Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Robert Blaser – our Hyde Park, Winter Body Shop Athlete – after a midday class. We’ve gladly chosen Robert because of his support and encouragement of others in our classes, his effort toward his personal goals, and the unflinching leadership in the #DaneOnAShelf instagram farce – Thank you dearly for that, again, Robert.. Let’s hear what you have to say!

D: What brought you to Austin?

RB: I work in medical devices, and Austin is growing in that area. But, Austin is also awesome – The only place that will accept me, because I’m weird.

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D: What do you think is the weirdest thing about you? (Please stay as close to PG as possible, if you will 🙂

RB: I like to make a beverage fortress around my breakfast with a variety of different drink options to protect it.

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D: Why did you choose to get into fitness?

RB: I’ve always been involved in athletics, but when I was in the Navy, I viewed it as a means of survival. Now as a civilian, survival is staying healthy, both mentally and physically. My goal is to delay the aging process by staying in shape. My experience at work, in the medical field, is a motivator, as well.

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D: What do you value about the classes you take at the Shop?

RB: The classes allow me to push myself to my limits. The class design allows you to do that, without feeling pressured to always keep up with others around you. The community is terrific too – I love the camaraderie. The people next to me, pushing themselves, motivates me to be the best I can be.

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D: Do you have any specific fitness goals you’d like to share with us?

RB: I want to keep training and bettering my endurance, adding Spartan Races here and there and other adventure races. Continuing to challenge myself in the Shop events, classes, and community gains helps me do that.

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D: Have you noticed any changes, physically or mentally, since starting at the Shop?

RB: Physically, I’ve gotten stronger because of the technique training the coaches offer. I can rehab through injuries from a race, or adjust due to muscle soreness, because of the awesome coaching and help they offer. I have become less competitive outside my personal goals, because the Shop isn’t about beating everyone around us, but getting us all there, to that healthy lifestyle.

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D: Any favorite moments at the Shop?

RB: Field Day, community fitness events … mini-meets. Love them all!

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D: What do you like to do when you’re not working out?

RB: I do like a little alone time. Solitude, if you will. Being in my own world for a bit to read, watch Liverpool soccer etc. Also, I find time for my personal self-improvement in these moments alone.

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D: Have you developed any special relationships at the Shop?

RB: By jumping around between the two Shop locations, I get to see how everyone’s doing. It allows me to engage with the community and get out of my comfort zone for a bit. This community of coaches and members is great for that. Everyone should try it, if interested.

I did want to thank you, Dane and staff, for recognizing my efforts and improvement in classes. Mainly because my wife can’t mess with me anymore about her being a Body Shop Athlete choice several months ago.

*Featured on left alongside fellow member, Marcus Motill

I had the pleasure of sitting down with the Manor seasonal body shop and my dodgeball team captain, Sam Wilson. If you’ve had Sam in a class before you know that he is a member who constantly pushes himself to the limit as well as those around. He’s energetic and competitive yet friendly and genuine. Sam is a great representation of the type of athlete and person we loving having around The Shop.

What brought you to austin?
Very typically, I fell in love with the city when I visited back in 2007. It wasn’t until 2014 that my wife and I decided we wanted to flee Pittsburgh for warmer weather.

What do you think is the weirdest about you?
Probably that I have a pet monkey named Chauncey.

Why did you choose to get into fitness?
After packing around a very big baby boy… like getting him in and out of the car seat…my back got progressively worse until I was literally unable to get out of bed. I was in awful shape and I was only 31. I was extremely lucky to meet a total genius trainer in Jhonphilipp Yonan (not a misspelling, his first name is spelled exactly this way). Through patience and slow progression and Jhonphilipp’s absolute brilliance, I was physically a different beast within 6 months. I was never into athletics in school due to religious reasons, so I had no idea my limits nor what I was capable of. I can’t imagine falling off now, I’ll be doing this until I die.

What do you value about classes at the shop?
The community. And I count the trainers and owners as absolutely core to that.

Do you have any specific fitness goals?
My ultimate goal is to move as well as humanly possible. So for me, it’s getting leaner while staying strong.

Have you noticed any mental or physical changes since joining the shop?
Yes, many. My posterior chain is much stronger after adding barbells into my routine. Because those muscles are involved in everything, my overall strength is better and I’ve leaned out a lot. The challenge which is exciting is to stay agile and flexible which I recognize are two seperate challenges. Parkour and dodgeball have helped with that.

Any favorite moments at the shop?
Several. One of the first favorite moments is when Marcus and I broke a medball together. It was partner slams back and forth and it was like you started hearing it rip a little and then Marcus slams it and it popped. We’ve actually broken more than one medball together.

What do you like to do when you’re not working out?
I dabble in calligraphy, chess, programming and design.

Have you developed any special relationships at the shop?
For sure. I have at least two gym husbands at this point (dudes you constantly work out with). Several of my gym-mates play on a dodgeball squad I captain Wednesday nights.

Tell us about the dodgeball team and how it came about?
Hahaha. Many reasonably people think I’m nuts, but dodgeball is fucking fun. It’s also become a good litmus of my agility and strength. Most of the team now are from the Shop, and I love throwing together with everyone. My goal for us is to win the championship, and though we’re a new-ish team at this point, we are pretty beast out there.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Yeah. I lied about having a pet monkey above. And thanks for you time, I guess.