On The Lion of the Month: A new tradition to mark Iron Lion Training’s 3rd anniversary!
Each month, we will celebrate one of the Lions or Lionesses of our beautiful Pride for their contributions to our awesome community and for their accomplishments inside and outside the gym.
Our inaugural Lion of the Month for October 2019 is none other than our very first member: Matt Nish-Lapidus!
Matt has been going strong and getting strong with us for three years now. Matt recently began postgraduate studies at the University of Toronto, but despite a hectic schedule, his commitment to his training is IRON.
Coach Spencer sat down with Matt to talk about how far he’s come and what he sees for his future at ILT.
S: What were your goals when you first started at Iron Lion Training?
MATT: I think my main goal was just to get in general better health. I wasn’t bad before but I wasn’t really doing anything and I was starting to get a little older and saw that not doing anything wasn’t having the same effect as it used to. I had done cycling for a long time which was good but I had never done any other kinds of training. I think the last time I’d been in a gym before that was like 2007 or something.
Did you have an athletic background besides cycling before you started here?
No. Nothing. I wasn’t interested in it, I was never good at it, I never did anything. I got into cycling through friends of mine that were in bands. I had this group of people that used to go together all the time. And then I actually got so into it that I was racing for a couple years. But that was it.
Three years later, what do you feel like you’ve accomplished and how have things changed?
It’s been a total change. I feel different, I look different, I enjoy things I never enjoyed before – like coming to the gym! And doing exercise. It’s something that’s going to be a regular part of life from now on. And I just feel better on a daily basis. I’m stronger, I sit up straighter, my clothes fit better, everything just feels better.
It’s great that you’ve dedicated yourself to being healthy in the long-term.
I came into it wanting something long-term so the approach was always more about habit than “gains.” I’m not looking to get totally ripped, I just need to maintain something that’s going to enable me to feel good and do the things that I want to do in life.
Your commitment is awesome, especially considering you’re now pursuing a postgraduate degree. How is school going?
It’s easily going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But keeping this going during that transition is also really important because it’s like an anchor. And it’s great to have a place that’s flexible enough to move appointments around so they don’t conflict with class times, and that will adapt the sessions to how things are going. It’s good knowing that even if things are really brutal and I feel like a wreck, I should still come in and do something that’ll feel good, rather than “oh no, I can’t do that now,” or “if I go it’s going to make me feel more tired.”
Is exercise is helping you strike a work/life balance?
Totally. I started coming here three years ago which was just after I left my full-time job so I had a ton of schedule flexibility. I was self-employed so it was easy to come in and do things any day. And now that’s totally changed. I’m committed, but it also feels like the commitment goes both ways. There’s a give and take.
We love having you as part of our community. What’s your favourite part of being a member of the Pride?
It’s a really great, diverse, interesting group of people. I’ve met some people here whom I’m glad I know and whom I wouldn’t have met otherwise, who do interesting things and have diverse interests. It definitely feels like a community of people who, similar to me, probably never saw themselves as gym people. It feels safer and more welcoming and non-judgmental in a way that was not my experience at other places.
That’s great to hear. Last question: what’s your favourite exercise or activity to do at ILT?
Part of the draw originally was boxing, which I still love. I don’t do it as regularly anymore as I did for a while, but it’s always something I want to come back to. Maybe not a specific exercise, but I like the attention to technique and the communication of technique. And the diversity of stuff we do. I like that every few weeks it’s a new set of things. It keeps it fresh and interesting. I like approaching everything as a skill to build, rather than, you know, “how much can I lift?” That whole mindset is probably the thing I like the most.
We’re super happy it’s working for you and we’re super happy to have you. Thank you so much, Matt. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I just really appreciate that this place exists and that everyone puts so much work into making it what it is.
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We appreciate you, Matt! Thanks for being part of the Pride!
