Ian’s an asshole. He’s made me cry and swear and bleed and cry some more. But he’s also made me into the best athlete I’ve ever been. I joined the gym in April, 2017 with a nagging back injury I’d sustained at some point during my last six years of competing in various strength and power sports. I was at the point where I couldn’t walk up stairs without back pain, much less squat heavy, climb, or do anything else I wanted to do. And then I went and got a concussion. I went from training six days a week to being unable to ride a stationary bike for more than ten minutes. I wore tinted glasses to the gym to protect my head from fluorescent lights, and often trained while hiding in the quietest corner of the gym, avoiding any kind of human interaction because that was too much stimulation for my brain to handle. Ian worked with me through all of that, finding ways to keep me moving despite my injuries and reminding me to be patient with my recovery. Once I got to a point where I was able to train hard again, we sat down, set some goals, and got to work.