The PIT has been the most welcoming gym I’ve worked out in. Everyone’s real friendly and easy going, Elite athletes, seasoned lifters, beginners, and SLAPs (the PITMasters acronym for “Steady Lah Ah Pek”) like me all seem to really fit in comfortably.
At the tender age of 51 this year I’ve been working out in gyms, off and on, for the better part of the last 3 decades. About 8 years ago I hurt my left shoulder badly and was stuck with a frozen shoulder for a year. Although better my shoulder never fully healed and there’s residual stiffness, and my chest and back had tightened up to try and protect the shoulder. So even though I got back to working out, I couldn’t get back to exercises that I thought required full mobility of my shoulders – like barbell squats, overhead presses etc. I went through 2 personal trainers who advocated substituting in exercises that avoided putting stress on my shoulders – machine squats and leg presses, and using light weights for overhead movements, avoiding dips etc. I’m glad I came across Irving’s blog and decided to give the PIT a try. I was hesitant at first – worried that the place would be filled with 20+ year old jocks tossing huge weights around, and that I’d be back in a shoulder brace in short time. The reality is my experience has been quite the opposite. The PIT has been the most welcoming gym I’ve worked out in. Everyone’s real friendly and easy going, Elite athletes, seasoned lifters, beginners, and SLAPs (the PITMasters acronym for “Steady Lah Ah Pek”) like me all seem to really fit in comfortably. Rather than pussyfoot about and avoid stressing my shoulder, Irving has made me address the weakness head-on and also perform targeted stretches and strengthening exercises to free up and strengthen the shoulder. I’m now doing full range barbell squats and overhead presses with weights I wouldn’t have dared to in the past. Each exercise and its set up is clearly explained to me so I am very comfortable getting into and executing each exercise with proper form. I’ve been working out at the PIT now for about 3 months, and am honestly astonished at the progress I’ve already made and continue looking forward to more PIT sessions.
