Constant Gentle Pressure: What Running a Strength Gym Really Takes

Brian Smarsh owns Kansas Strength and Performance (KSP) in Goddard, Kansas. He's an Olympic weightlifting coach and a masters competitor. In this week’s episode of Deep Dive with D.Rob Fitness: Inside the Industry he talks about building a training business.

From drummer to gym owner.

Brian spent nine months in California chasing a heavy metal band. When that ended, a friend who owned a gym offered him a job. More than a decade later, he owns it. As he puts it, "the world doesn't need another drummer."

Strength for everyday life.

Brian's mom started training in her seventies after she struggled to get up helping a neighbor who had fallen. A year later she hasn't missed a session. His goal is to make people "harder to kill": more resilient to the everyday choices that add up. KSP has no machines. "Here you are the machine."

Standing out.

With a commercial gym opened right next door, Brian sees it as a blessing in disguise, since it sends the right members his way. "I don't want the pennies. I don't want the nickels. Give me the quarters."

The business nobody sees.

Owning a gym means books, advertising, sales and programming, with days running from 4:30 a.m. to as late as 9 p.m. "It's gotta be something that genuinely sets your soul on fire."

Competing as a masters lifter.

Brian's PRs include a 145 kg snatch and a 175 kg clean and jerk. He's proud of winning his age and weight class at last year's Masters World Championship. As lifters age, he says, "the movement becomes the reward."

His advice.

Give yourself grace, because it's everyone's first time living. A textbook can't make you a coach. Meeting people where they are can.

Connect with Brian.

Search Kansas Strength and Performance to book a consultation. The first class is free. You can also find him on Instagram.

Check out the full episode on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcast!

YouTube:

Building a Strength Business & Staying Competitive as You Age | Inside the Industry ft. Brian Smarsh

https://youtu.be/sVahfapqs6E

Why Fitness Has to Be a Lifestyle: Kabir's Comeback Story

Fitness isn't always about the perfect workout or unlimited time. Sometimes it's about noticing you've slipped down your own priority list and moving back up. That's the story Kabir, a hotel developer, shared on Deep Dive with D.Rob Fitness.

Kabir trained for a couple of years, lost about 15 pounds and felt great heading into his wedding. Then work picked up and he stopped. He ate worse, slept worse and lost energy and focus. He skipped volleyball, basketball and pickleball, gained about 30 pounds and began isolating himself. The break lasted about a year and a half.

I kept checking in every month or two. Kabir finally said yes, and a few things were different this time:

- He dropped the big goal weight and aimed to win each week. That was one session, then two, then three. He has held at three a week.

- He wants to stay active into his 40s and 50s.

- Mobility, calisthenics and strength work on weak spots replaced heavy lifting for looks. He's playing sports again for the first time in about ten years.

-He drives to Kansas City and McPherson each week, so he moves sessions around trips and books hotels with gyms.

The biggest wins in fitness often aren't new PRs. They're about making time for yourself.

Listen to the full episode, and subscribe for more real stories.

YouTube: Making Time for Fitness | Kabir’s Journey Back to an Active Life

https://youtu.be/xGxhRSsEE1Q

Reacting to My First Acro Performance

I recently shared my fitness story on a podcast, including the three acro performances I did in college. I hadn't watched the first one in years, so I filmed my reaction.

How it started. I didn't grow up dancing. I started at Wichita State University, after joining the cheerleading squad. When the undergrad concert came up, l decided to do an acro piece with my partner. A friend who was a dance major helped with the choreography. We handled the costumes and lighting ourselves.

The idea. Everyone else was doing beautiful love stories. Beautiful lines aren't my strength, so I made mine ugly: a love-hate piece inspired by the praying mantis, with tension throughout.

Watching it back. There were slips we played off, strobe lights that helped hide a few shaky moments, and my favorite trick. My partner walks onto my shoulders, locked in, then goes upside down, connected only by our arms. I also noticed that the piece now looks darker than the mantis story I had in mind. Viewers can bring a different perspective to the same piece.

What I took away. I expected to cringe.

Instead I thought, you did the damn thing. We were 21 or 22 with limited resources. No one paid us, and it wasn't for a grade. We did it because we wanted to, and I'm proud of that.

Watch the full reaction and check out the podcast for more on this performance and the other two. Tell me in the comments what you liked, and subscribe for the next reaction.

YouTube:

I Performed a PRAYING MANTIS Acro Duet?!

https://youtu.be/MvgIA_C2Pmo