My name is Jason Trinh (a.k.a. Tron or MegaTron) and I am a student at the University of Saskatchewan in the College of Kinesiology. I compete in the sports of CrossFit and Olympic Weightlifting, and I play badminton, slo-pitch, and volleyball recreationally. Although I played some sports in high school (primarily football), the last time I had played in a competitive setting was Senior Bowl in 2002.
One day almost three years ago, I saw a picture of myself and realized that something had to change. I weighed 187lbs at a height of 5’ 3.5”, with a 34” waist, and I had not been regularly physically active for about six years. I called Chad Benko, my former football teammate and training partner, to see if we could get together again to help me get into shape. That was when he told me he was opening a gym, and that it was not the typical gym or training style that we were used to. Not long after, I found myself at Synergy Strength and Conditioning finishing the foundations classes back to back and starting the CrossFit group classes on the following day. Six months later, I found myself competing in the 2009 Saskatchewan CrossFit Challenge. I had my first taste of success by placing 2nd in Division II, and from there I was hooked. Since I have been at Synergy, I have observed a dramatic decrease in body fat, an increase in lean body mass, I am far more energetic, I sleep better, and working out in a group setting has provided me with a positive atmosphere that I look forward to being in. I can still remember the times when I had my struggles with a lot of the movements in CrossFit. I remember wondering how long it was that I had to do single skips for before being able to do double-unders. I remember swinging wildly on the pull-up bar and having to drop off to stop swinging like a pendulum. I remember looking forward to the day that I could do my first prescribed workout. I remember wishing I could do a muscle-up on the bar and that hopefully, one day, I could do one on the rings. All my life I have wanted to be able to walk on my hands. Through all of the struggles in learning these movements, I wasn’t the only one. People all around me had the same desires and passion for developing the strength and skills to be a competent CrossFitter. Having people all around me reaching for the same goals, encouraging, motivating, inspiring me, helped me stay on track and only reinforced my passion for fitness. In practicing these movements, I found that I was changing both physically and mentally. My desire to become as fit as I can possibly be gave me a goal – a goal that went far beyond what I was expecting prior to coming to Synergy. No matter how fit I get or what skills I develop, there is always more to learn and there are always new challenges to be faced. I quickly found my strengths and weaknesses and I’m always discovering something new about myself. All of these things put a huge smile on my face and they are the things that give me something to look forward to.
“Success breeds success” but you can’t be successful without hard work and determination. As a trainer, there is nothing more satisfying than when someone shares their success stories. Here at Synergy we have a lot of people who have these stories to share, and I want to do everything I can to keep them coming.
-Jason
