BStrong Q&A

I had a chance to sit down with Ben Matlak, head coach and co-owner of bStrong Bellevue in downtown Bellevue, WA. I’ve gotten to know Ben over the past few years and have done a few workouts at bStrong that were great. What stood out to me was that the trainers at bStrong did an excellent job modifying the workouts to adapt to my injuries. Here is my conversation with Ben and how bStrong Bellevue has adapted to the new normal. -----

Justin: Ben Matlak is the co-owner and coach at bStrong Bellevue. He has worked in the fitness industry for over a decade now. He's an ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach, Functional Movement Systems Level II Coach, Precision Nutrition Certified Nutrition Coach, and Certified Online Trainer. Ben and Kyle Ulrey, also co-owner and coach, took ownership of the gym in 2015 and since then have provided group and personal training for the Bellevue community. Ben, thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to sit with me and discuss bStrong's evolution during this pandemic. We can first start off talking about the gym itself.

Ben: Hey Justin, thanks for setting this up. bStrong is a small training studio in downtown Bellevue. Prior to COVID-19 we focused primarily on group and personal training. With the pandemic, we've shifted to offer online training through Zoom and an app called Trainerize. As we moved into phase 2, we opened up in-person Personal Training, Small Group Training, and limited Group Classes. All of these options keep the gym capacity low and help us keep things safer. As a business, we focus on getting people healthy and stronger to feel more confident with their daily activities. We provide a wide range of training methods including high-intensity interval training (HIIT), circuit training, and strength training.

Justin: What I normally highlight to my patients is that you all do a great job in providing a very open and welcoming place to work out. Gym and fitness culture is unfortunately filled with many off-putting aspects that sometimes can be intimidating because one could feel that their exercise selection and form are constantly being judged.

Ben: Through all of this planning and adjusting, Kyle and I recognized that we have a very broad range of clients. We found that we are pulling from different demographics. Despite the range of ages, people come together to workout with the same goal in mind: to get better. With our restructuring we knew we had to focus on keeping that diverse, welcoming environment. We’ve been very active owners, and we take pride in getting to know each of our members and making sure they know they have great support around them. We enjoy being a part of everyone’s journey.

Justin: I can definitely attest to what you've said. The times I've exercised at bStrong, I loved how people showed up to get their workout in for the day. Whomever the coach was, I was provided great cues and modifications without feeling the pressure of having to perform everything perfectly. I felt like I could focus on my own fitness without worrying about being judged. I feel the advantage that you have as owners and coaches is that you're able to keep a pulse on your clients' and members' training experience. Do you mind sharing what has been changed up in the gym with our new pandemic normal?

Ben: I should have probably printed out a list before this interview to share with you - there is a lot. To start off, when coaches come in, they go through our COVID19 questionnaire (they must answer NO to each question), wash their hands, and take their own temperature. Each client that comes in goes through the same questionnaire on our door and they go directly to the sink to wash their hands. We’re making sure members are staying socially distanced throughout their workouts. Masks are required for everyone when they enter and leave the gym. If they choose, members can remove their mask once they’re in a socially-distanced workout station. Coaches are required to wear them.

Justin: It's great to hear that you all are definitely making the most with your space while maintaining social distancing. Ben: Yes, we’re keeping a low enough capacity that we can pretty easily maintain at least 6-10 feet of distancing. During our initial closure, we upgraded our HVAC and added higher quality filters so our ventilation is much better. We also purchased an industrial fan that pulls in outside air to improve circulation. Justin: I'm sure that's helped a lot this summer!

Ben: We also upgraded our cleaning solution and disinfectant. Coaches clean each piece of equipment used during the session. With our system, two people should not be able to touch a piece of equipment without it being disinfected. There have been a lot more changes, but these are the most important updates that come to mind. Justin: It's great that you've made all of these changes. I'd say for the most part, the Eastside has been hyper-vigilant with COVID19. It's great that your business has adjusted to address the concerns of the community and provide a safe environment to exercise. Ben: We are planning for the long game. Our restructuring is designed understanding that this pandemic will last longer than any of us want to admit. These precautions will be in effect for a long time.

Justin: From a physical therapy standpoint, I have reasonable concern for people returning to exercise after many months off. What are you all doing from a programming perspective to get everyone back to working out without sustaining injuries?

Ben: It's not uncommon to come across someone who hasn't done anything in the last 6 months. So it’s important to know where they’re starting. Quite a few of our members have been really consistent with our at-home online training, which gives us more confidence to load them more quickly when they show up in-person. But even in that situation, we'll still go maximum 75% intensity for these individuals in their first few workouts. For someone coming in for the first time, we’ll focus more on mobility and go maybe 40-50% intensity initially to get them acclimated to our training style, and then gradually progress. Core strength and posture are big issues we’ll focus on, since many people have been sedentary and sitting at awkward work stations for months.

Justin: That's perfect. People really don't understand how inactivity has compounded effects on their strength, mobility, and overall fitness. It's not common for people to all of a sudden be forced to stop their normal exercise routine. I really love that you have this perspective to work on mobility and foundational strength in individuals’ hips and core.

Ben: Not only that, we want to incorporate more pulling exercises like TRX [suspension trainer] rows and face pulls. As we were programming our at-home workouts, we immediately noticed the challenge of finding good pulling exercises without equipment.

Justin: That's what I'm finding with my at home workouts where I'm just focusing on bent over rows and pullups. Outside of that I miss using something like a TRX or cable weight machines for back strengthening. With that being said, do you plan on phasing out the at-home online programs? Ben: We’re actually offering our in-gym workouts at the same times as the Zoom workouts. We’ll have 6-7 clients in the gym, while streaming the workout for people at home. We put up a large TV to be our Zoom screen. So we can watch over the clients in the gym and also provide feedback through the webcam for our at-home participants. It’s worked well, so we’re planning on continuing the at-home programming indefinitely at this point.

Ben: And to focus more on heavier lifting, our Small Group Training gives people the option to work on things like squats, bench press, and deadlifts. Members can sign up for 1x/week, 2x/week or 3x/week workouts, which they can also supplement with the Zoom classes to get a good balance of strength and endurance, not to mention the flexibility to be in the gym sometimes, while also working out at home other times.

Justin: Understanding that this whole stay-at-home situation will lead to individuals realizing how they should invest in their personal fitness and health. What options do you have for people who have never worked out before?

Ben: First off, what better time to start off your fitness journey than now? Most people coming in are starting from scratch. I think this is a great time to start around the same level as everyone else. Since the group sizes are limited (around 6 person max), members get good feedback on form. As you've experienced yourself Justin, we do our best to modify exercises to meet people where they’re at. Similar to physical therapy, we’re able to provide progression and regressions to each exercise in our program.

Justin: 6 seems to be a sweet spot. I'm sure this is quite the change up from programming for upwards to 20-30 people in the larger group classes you used to host.

Ben: We're actually excited for this change. Kyle and I find it really fun to program for smaller groups. When we opened bStrong Bellevue, we were always interested in being able to provide an intimate training program where we can get to know our clients and create a tight cohort. We've made the necessary changes planning for the long game, and this may be our model moving forward.

Justin: It's really amazing to hear that you guys are taking this as an opportunity to shift and adapt to tackle the new normal. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me during all of this! Ben: No worries, it was my pleasure! Thanks for putting this together.

You can find more information on Ben and bStrong Fitness below 

bStrong Bellevue
11000 NE 10th St,
Bellevue, WA 98004