For most, fitness is simply a way to stay healthy, to maintain a reasonable body weight, ward off disease, or simply look good for their partner. For Coach BrianKay (“BK”), fitness has an entirely different meaning: to save his life and those around him.
Staff Sgt BK is a 30+ year member of theToronto Police Service. Numerous times over the years he would come into the gym the after a shift, described his nightly adventures of chasing bad guys through the streets, over high fences, down ravines and even fight for his life against guns, knives, and more. Each time at the end of his story he’d profess, “I’d never be able to do that if it wasn’t for CrossFit!” or “CrossFit allowed me to come home to my family.”
Coach BK is one of our longest serving FirePower coaches after 12 years. In fact, he’s been doing CrossFit longer than any of us– long before we opened in Milton. Following Crossfit.com from his basement, staying up late hitting ‘refresh’ on his computer desperately waiting for the wod to be posted, then trying to piece together the equipment in his garage or at the station to make it happen. You can imagine his excitement when he first saw an ad for CrossFit in his hometown of Milton!
After close to 18+ years of hard coreCrossFit, Coach BK’s training regime has changed. He no longer needs to prove himself in wods with muscle-ups, snatch PR’s or sprint training. His fitness uses dumbbells, strongman-style equipment, rowing & ski ergs, creativity and a lifetime of knowledge &experience.
Here’s his story in his own words:
“Fitness in my life has been part of who I am since I was given a set of weights for my15th birthday. I was a chubby kid and those weights transformed me! It has given my career, my health, and my 32 inch waist even now at the age of 52! Fitness pretty much defined me...
I recently attended my 30th class reunion with my Police Cadet class...that’s when you see what a lifetime of fitness is; when others ask ‘what’s your secret’ while they have blood pressure issues, cardiac problems, etc. I look back at every drop of sweat, blood, or ripped callous,...every trail race I ran, every workout that put me on my ass...every ache and pain I have now...it was worth all of it!!
Soon I can look forward to the arrival of my first granddaughter and know that maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to keep up! Fitness isn’t a hobby, it’s a lifestyle that makes everything else we do just a bit easier!
I don’t train like I did when I was 18, not even like did at 40. But I’ll continue to keep moving and to keep challenging myself as I have breath in my lungs!”