Abby Bolton
This month our member of the month is one of our own team members! Abby has been working with G&M at the front desk for 1 year now. Many of you know her already but what you may not know about her is how much she has accomplished in her fitness journey already. Here is her story:
Abby was always active in her childhood. She competed in gymnastics from ages 8 to 18 as well as in track and field through high school. But once her gymnastics career came to an end she knew she had to find something else to challenge her, keep her active and in shape.
In grade 10 Abby had a fitness class where she was introduced to weight training and was hooked. So naturally when gymnastics ended she transitioned into weight lifting and started working out consistently in the summer of 2016.
Her goal was to get stronger, beat her 1 rep max’s and just lift as much as possible. And then last summer she decided that she was going to pursue a new challenge and compete in Fitness. Her new goal had her switch from heavy lifting to more hypertrophy training. Fitness competitions combined her gymnastics background with her new found love for weight lifting and seemed like a natural fit.
In December 2017 she competed in her first competition coming in 1st place! Since then she has competed 3 more times claiming 2 more 1st place finishes and one 2nd place finish just a few weeks ago at the Toronto Pro Super Show.
Her next competition is coming up on August 4th at the Natural Canadian Pro Qualifier show in Toronto.
“My main goal is to get my pro card and compete at the Olympia whether that happens this August or it takes me a few years.”
Abby has had to overcome a few injuries, one shoulder injury that kept her from being able to lift weights for 3 months which set her back a bit. Also, she has had to learn how to manage her time efficiently between going to classes, studying, working and getting her workouts in.
“I am most proud of my 1st competition. I proved to myself that I have the discipline and commitment to push myself and my body.”
Abby also is grateful to see how many people have reached out to her and let her know that she has inspired them to get into fitness and working out.
Currently Abby is at Brock University going into her 3rd year of Kinesiology and hopes to pursue a career in the fitness industry helping others better themselves.
Abby’s Words of Wisdom:
- Goal setting is huge. Make sure you set goals. They are what help you stay on track.
- Be willing to put in the work. It will be worth it.
- Don’t give up when it gets hard. That is when you see the best results, when you push yourself through the hard times.
- Find a way to make fitness fun for you, and
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions
“Thanks to the community at G&M Fitness for making this job fun and for all of your support!”
Congratulations Abby! So many huge accomplishments already! We are lucky to have you as part of our team. Good luck with your next competition and we look forward to seeing you on stage at the Olympia’s one day!
