Edward Khamsyvoravong
21:42 01 Aug 20
At the time of this writing, today marks the 1 year anniversary of my membership at Prodigy. My time here has been absolutely stellar. My family owns and operates a business nearby, so I just popped in on a whim. When I first walked in the door, I was greeted very warmly by Professor Justin. I had to do a double take, because with his colorful full sleeve tattoos, hair style and physical build, Prof. Justin bears a striking resemblance to one of my favorite UFC fighters; Eddie Wineland... Anyways, I didn't expect to jump in on a class, having not brought a change of clothes, but I took the opportunity to join in on a muay thai lesson. The instant my shin hit those thai pads, I knew I needed this in my life. I've always had a love for martial arts. As a kid, I took a bit of karate, getting up to orange belt. Other than that, I have little to no athletic experience and was never very active... I think I tried out for soccer in 7th grade, but that's about it. No matter what level of experience you have, Prodigy's wonderful instructors will work with you to make you better. I am a 34 year old man. When I first walked in those doors, I weighed 220 lbs. Very over weight for a man of my height. Pretty dang out of shape. With Prodigy's help, I am down to 155 lbs. I feel great, better than I have ever felt. And I mean that in both a physical and mental sense. At a conventional gym, it's a very isolating...lonely experience. You put your earbuds in and hit the weights or cardio equipment by yourself. You have little interaction with the other gym goers. This is not the case at martial arts gyms like Prodigy. At Prodigy, you'll hold and hit pads with your partners, drill techniques with them. Roll, practice, grow with them. All of the instructors are super friendly on and off the mats and just excellent pillars of the community outside of Prodigy as well. By no means is it hyperbole when I say that signing up at Prodigy has been the best decision I've made in my life.