Member Of The Month March – Blake Walker

How long have you been a member of Health Mates and what inspired you to join?

I have been a member at Health Mates for a few years now. After years of playing competitive rugby and dealing with various injuries I started looking for other ways to enjoy sport. I tried strength training for the first time three years ago and it quickly became a passion of mine.

Why is this so important to you?

Attending the gym and exercising is important to me because it puts me in a mind set to achieve my training goals. I study computer science full time at university and it can be very challenging. After a mentally draining day at uni I love to train to further challenge myself.

What is your training routine?

I am passionate about strength training and usually come to Health Mates 5-6 times a week. I like to use half of the week for training upper body and the other half for lower body. One week I’ll lift heavy and the next week light, mixing it up between push and pull movements. I love being able to set goals, plan my programs and track my results. I use weights to add resistance in my training routine as this helps to up the challenge. I find that strength training also enables me to discover new ways of doing things.

What have you achieved from this and how has it changed your life?

Apart from rehabilitating my injuries and getting stronger, I have also enjoyed the social aspect of training at Health Mates. I train with my friends and staff and we bounce ideas of each other and support

one another in our training journeys. When I first started training I could squat 80kg for 5 reps, I can now squat 220kg for 8 reps.

What are your goals for the future?

Weight training is very goal based, it teaches you to trust the process and have faith in yourself. I usually set goals and then plan their execution for weeks before attempting them. One thing I like to do is not say the goal out loud to anyone until I have achieved it. There is much more to my training than just lifting heavy weights and that’s what I love about it. I want to continue feeling stronger both physically and mentally.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about starting exercise?

Listen to yourself. What works for you might not work for others. Do your research, learn from your mistakes, try new things and see what kind of training works best for you.