AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Syracuse gym focuses on mental health
Sophia Braun: Clarice Edwards has been a member of Syracuse’s Strength Warehouse Gym since it opened six months ago. But these days, she is gaining much more than just the physical benefits.
Clarice Edwards: I see a therapist and things like that. We were kind of looking for an activity basically for me to join and then I joined the gym.
Braun: Gym owner Wyatt Lozano says that the first step in helping people achieve their goals is making the gym environment a safe and welcoming space.
Wyatt Lozano: You try to crack jokes, be friendly with people to say, yeah we have all different kinds of lifters here, from the elite level lifters to beginners.
Braun: Edwards says that working out at Lozano’s gym is the only thing that has improved her mental health.
Edwards: My mental health had kind of like the best outcome once I like joined like the club and things like that. Kind of brings the feeling of like of you’re not alone in it.
Braun: Strength Warehouse is building more than muscles, it’s building a community. Sophia Braun NCC news.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) – Patrons at Strength Warehouse train both their physical and mental health while working out. Since the gym opened in Syracuse six months ago, members like Clarice Edwards have started exercising for a variety of reasons.
“I see a therapist and things like that, and we were kind of looking for an activity for me to join, so I joined the gym,” Edwards said.
Showing up at a gym can be overwhelming for newer athletes, but Strength Warehouse owner Wyatt Lozano works to destigmatize traditional gym culture.
“You try to crack jokes, be friendly with people to say, ‘Yeah, we have all different kinds of lifters here, from elite-level lifters to beginners,’” Lozano said.
The lighthearted atmosphere that Lozano aims to create is transformational for many aspiring athletes. The gym encourages patrons to find their community, whether by working with a trainer or joining the weightlifting club. For Edwards, joining the weightlifting club has been motivational, thanks to both the people and the motivational artwork on the walls.
“My mental health had the best outcome once I joined the club and things like that,” Edwards said. “It kind of brings the feeling that you’re not alone.”
Strength Warehouse is building more than just physical strength— it is building a strong community where everyone is welcome.