How Ben Found the Confidence to Lift

Ben wasn't new to hard work. He swam competitively in high school, and after college he made a point of staying active, mostly through running and years spent at a HIIT studio near his home. But there was one corner of fitness he had never let himself step into: traditional weightlifting. Deadlifts, squats, the bench. He wanted that experience, but something always kept him at arm's length from it.

It wasn't a lack of drive. As Ben puts it, "I have often found traditional gyms and lifting to be overwhelming and intimidating." That feeling had been with him for years, long enough that he can trace it back to right after college. He wasn't afraid of putting in the work. He was afraid of getting it wrong, of not knowing what he was doing, and most of all, of getting hurt trying to figure it out on his own.

Man in a red 'Inclusion, Acceptance, Community, Diversity, Equality' t-shirt waving a rainbow Pride flag on a city street."

Finding the Right Fit

For eight years, Ben had a gym he trusted. When it closed, he found himself back on the hunt, unsure where to land next. A friend and fellow member, Shelly Pals, had mentioned Studio ME to him, and given how close it was to home, Ben says, "it felt like a no-brainer to try."

At the time, he describes himself as "sluggish and out of shape, but eager to learn and get stronger." He wasn't chasing a number on a scale or a specific look. His first goal, in his own words, was "to find a workout setting where I enjoyed it enough to stick with it, if that makes sense, and to do so consistently." When asked whether he was more driven to solve a problem or chase a goal, Ben didn't hesitate: "To solve a goal!" He already knew how to work hard. What he hadn't found yet was a place built for consistency, one that didn't rely entirely on his own willpower to keep him coming back.

"Man smiling while walking with a loaded trap bar during a farmer's carry exercise in a gym, with a rower and colorful mural in the background."

The Turning Point

Ben is honest about what had tripped him up before. Alongside the fear of the lifts themselves, he points to something a lot of people quietly struggle with: "a lack of consistency (my own fault!). It is easier to fall off when you can sign up/cancel anytime." What changed at Studio ME wasn't a shift in motivation. It was structure. "The routine schedule of Studio Me has been great because it is just built into my routine, and I love the Tu/Th morning crew."

That built-in rhythm gave Ben something to lean on while he worked through the fear that had kept him out of the weight room for years. "Before Studio Me, I would not have been comfortable walking into a gym and doing deadlifts and such on my own," he says. "I would worry about my form, the amount of weight I would be lifting, and most of all, am I going to injure myself."

With coaches guiding his technique and a set schedule to show up to, those worries slowly had somewhere to go. Ben doesn't credit one breakthrough workout or a single lightbulb moment. Asked how he overcame the fear, his answer was simple: "I would say I overcame them by sticking with it, and doing so consistently." No shortcuts. Just reps, week after week, until the movements that once felt out of reach started to feel like his own.

"Man in a red 'Inclusion, Acceptance, Community, Diversity, Equality' t-shirt waving a rainbow Pride flag on a city street."

Life Today

Ask Ben what's made the biggest difference, and he doesn't point to a personal record first. He points to the people. "The people, both coaches and fellow members," he says. "I enjoy the assistance on form, when coaches bring over a heavier weight to try out, or they grab a set of kettlebells and work alongside us. And the members! It takes a special kind of group to enjoy each other at 5:45 am, twice a week. And they are so fun."

That community has turned early mornings into something Ben looks forward to, rather than something he has to talk himself into. He's currently in the middle of benchmark testing, and the results are giving him real momentum. "Excited! We are currently going through benchmark testing, and I am excited about the PR's so far this week," he says. "Will be fun to see what improvements come throughout year 2."

For anyone still deciding whether to walk through the door, Ben keeps his advice simple: "The environment is wonderful, inviting, and strong. Swing by!"

"Man in a squat position holding a barbell with weight plates, smiling at the camera in a gym setting."

Congratulations, Ben!

Congratulations to Ben, our Member of the Month. What started as a search for a place to stick with turned into real strength, built one consistent Tuesday and Thursday morning at a time. We're proud of how far you've come, and we're looking forward to what year two brings.