A quick update:
I spent some time in our new space yesterday to visualize our new layout. I've been telling you how it’s near King Street West and Niagara but I feel like I should mention that Libery Village is a stone's throw away too.
The space is different and efficiency is the name of the game… Well, that and working around those load-bearing beams. I think I’ve got it. Also: the daylight coming in through the windows (not just the ones visible) is a beautiful thing.
We’re confirmed to be moving over the 20th and 21st. When we open up on July 22nd, 2026 the new space will not be in a highly-polished form but, then again, I’ve never been too concerned with buffing things to a high-gloss shine. Maybe that’s why I’m confused by patent leather.
Alright, let’talk intensity.
Let’s talk intensity. On social media, intensity is the name of the game. “Extreme ownership” thought leader/war criminal Jocko Willink famously posted photos of his watch every morning showing his 4:00 AM wakeup time – moments before some kind of super-intense workout, no doubt. Most of the likes, ironically, came from constitutionally-weak fans who rolled out of bed at 5:00 AM or (gasp!) later.
And then there are the workouts. Focused. Obsessive. Relentless. Yesterday, I did an early 2000s home workout with a friend for “research” purposes (I’ll let you know when the piece comes out). The aesthetic was industrial studio. The between-set banter was friendly but all about intensity and striving. I personally found it to be a tough workout – mostly just from the sheer quantity the same exercises. That’s kind of a high bar for beginners, so I imagine that a lot of new exercisers found it kind of dispiriting. I was also surprised by how boring the whole thing was.
Super difficult plus boring is a deadly combination when it comes to adherence. And I guess that’s why the instinct is to hype yourself up for this kind of thing… To build some kind of beast-mode alter ego.
If you don’t recognize this video game, please consult your nearest Gen-X man.
The problem is survivorship bias. For every success story, you’ll find 100 others who quit because of injury, frustration, or monotony. Or maybe just an inability to sustain cosplay as some kind of hardcore badass who rises, grinds, and unrelentingly suffers in the name of washboard abs. Most of us maintain jobs, relationships, and – I hope – some enjoyable pastimes. To me, exercise facilitates all of those. We exercise in their service, not vice-versa. A little vanity is fine and probably quite healthy. But it’s not sustaining enough as a main course.
There is another version of movement that comes with a great deal more joy. And whatever lacks at the extreme edges of fitness, it makes up for in the ability to show up for physical activity with a sense of curiosity, mastery, and even playfulness. It’s not edgy. It’s not hardcore. But I’ve also seen how accumulating years of this far less extreme practice produces people who can do extremely cool things.
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