It took me a few tries before I met my fitness match: PUSH Gym.
Previously, I frequented the mainstream brands, including SoulCycle, Orangetheory Fitness and CorePower Yoga. But when I first moved to Denver from Washington, D.C., in May 2022, I wanted to try something different. Looking for gyms near my new neighborhood, Capitol Hill, I came across PUSH. Impressed by its glowing reviews and approach toward HIIT workouts, I decided to take the leap.
Little did I know that it would become a mainstay in my weekly routine for the next three years. A former high school powerlifter, I relished the return to lifting weights. Coach Kara helped me hit my personal squat record, and I often reached sprinting goals on the Woodway treadmill in group classes. And thanks to Coach Marty, I recovered from a calf strain while training for a 10-miler (and a back injury from dancing at Red Rocks). Together, he and I often brainstormed fitness-related blog posts.
But I also succeeded in building a community for myself. I recall sessions spent joking with Coaches Forrest and Gina, laughing between reps, and getting heckled by trainer Christopher Flower. Camaraderie blossomed outside of the gym: a group outing to a yacht rock concert, a celebration at Banded Oak Brewing Company, a baby shower at Marty and Colleen’s house, a night spent representing PUSH at the Broadway Halloween Parade.
Now, with another move to Seattle, Wash., set for the beginning of August, I’m parting ways with my classmates and coaches turned friends. It’s a bittersweet goodbye to leave behind the happy faces I’d sweat, complain and banter with for 45 minutes every other day. But PUSH has made a lasting impression on me — and I know every future gym will fall slightly short of my favorite in Denver.
