Gwen Grasdal

I’ve had a gym membership on and off since my first year at University. Due to my husband’s employment demands we never stayed in one place long enough to see anything to the finish. As time went on and the number of moves multiplied, it became easier to grab fast food or heat up things out of boxes and call it food. The weight kept adding up over the years until I became frustrated with it all. I lost some of it in 2006, but then we moved again and I had to start over. After 12 moves I got a membership at Wrench Fitness in November of 2010.

I knew I needed help so I started training with Reg every week. He helped me to understand how hard you really had to work – I didn’t like to get sweaty. I started out training 3 days a week and then quickly moved to 4 or 5 and added a meal plan. I learned to feed myself and my family with food made from ingredients not boxes. Over the next 2 years I lost 45 pounds and got stronger. I ran three 5k’s and settled into a routine that put my health first.

I started working at Wrench in January 2013 and started studying to become a personal trainer soon after. I wanted to be able to help myself, my family, and the people who came into the gym. I watched my first powerlifting competition in June 2014 and got busy training to compete myself. I won a gold medal at my first provincial championships in 2014 and haven’t looked back since. I’ve been competing for over 4 years now, competed at Nationals 3 times, and qualified to go to Worlds. Each time I compete, I have made personal gains in my score or my health by paying attention to my training and my diet.

Powerlifting has given me a new reason to come to the gym every day. Getting strong and healthy are still my main goals, but lifting heavy things, competing, and trying to be better than last time just makes it more fun. Being over 50 and stronger than I was at 20 is a great feeling. I am making my life better now and in the future as well. I still have a coach and believe most people need help to get started, to keep it exciting, or to help meet new goals.

I am a Certified Personal Trainer, Level 2 Specialist in Strength and Conditioning, and a CPU Certified Powerlifting Coach. Talk to me, and we can work out a plan for you to get stronger, live better, and enjoy life more.