Our Male Athlete of the Month is David Brock! When you see David workout in our BeachFit classes, you think this well-built man must have been some kind of collegiate athlete or possibly even a male underwear model. But you’d be wrong on both guesses.
Before BeachFit, David only w
orked out a handful of times EVER. And he has a pretty good before picture in his blog post to prove that. But now after over 400 workouts, David is a star-student example of what’s possible at FitTown. He’s put on pounds of muscle and with a second child on the way, is showing fellow fathers what a DAD-BOD should look like.
Like many of our fellow FitTown fathers, David was motivated to get in shape for his beautiful bride. He used their upcoming wedding as motivation to finally try out a class. Says David, “I wanted to get in better shape before Caroline & I’s wedding which was about 9-10 months away. The last thing I wanted to do on our wedding day was drop my bride when I picked her up & dipped her during our first dance.” As another picture in David’s post will show you, their dance dip was an epic success, and he hasn’t dropped her since, awwwwwww.
David has some great advice in his post about how BeachFit has shaped his mindset in the gym and in his life. He says, “Starting each morning at Beachfit has helped me develop the mindset that each time I step into the gym, I have a full tank of gas, no matter how tired or energized I am. Empty the entire tank and don’t hold anything back. That has really translated to my daily life. Whether it’s in the gym, at work, as a father, or as an individual. Give it your all, every day, and don’t make an excuse not to.”
Thank you David for being an awesome and always encouraging member of our FitTown family!
Tell us a little about yourself. Give us a brief background on what has made you you? How’d you end up in Jupiter? Married/kids/etc.?
I’m proud to say that I’m a native to the area and was born & raised here. I went to the same school from for 14 years and the only time I’ve lived outside of this town was when I attended the University of Alabama from 2009-2013. While I was at UA, I met my amazing wife, Caroline, who I somehow convinced to move down to Florida with me after graduation. We got married in May 2019 in Seaside, Florida and were blessed with our first child, Charlie, in April 2020. We are expecting our second, a baby girl, around Thanksgiving of this year. Like I mentioned, my wife is pretty amazing.
Once I graduated college, I jumped right into the family business where I’m lucky to be able to work in the market I grew up in. I work with my family at our commercial real estate firm, Brock Development Corporation, where we specialize in the development and operations of grocery-anchored retail shopping centers and extended stay hotels in the northern Palm Beach County market. Two of our most recent projects were Alton Town Center on Donald Ross Road & a Marriott Residence Inn just off PGA Blvd. I work next to my brother, Alex, and father, Andrew, along with my 3 cousins and uncle. It’s a great experience and makes for some pretty interesting conversations around the family dinner table.
What’s something about you that others may not know about you? Any special talents, hobbies, or interests?
When I’m not spending time with Caroline & Charlie, I’ve always enjoyed being out on the water. I grew up on the local waterways and was lucky enough to have access to a boat when I was younger. That opened a lot of opportunities to the local fishery and that has stuck with me my entire life. The further east I am out of the inlet, the happier I get. One of my favorite places to be is out on the swordfish grounds off Jupiter or deep dropping in the Bahamas. It’s always a good time when you’re out on the boat with a good group of friends and no cell reception, regardless how the temperamental sword bite is. If the winds blowing and I’m unable to get out and fish, I like to get out on the golf course and swing a club. I’ve always enjoyed a hobby where I can put time in and push myself to improve.
But nothing beats spending time with Caroline and Charlie on the weekends. It’s the best feeling watching Charlie grow up and take interest in the beach, boats, the water, and for right now, lawnmowers. That’s what life is all about.
What were you doing for fitness before FitTown? What motivated you to get started at FitTown?
Before I started FitTown, I had never worked out before or had a fitness regimen. I attended maybe 3 total fitness classes in my life. Even playing multiple sports in high school, I never had the courage to walk into a gym and pick up a weight. I was talked into my first FitTown class by Colton & Vickie Partlow one night while we were having one of our post-Bahamas trip sushi nights at their house. I mentioned that I wanted to get in better shape before Caroline & I’s wedding which was about 9-10 months away. The last thing I wanted to do on our wedding day was drop my bride when I picked her up & dipped her during our first dance. I went to my first BeachFit class a few of days later. I remember it was an EMOM workout and was extremely nervous, like head down & cower in the corner type of nervous. I look back at that decision and I’m grateful that I walked into that first class because it’s been a game-changer on so many levels, both physically and mentally.
What positive physical progress would you like to brag on about yourself? Any “before” pics or stats to share?
Before I started at Beachfit in September 2018, I thought I was relatively “in shape” considering I’m 6’5” and was a steady 190-195 lbs. But I looked like a string bean (with an afro for a few years). Not one ounce of muscle on me, thin as a toothpick, even size L shirts were a bit baggy. Needless to say, I wasn’t anywhere close to being healthy or “in-shape”.
I’m now around 225-230 lbs. and easily in the best shape of my life. I tried to workout consistently through FitTown Remote during my year off while COVID started but I eventually had a hard time getting myself motivated for workouts in my garage every day. I gained 12 pounds and added 2.3% body fat during that time. I shed it all in 4 months once I started going back into the facility in March 2021.
The biggest improvement I’ve seen has definitely been my ability to put up pretty good numbers on the 3 erg machines, whether it’s a sprint format or endurance. I remember how sore I was after the first time I touched the ski and row ergs. I started with a strong dislike for the them because I never used one before and had no idea what I was doing. Throughout my 3 years at Beachfit, the coaches have helped tweak my form and passed along tips on generating more power and maintaining better form. I used to think the faster I rowed or skied, the better I was doing. Wrong. Now, when I see a workout with Max Cal erg incorporated, I get really excited. It brings out another level in me.
I also was never able to perform successful back-to-back pull ups, ever. That has now changed.
Also, any new beliefs/mottos, habits, behaviors that you formed since you started that have most positively impacted your life?
Every day you get a chance to better yourself and the people around you. Make the most of it. Set a daily goal, no matter how big or small, and do everything in your power to achieve it. A little progress each day will produce a big result in the end.
Starting each morning at Beachfit has helped me develop the mindset that each time I step into the gym, I have a full tank of gas, no matter how tired or energized I am. Empty the entire tank and don’t hold anything back. That has really translated to my daily life. Whether it’s in the gym, at work, as a father, or as an individual. Give it your all, every day and don’t make an excuse not to.
Do you have any memorable moments/workouts at FitTown that you’d like to share? (This could be a very positive or proud experience, funny experience or one that was very challenging)
One of the first WODs I ever did was programmed with a lot of box jumps so I set the box up at 20”. I had zero confidence in myself and any movement at the gym, so I hesitated while loading up one of my first jumps. My foot basically missed the box so I tried to catch myself but instead I rolled off and right onto the floor. At the time, it was my worst fear in the gym, but I laughed it off and got right back up and finished the WOD. That moment taught me a lot. The fact that no one laughed at me, but instead encouraged me, really showed how good the Beachfit community is. It also helped me become more comfortable with my insecurities and pushed me to let my guard down and be myself.
What keeps you motivated? What do you remind yourself of on days when you don’t “feel” like going to the gym?
Each day I think of how lucky I am to be able to wake up healthy, get out of bed, and go to the gym to perform all the different movements my body allows me to. How can you not be thankful for that? To have health and the ability to move. I really want to be able to have the energy and strength to run around with my kids all day as they grow up and not want to stop. I want them to be the ones to tell me they are tired and want to go inside, not their dad. I also have a low-key addiction to Chick-Fil-A so as long as I’m getting my workouts in, I can eat it with a little less guilt.
What advice do you have for the person who’s hesitant about starting a fitness program like this?
Don’t be scared about letting your guard down and getting out of your comfort zone. Everyone has their own thing they are working on. There are all different types of people in the class, whether it’s their first week or 5th year there, everyone has different goals. Don’t be intimidated to walk in and try a few classes because in the end, you’ll end up surprising yourself.
What do you love most about FitTown Jupiter?
Easy answer: watching people you see regularly in class get better and make strides. It’s incredibly motivating to see someone next to you do their first box jump at an increased height, beat their PR on a time, start completing advanced options, etc… It’s the people you befriend while you’re there and the encouragement each person gives each other that makes it so enjoyable. The coaches are what I believe makes FitTown what it is. They are all very personable, easy to talk to, and always wanting you to better yourself. Even when the coach (*cough* Amanda *cough*) pushes you to your maximum limit and you think you’re going to keel over and quit, they help show you that you can achieve milestones you thought were unreachable. There’s never been a day I’ve doubted anything they teach me, with the exception of Nick and Jack’s nasal breathing… It’s just straight up impossible.
