Member Spotlight: Paul Grasso
What is your favorite part about SPENGA?! What motivates you to keep coming back?
Gosh I could write for a while here. So for me, first it is the combination of spin, strength and yoga all combined into one session - that was a fascinating attraction for me. I have always loved spin, have always loved strength particularly HIIT workouts and knew that yoga was an essential component to increasing and maintaining some flexibility for this body, particularly now at 58 years old :-). Having those 3 components combined into one session, within a 60-minute session is phenomenal. But it goes farther than that for me. What gets me charged up and helps me drag myself out of bed in the early mornings and weekends are our world-class instructors! All of them - their smiles, their enthusiasm is consistent daily, no matter what the time of day (and that's not easy)! They bring it each session and especially during those early morning classes. The energy level from us members may not always be there, yet the drive and the push to get through those workouts, particularly those where it took every ounce of energy to get you there in the first place, comes from the instructors! None better!
What most surprised you about SPENGA?
I have done just about every workout that exists at one time or another, from being in the gym alone, to MaxTraxx (Cross-Fit classes), Boot Camps, Hot Yoga, Spinning, Group Ride, November Project at Harvard Stadium, etc.- you name it. And they have all had their benefits. But for me, especially at this point in my life, SPENGA has by far been the best combination I have found out there. Not only the amazing workout you experience and achieve in a 60-minute session, but all body parts are impacted. I was thinking about this the other day - I've now completed 30 sessions and not one workout has ever been repeated! Sure, certain movements within the workout we naturally revisit, but never the same workout! That is just simply fantastic and a credit to all the amazing instructors. To have that variety, to not have the same workout in a week or several weeks/sessions is truly awesome. I appreciate all the work that goes into planning those workouts and as a result, the variety we get to experience as members!
How has SPENGA impacted your life outside of the studio?
Without question it has increased my energy, increased my endurance, better sleep and simply feeling better overall! As a Customer Service Manager at Cytiva in Marlboro, I spend a lot of time sitting during the day and on the laptop working with our teams and our customers. I am a positive person by nature, SPENGA has helped me lose (to date) 12 lbs., has increased my enthusiasm towards everything in life, in general because I now feel better again about me and have rekindled a passion for working out. I'm also self-motivated, but the inspiration derived from the instructors, the workouts and the drive to be consistent with the my workout routine all comes from the team there at SPENGA Marlborough!
What part of SPENGA would you like to grow in (SPIN, STRENGTH or YOGA) and why?
To be honest, and this probably comes from the competitive side of me and being involved in sports most of my life, all 3! I am fascinated to look at the Spin stats after each workout and trying to push just a tad more each workout to increase my Sweet Spot, to see where I rank, to push that Power. It's fun to see the changes from that very first workout on 8/29 to now and the number of miles logged. From a Strength perspective, continue to increase weight where it makes sense, continue to work on the best form possible and continue to increase that endurance. And for Yoga, continue to work on my form and continue to increase my flexibility. Since 8/29, particularly more so very recently, there is a noticeable difference for me in my range of motion (and I'm not all that flexible lol), but I smiled yesterday at myself and said to myself "well look at you finally able to grab your ankles again in Happy Baby" pose ;-).
Tell us something about yourself that many of us may not know
I played Semi-Pro football while in college. I'm most proud of having completed two 1/2 Marathons, one in NH (Smutty nose in 2:18) and then one in Illinois (in 2:10). I've won both a 10k race and a 5k race on Cape Cod (for my class that is ;-) - sure it's called the "Clydesdale" class, but that's ok right?) and then had a picture taken with my trophies with the legend Frank Shorter. I've completed several Warrior Dashes and a Spartan Sprint 5k (while I had the flu). I've traveled globally to India 8 times and to Egypt 4 times, having ridden a camel to the Pyramids. And my "little girl" is a 5 1/2-year-old Australian Labradoodle named "Lyla" who goes everywhere with me. I live by the motto "If it makes you happy, it doesn't need to make sense to anyone else.
