or has really meant more to you than you thought it would have?

00:37:24.772 --> 00:37:25.012
Yeah.

00:37:25.312 --> 00:37:25.692
Um,

00:37:27.472 --> 00:37:30.932
I think, and this could go for any project that

00:37:31.012 --> 00:37:31.612
you start,

00:37:32.052 --> 00:37:35.252
um, just,

00:37:35.612 --> 00:37:39.132
just starting something and doing something, the intention for Gym Crasher,

00:37:40.412 --> 00:37:45.272
like this is something that I enjoy doing. It was something that I was already doing, and then

00:37:45.352 --> 00:37:52.032
Instagram was an, an outlet for me to share what I was doing with other people. Um,

00:37:53.372 --> 00:37:55.072
eh, so that was okay,

00:37:55.112 --> 00:37:59.232
kind of what it started, how it started and, and

00:37:59.532 --> 00:38:01.092
what I thought it would be at first.

00:38:01.872 --> 00:38:06.152
But I think what I'm finding is like as, as long as you keep doing

00:38:06.252 --> 00:38:08.952
something, you know, I, I have no idea where this is gonna

00:38:09.012 --> 00:38:11.122
go- Yeah ... where Gym Crasher is gonna go,

00:38:11.932 --> 00:38:14.292
but as long as you keep doing something

00:38:14.352 --> 00:38:14.812
and keep,

00:38:15.232 --> 00:38:16.972
keep putting effort into

00:38:17.032 --> 00:38:19.472
it and, and keep watering the flowers,

00:38:19.572 --> 00:38:19.752
and,

00:38:20.832 --> 00:38:24.152
uh, it'll lead to something. You know, the people who are successful,

00:38:24.632 --> 00:38:26.112
uh, and successful I mean by

00:38:26.192 --> 00:38:30.072
like have like a business or something of theirs that's

00:38:30.132 --> 00:38:33.072
up and running, are the people who just didn't stop.

00:38:33.932 --> 00:38:34.312
And

00:38:34.992 --> 00:38:35.112
so

00:38:35.212 --> 00:38:38.072
that was kind of how I went into it. That was my

00:38:38.112 --> 00:38:44.712
mindset. I'm, I'm not gonna stop. I'm just gonna keep doing it. It's something that I like to do. Maybe

00:38:44.732 --> 00:38:46.012
somebody else there will, will

00:38:46.052 --> 00:38:50.112
enjoy it too. Who cares? Just keep doing it. You love

00:38:50.152 --> 00:38:50.672
doing this.

00:38:51.392 --> 00:38:54.012
Um, and what I found is

00:38:54.092 --> 00:38:57.212
that, you know, what you plan for,

00:38:57.582 --> 00:39:00.412
there, there's alwa- there's gonna be like another opportunity

00:39:01.072 --> 00:39:03.272
that comes out of it that you didn't plan for.

00:39:04.172 --> 00:39:04.552
Um-

00:39:05.312 --> 00:39:07.052
Right ... so I kind of see Gym Crasher

00:39:08.012 --> 00:39:12.032
going different routes, you know. Um, maybe there's apparel one

00:39:12.092 --> 00:39:14.532
day. Maybe it's, you know, have a Gym Crasher hat.

00:39:15.152 --> 00:39:17.112
Um- Right ... maybe it's a podcast.

00:39:17.712 --> 00:39:23.432
Uh-huh. Um, maybe I'm doing interviews with, um, the owners of these gyms,

00:39:23.992 --> 00:39:24.452
maybe,

00:39:24.592 --> 00:39:27.151
uh, turns into equipment reviews.

00:39:27.252 --> 00:39:32.212
You know, I've, I've seen a lot of different equipment pieces, and maybe it, you know, it,

00:39:32.292 --> 00:39:37.062
it goes into that. But what I realized is as long as you just keep doing something-

00:39:37.612 --> 00:39:39.232
Right, right ... stuff is, stuff's gonna happen.

00:39:39.652 --> 00:39:40.952
You just, you know, don't stop.

00:39:41.072 --> 00:39:41.312
So,

00:39:42.112 --> 00:39:46.012
um, that's been really cool to see, even this podcast

00:39:46.032 --> 00:39:48.312
with you, you know. Right. This happened

00:39:48.372 --> 00:39:50.272
because, you know, I just kept,

00:39:50.872 --> 00:39:51.032
kept

00:39:51.052 --> 00:39:52.312
doing it, and,

00:39:52.672 --> 00:39:56.212
um, so just opportunities like that that you don't plan for,

00:39:57.012 --> 00:39:57.292
um,

00:39:58.132 --> 00:39:59.232
you know, that's always nice.

00:40:00.452 --> 00:40:06.072
Yeah. I think eventually when you zoom out at the end of this, whatever the end is, which obviously

00:40:06.092 --> 00:40:07.022
we don't know what that is,

00:40:07.892 --> 00:40:08.232
um,

00:40:08.892 --> 00:40:09.212
this

00:40:09.632 --> 00:40:09.972
feels

00:40:10.032 --> 00:40:13.052
like this is like the very beginning.

00:40:13.432 --> 00:40:14.952
You know, if you looked at this timeline of

00:40:15.012 --> 00:40:16.112
it, it looks like this,

00:40:16.572 --> 00:40:22.072
you know, this is the very beginning of it. And, uh, certainly I know your hope for it and my

00:40:22.092 --> 00:40:26.552
hope, and I think everybody listening to this, would be really cool, and I'm really excited to see

00:40:26.612 --> 00:40:26.982
what comes

00:40:27.012 --> 00:40:29.032
of this. Um, and I- like I

00:40:29.072 --> 00:40:33.152
said, it's not just something that you're passionate about, but there is utility for it.

00:40:33.212 --> 00:40:35.142
Like I... There, there are many times

00:40:35.172 --> 00:40:39.372
that I could use something like this, so now I have you as a resource.

00:40:40.812 --> 00:40:43.072
Um, happy to be a part of it in, in any way we can help

00:40:43.192 --> 00:40:48.192
out. Um, but this is really cool, and I think the most important thing, and it's clear

00:40:48.272 --> 00:40:48.992
from the way you speak

00:40:49.032 --> 00:40:49.992
about it, is that

00:40:50.032 --> 00:40:53.112
it's very genuine, uh, and it's coming from a place,

00:40:53.732 --> 00:40:54.012
um,

00:40:55.332 --> 00:40:55.412
of

00:40:55.512 --> 00:41:00.982
passion I think, and it's, and that's easy to tell. So it's very cool. I'm really excited about that and

00:41:00.992 --> 00:41:01.272
excited

00:41:01.292 --> 00:41:03.022
to see, uh, what comes of it. So where

00:41:03.032 --> 00:41:05.062
can people find out more? Uh, obviously you have

00:41:05.072 --> 00:41:09.022
your Instagram account. Yeah. The Instagram is gym.crasher.

00:41:09.332 --> 00:41:12.452
Uh, the site will be eventually gymcrasher.com.

00:41:13.272 --> 00:41:13.282
Uh,

00:41:13.812 --> 00:41:14.101
it's,

00:41:14.672 --> 00:41:18.062
it's in progress, so it's coming soon. Um, I think

00:41:18.092 --> 00:41:20.032
in the meantime, the best, like if

00:41:20.092 --> 00:41:24.072
you're really curious, uh, you know, if you're on the road. and you're looking for a

00:41:24.092 --> 00:41:26.012
gym, just shoot me a DM

00:41:26.052 --> 00:41:31.962
and ask me, and I'll definitely get back to you and let you know like, you know, if, if I

00:41:32.012 --> 00:41:36.052
even haven't been there, I'm really good at finding gyms

00:41:36.112 --> 00:41:40.982
at this point. So if, uh, somebody's going on the road and needs help finding

00:41:41.092 --> 00:41:47.932
a gym, definitely hit me up and I can help you there. Yeah. I feel like now anytime someone mentions

00:41:47.972 --> 00:41:50.942
a city, you say, "Oh yeah, well, if you take two blocks that way, make a left." And you alluded

00:41:50.952 --> 00:41:53.992
to that earlier. You're like, "There's actually a really great gym over there. I know we're not talking

00:41:54.032 --> 00:41:55.072
about that, but there is."

00:41:55.572 --> 00:41:55.772
Yeah.

00:41:56.112 --> 00:41:57.232
I'm that, I'm that girl.

00:41:58.652 --> 00:42:02.162
You're like, "Oh, Wrigley Field. Yeah. Well, if you go two blocks east towards the lake,

00:42:02.252 --> 00:42:04.222
you know- ... there's Quads Gym over there." And everyone's

00:42:04.252 --> 00:42:04.392
like,

00:42:05.232 --> 00:42:05.832
"Yeah, that too."

00:42:08.132 --> 00:42:12.262
Very awesome. Um, and then, uh, so gym.crasher,

00:42:12.572 --> 00:42:17.272
correct? Yeah. On Instagram it's gym.crasher. The site is gymcrasher.com.

00:42:17.601 --> 00:42:22.082
Not yet up and running, but soon to be. All right. We look forward to it. Thank

00:42:22.112 --> 00:42:22.962
you so much. Amazing,

00:42:23.052 --> 00:42:27.872
Susan. Uh, thank you for joining me today on the live episode, of the Kaiser Human Performance podcast today in

00:42:27.972 --> 00:42:30.882
community. Excited to continue to follow your journey.

00:42:31.072 --> 00:42:36.492
Uh, I already followed, uh, @gym.crasher, and I'll definitely use it as a resource next time I'm out of town

00:42:36.532 --> 00:42:38.112
or, or traveling looking for a gym.

00:42:38.712 --> 00:42:43.992
Uh, as we mentioned, the best place to follow Susan's journey is on Instagram, @gym.crasher. Please

00:42:44.052 --> 00:42:46.072
make sure to give her a follow. Thank you, and have

00:42:46.112 --> 00:42:48.072
a great day. Thanks, Gabe.

00:42:53.412 --> 00:42:57.092
We appreciate you tuning in to this episode of the Kaiser Human Performance

00:42:57.192 --> 00:43:02.012
podcast. To stay up to date on all things Kaiser, follow us @kaiserfitness

00:43:02.332 --> 00:43:02.432
on

00:43:02.492 --> 00:43:04.412
Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

00:43:05.232 --> 00:43:08.112
For more content, you can visit our Kaiser Fitness YouTube page

00:43:08.552 --> 00:43:11.932
and at our website, www.kaiser.com.

00:43:12.512 --> 00:43:12.712
Thank

00:43:12.752 --> 00:43:14.052
you, and have a great day.