Member of the month recognition goes to one of our member’s that displays the following:
- Being coachable
- Work ethic
- Discipline
- Positive attitude
- Team player
- Great movement
- Consistency
Member of the Month January 2016
Candice Saltel
Candice started training with us the first week we opened. The first thing we noticed about her was how positive and eager she was about learning. She always show up with a smile on her face and leaves proud of her efforts. She has recently been squatting, deadlifting and pressing all new personal bests. Candice has recently told us she has lost a bunch of weight, had to buy a new pant size. This is just a testament to how hard she works outside the gym with her nutrition. I advised her to double her protein intake and it seems to be working!
Keep up the good work Candice.
Member of the Month February 2016
Lisa Oliver
February’s member of the month. Some of Lisa’s accomplishments this past month were a 155lb back squat. 225lb deadlift and her ultimate goal -getting a rope climb to 15ft.
Outside Lisa’s accomplishments is a very strong work ethic and a never quit attitude. She always gives her 100% and never makes excuses. Recently she got her first rope climb, with that accomplishment came an unfortunate injury of rope burn. Her response, “I don’t care, I got a rope climb”.
Member of the Month March 2016
Cory Aitken
Member of the Month for March Cory Aitken. If you ever been around the gym when Cory has been training you can’t help but notice how friendly, encouraging and positive he is in our group classes. He is always the first to offer help. He was our head judge for the open this past year. Even tho he actually can’t count he did a good job motivating us all ha ha.
Member of the Month April 2016
Diane Tilbury and Ally Beauchamp
This month we have TWO members of the month. Diane and Ally are both two of our longest attending clients at Southwest Strength, dating back to our garage days last year. You may not see them much around the gym, because they are both morning warriors.
Diane has made amazing improvements in all aspects of her movement quality and work capacity. She has learned to breathe through some of the “longer” type workouts. Obviously her fitness has improved, but the best part about having Diane apart of our team is her being genuinely very kind, welcoming and very positive. She has messaged Sara numerous time being very thankful for her help and just very excited in a “feel” good mood after the workout she just had that AM. Diane displays all the qualities we look for in our members, as she is coachable, hard working, doesn’t make excuses and is very positive and encouraging with fellow members!
Ally has been training with me since the summer of 2014. Her progress physically has been tremendous. She just recently back squatted 245lbs, deadlifted 315lbs and got an amazing 205 cals on the 10 minute airdyne test. If you have ever worked out with Ally you really can’t help but notice how fast she moves through the work capacity stuff. She has an amazing ability to breathe through work and push herself! She is what I would consider VERY aerobically fit. Outside of all her abilities is a kind hearted, very polite young lady that Sara and I have grown very close too! We don’t know what Ally’s plans are next year, but we hope she never leaves 😊.
Member of the month May
Dwight and Cara. Meet May’s Member of the Month and our first ever Married couple. They have been with us from the beginning. Slowly increased their attendance from 2 days a week to an unlimited membership. They are a big part of our community here at Southwest Strength. They have made tremendous progress physically and mentally. However they have noted numerous times how good they feel and how the training they do has changed their day to day lifestyle. They immediately feel better after a good hard workout. More importantly they are being such a positive and healthy role model for their girl Paige.
Member of the Month June
Carolyn Arndt and Rienna Skelton
Carolyn has been training with us since January of this year. Just by looking at the gun show you can see her transformation. If you known her the past 2 years, her transformation is very inspiring.
Carolyn is a big part of our community here at southwest strength. She is very friendly, coachable, hard working and positive. She never skips workouts (even with burpees or running). When she first started I used to here her say, “Im just going to try finish the workout, or go at my place.” Now she comes in and attacks the workouts, moves very well and efficiently.
Her and I have had some conversations and she talks about how important health and fitness is in her daily life. Her words, “It’s not just about losing weight anymore, it’s so much more- I want to get better at everything.” Her attitude towards health, fitness and longevity is exactly what we are trying to teach here southwest strength.
Carolyn we are so proud of you 😃
This little young lady has been training with us since she was 12 years old (2 years). Ever since day one we have been taken off guard, impressed and wowed more than a few times on her amazing strength and power. If you have worked out with her or been at southwest strength when she’s lifting, you already know she’s fast and lifting weights some people can only dream of lifting.
What makes Rienna so special is her attitude towards it all. She just turned 15, she has already done things some people never will, but not once have you ever heard her talk about it to anyone. She’s very humble and kind.
I always bug her about having no emotion, as she will walk up to a PR lift, make it, sit down, no smile, no fist pump nothing.
One moment I won’t forget is when she got her first ring muscle up, she was grinning from ear to ear and couldn’t stop smiling after that amazing accomplishment.
Rienna we are so proud of you, as you are setting a new standard for young females growing up and showing them it’s ok to be strong, confident and proud of your accomplishments and yourself.
Wish this girl good luck this weekend as she travels to Winnipeg to compete in her first weightlifting meet. We know she will make our gym proud!
Member of the Month for July
Meet member of the Month for July: Danielle Davies.
Danielle started training with us as soon as we open our doors back in November. She has been on her own personal fitness journey since last August. Her physical transformation has been very impressive. Losing over 30lbs. Just looking back at our post in February on her weight loss transformation she’s really gained a lot of lean muscle and you definitely see the difference between “muscle” and fat.
Sara and I constantly talk about Danielle being one of the most consistent client of ours. She is in our facility 6 out 7 days. She just recently started training on her own program with goals of becoming better at Olympic Lifting, improving her upper body pushing and pulling abilities and to be prepared so she can compete in the sport of Crossfit.
Her progress the last few months has been awesome. PR’d almost every lift. CJ,Snatch,OHS,Deadlift and I’m sure I’m missing one. Danielle is exactly what we are striving in our clients. She understands that consistency, hard work and enjoying the journey leads to results.
Thank you Danielle for working so hard, putting a smile on your face and being such a huge part of our community at Southwest Strength. I am proud to be apart of Danielle’s journey. She is not just a client, but now a very good friend of Sara and I’s.
Here is to a happy, healthy and fit life!
Bree Vanhove
This little lady may be one of our smallest member but don’t let her size fool you. She packs a huge punch. Everyone that comes to our gym knows Bree is a beast. She more than likely gets the best scores, fastest times and usually walks away from workouts not even breathing heavy.
What makes Bree special is her humble personality and crazy determined work ethic. Bree has recently got her first Bar Muscle up which was a huge goal of hers. Not once did you hear Bree even talk about it. She just smiles and moves on. When Bree is training you know she is all in, never makes excuses and always give full effort. As her coach it is VERY fun to design her training. Given her unique athletic ability (she legit catches onto everything), I can continue to challenge her. She is what I call a true athlete and displays characteristics that every determined athlete should possess. She puts her head down, listens to me, trusts me and works her ass off.
Bree is an amazing person and a very good friend of Sara and I. We could not be more proud to help you with your fitness journey. The community of Southwest Strength loves you and would not be the same without you.
Member of the Month for August
Our August Member of the Month is Amy Louttit! @allouttit was one of our first SWS members when we first started our business out of our home garage and has been consistent ever since! She is the definition of ‘making fitness a part of your lifestyle’. Probably one of my favorite memories of Amy was when she first learned how to do a rope climb, and told me she wasn’t ever able to do that in high school, and she’s doing it now!
She has also made sure health & fitness is a priority for her whole family, and we are happy to see every member of the Louttits’ attend SWS.
Thank you Amy for all your hard work & consistency! Make sure to give this girl a high-five next time you see her!
Member of the Month September 2016
Meet our new member of the month for September, Karen Beauchamp. This was an easy pick for us. If you have worked out with Karen the past little while, you would probably agree. She shows up consistently, constantly pushes herself and always helps others out a long the way. She even told me the harder the workout, the more excited she gets, because she loves the challenge.
It’s easy to see her physical transformation in this picture. She has lost 10lbs and a ton of inches. She told me that’s not what it’s all about for her. She wants to improve in all aspects of fitness. She just recently tested an aerobic tester from the beginning of summer in open gym and beat it by over 3 minutes. This is exactly the type of progress we want people to pay attention too, because a long the way Karen was improving her fitness and her body composition, but not once did she stress about how she looked, she trusted the process.
#longevity
#memberofthemonth
#fitness
Members of the Month October
MEMBERS OF THE MONTH!
Mandy has been a member at Southwest Strength since the beginning! This shows you she understands that consistency is key! She continues to show up and work hard. Her husband Andrew is also a dedicated member of the gym and together, they are setting a great example for their son, Emmet, who tags along from time to time! Mandy has made a huge transformation, not only with body composition, but also her quality of movement at the gym. Recently, she told us she’s now trying to incorporate healthier food options outside of the gym, making health and fitness a big priory in her and her families life!
Dillon has made leaps and bounds since he started coming to Southwest Strength. He may hate skipping rope with a passion, but Dillon will never miss a scheduled class (even if there’s 100 skips). Lately, we’ve really noticed how well Dillon moves through workouts and how he pushes himself past his limits to finish hard! He’s been seeing lots of positive changes in his body composition since he has started making healthier food choices and cut out beer (haha just kidding about the beer). Keep up the great work Dillon!
Member of the Month November
MEMBER OF THE MONTH
Our member of the month for November is Amber Vanbeselare!
Amber has been with us since the good old days in the garage! Which tells you she has made health and fitness a long-term priority in her life.
She’s really been killing her workouts lately, and recently started dialing in her nutrition, she has joined our nutrition coaching group and is making great progress with food, so many more great things to come from this lady!
Keep up the awesome work Amber!
December Member of The Month
December Member of the Month: Marcie Greenley
Marcie definitely deserves this recognition. Marcie is what we like to call a very compliant client. Her one year anniversary with us is coming up.
In the past year Marcie has lost over 30lbs and made fitness and nutrition a big priority in her life. She attends our group class Southwest Active 3x/week and has just recently signed up with our nutrition coaching group. In the past 5 weeks alone – Marcie has lost 12lbs! She has done this by eating MORE protein, carbs and fats!
I asked Marcie what her favourite part about Southwest Strength was, she replied “The community and support she receives daily from everyone”. I also asked her what her favourite things to do were, “I love all the weight training”, “I’m growing to love the cardio/conditioning”.
Thanks to a Marcie for being such an awesome member and an even better person!
January 2017 Members of the Month
Brandi Carr & Andrew Chartrand are both our members of the month for January 2017. If you have ever came to our gym for one class or are a regular attending client, you all know these two. They have been very committed clients of Southwest Strength and a HUGE part of our community. They have grown to be much more than just clients for Sara and I, but friends and people we talk with daily.
Brandi Carr, started working out with Sara in our garage days of October 2015. We call her Biceps like Brandi cause well, look at the picture – her arms are RIPPED. Brandi has committed herself to 4-5 days of training and follows a very well thought out nutrition plan. She does some pretty amazing things in our gym. Some of her strongest skill sets are anything to do with her ARMS (go figure right – Biceps like Brandi) she can do the following with ease: handstand push-ups, muscle-ups, bar muscle-ups, strict pull-ups, strict chest to bar, strict ring dips – if there is an upper body pushing and pulling movement she is doing it! I am bragging Brandi up here because she would never tell anyone or brag about what she can do. She’s the quite and very HUMBLE human being that puts in the hard work, goes home and crushes a beer afterward ;).
Brandi thanks for being such a huge part of Southwest Strength. You trust the process, work your ass off and are very humble about your accomplishments. You should be proud of yourself.
Andrew Chartrand, started his first day with his wife Mandy chartrand on a week day in December 2015. I still remember the conversation with Andrew about that very first day, he said he had never been so sore in his life, and that it was the hardest thing he has ever done. Andrew and his wife Mandy have been attending regularly since then. The funny part about the assessment, and we joke about it now, is that its basic movements like Air Squats, Lunging, simple pressing and pulling movements and then we ended them with 2 minutes of BURPEES. He chuckles now because the stuff he did in his assessment (that made him sore for over a week) is now basically a warm-up for what he can do now.
Andrew has lost over 45lbs this past year alone. He and his family have made HUGE lifestyle changes. One of Andrews main motivators to start the gym and make fitness a priority in his life was to be a positive role model for his little boy Emmett. He also said he wants to be able to be fit, healthy and capable of keeping up with his little boy.
Andrew has accomplished a lot since that first day of his assessment. He can now almost back squat 400lbs, do a rope climb, deadlift 450lbs and bench press over 230lbs. He has also mentioned numerous times that he feels much healthier, fit and energetic for daily tasks at home and at work. He said he remembers the days when he couldn’t cut his grass with a push lawnmower without having to take a break. Now he does it without barely sweating (jk about the sweating, Andrew is a sweaty human haha).
Aside from Andrew making awesome progress and challenging himself daily, he is a huge part of Southwest Strengths community. He makes friends with everyone, makes everyone feel comfortable and welcome, and definitely is the first one to add you on Facebook :).
Thanks Andrew for making Southwest Strength what it is today!
February 2017 Member of the Month
Our Member of the Month for February is Danielle Wood! @danner_7 We postponed the announcement due to her taking a well deserved vacation in Jamaica!
Danielle has been with us even BEFORE the garage gym days. Perfect example of making fitness a part of your lifestyle. Even all the way through her pregnancy, she continued to workout (and still kick everyone’s butts). Not long after having her little guy Sully, she was back at SWS working hard and impressing everyone with her wicked aerobic engine! She’s a challenge to keep up with!
Danielle says she now works out to feel good, and to be a good example for Sullivan, and just continue to live a healthy lifestyle.
Danielle is an inspiration to all of us here at Southwest Strength for being here consistently, all while having a new baby at home!
And Coach Sara lovvveeesss when Sully gets to tag along for workouts. 😉
Congrats Dani! You have definitely earned it!
Member of the month for March
MEMBER OF THE MONTH: Our member of the month for March is Lisa Beernaert!
Lisa has been coming to Southwest Strength since September, and we noticed right away that Lisa loves to work hard. Before coming to SWS, she had already lost over 100lbs, so that tells you she is committed to her fitness goals and has made big life changes!
If you haven’t met Lisa yet, she’s one of our hard-core morning warriors. If you ever want someone who’s going to make you push yourself to keep up, make sure to come workout with Lisa! @lisa_beernaert
Member of the month for April
Member of the Month!!
We couldn’t pick between 2 awesome ladies for the month of April, so this is the first of the two!
Caitlin Tingey has been killing it lately. Whether it’s in an active or barbell class, she gives 110%. Just heads up if you work out with her, she may throw equipment at you when she finishes. She goes so hard and really leaves it all out there. She has been coming consistently and really working on her weightlifting, which has earned her lots of new PR’s. She is such a friendly presence at the gym, and when you see her going as hard as she does, it really inspires others to do the same! Congrats girl! We’ll deserved!
#breakfastclubpose #nailedit
@c_tinge
Member of the Month!
Our second choice for our April Member of the Month is Melanie Renwick!
Melanie started with us when we offered a 6 week fitness challenge and hasn’t left since! I remember when Melanie first got introduced to back squats, she kept us on our toes because she always wanted to let go of the bar while it was on her back! 😂 We can laugh about it now because these days she’s squatting over 100lbs! That is some amazing progress! She moves so well and consistently comes to our group class. When she is away for work, she makes sure to let us know, so we can make her “hotel room workouts”, so she stays on track when she can’t make it to SWS, now that’s commitment to her fitness! Way to go Melanie!
@renwickmelanie