April's Member of the Month - Newark

We'd like to take this moment to thank our very own Michelle Renner Massey for being the fire that wakes us up, keeps us motivated and offers to run an extra 800 meters after our 6AM crew wraps up.  Michelle checks in on everyone, each morning, asking how you're doing. And if you are polite enough to ask the same thing, she always replies…

"I'm fantastic!" with the biggest smile on her face.

And I swear every time she is telling the truth. Her optimism and enthusiasm throughout the class is contagious, and I know members and coaches alike appreciate it. She is a warm spirit, who is always bragging (and rightfully so) about her amazing boys and her husband, who Michelle claims has got nothing on her gymnastics skills! She's even helped several 6AMers who are still waking up as they walk in stretch out with some of the techniques she does prepping her sons and husband for their MMA training!

Michelle has also been progressing so well over the past few weeks, as all the gears start to shift together in the right direction, she is jumping leaps and bounds from where she has started with the movement standards. As coaches, one of the most satisfying feelings is when an athlete finally understands how to perform a movement that had once had left them scratching their head. Some times better than any lifting PR or best time in a workout we did a few months ago. So when Michelle got her first handstand push up this year, we were all ecstatic. No one wants to work on the things they suck at. It's fun to try and PR your deadlift, but nobody wants to go and practice wall balls to improve efficiency in open gym. Michelle (as well as several other 6AM members) work on those weaknesses… those scary concepts like flipping completely upside down and legit shoulder pressing your body weight! But the time was put in, and the rewards were earned! Michelle is now an advocate for practicing pistols, so we all know she will be showing us how to string together alternating pistols in about 6 weeks.

When you first walked in you were a ray of sunshine, and now you are a bad ass laser beam from outer space that leads the class with your attitude and amazing ability to learn quickly from our coaches. Michelle and I were speaking last week, and she said to really make a change in your life you have to find your why. Why do you want to change? And is that why strong enough to make you want to change for the better. I think for some of our members, a big reason why, is because we strive to be like you. Thank you for always starting our days with positivity, and knowing just how to pick us up when we're down!