Chris, owner of Jungle Boys Gym, had reached out to Casey and I about doing a strength seminar a few months back. That was also during the time Casey's health started to decline and not much was in our radar but doctor appointments. A few months later we were ready to plan our trip to Virginia and visit their Westside Certified gym Jungle Boys gym.

It was about a 5 hour drive and we stayed at a quaint Airbnb 10 minutes away from the gym. We got in Friday night and looked for breakfast places in the area to go to the next morning. It's our favorite meal.

8am wake up call and we headed to Mason-Dixon café. Anyone in the Fredericksburg area must stop by this family owned café. Brown sugar flavored bacon and delicious brewed coffee. I'll try not to make food the highlight of this post but another delicious restaurant will be mentioned soon.

We arrive to Jungle Boys and got acquainted with everyone. To my surprise, the majority of attendees were females! I was even more excited about the seminar and getting to know these ladies (sorry, fellas). Casey and I have a general idea of what we will be going over but we don't have an agenda as each seminar should be a little different from the last. We start with an intro about where we came from and who our biggest influencers were/are that got us to this very point in our lifting careers. Then we get to know the attendees. The most important question: WHY ARE YOU HERE?

Some may have injuries, are new to the sport, want to compete, etc. - getting a general idea of what their purpose is gives us the guidance to help each person in that seminar in some form or fashion. Everyone wanted to go over the 3 lifts and we had a Q & A after each segment.

I've mentioned this in my previous posts- public speaking is not my strong suit but I don't allow that to stop me from doing it. This seminar had to be my most confident one and it's because I've really applied this concept when helping others:

Be confident in what you know and be confident in what you don't know.

I don't have all the answers; however, I have experience. I've learned from mentors who are knowledgeable in their profession and been fortunate to have had them from the start. 6-7 years later I am simply living, learning and passing on.

As we were starting our last segment of the seminar, deadlifts, someone yelled "I'm hungry, can we go eat." We paused the seminar, all hopped in our cars and headed to grub. Another amazing place called Foode. Again, if you're in the area, this is a must. One of the reasons why I want to come back and visit- there's so much history. Foode is in an iconic city landmark, the National Bank building. The place where Abraham Lincoln once stood on the steps and spoke. It's the same place where a slave named John Washington lived before he escaped to freedom and wrote a memoir. It's a building where generations of locals did business. There's even seating in the vault. Just imagine a place like this but all over the city. History meets future.

With full bellies we headed back to the gym to wrap up the seminar. Comments were thrown here and there about coming back next week and staying a few more days. That made me/us feel good and welcomed and that we not only hosted this seminar but we connected with everyone. Jungle boys gym reminded me of the atmosphere I had at Idolmaker. They all give each other a lot of shit but at the end of the day, they push each other. Trips like this make it all worth it and we are so thankful for Jungle Boys gym for having and trusting us. We love your culture. We love your people. See you soon!