Profile: One of those run/ski uphill types
Injury: Shoulder
Issue: See ‘profile’
I didn’t understand strength. I didn’t understand capacity. Not until I walked into Ascension.
Do you really know how to train? What hard work truly is? Probably not. I didn’t. I thought I did—thought I understood effort, the grind, the satisfaction of pushing myself. Then I met Ian. And Ian shattered that illusion. He exposed how weak I really was. I didn’t understand strength. I didn’t understand capacity. Not until I walked into Ascension.
I went to Ian because I wanted to climb mountains. I had a trip to Peru ahead and needed to prepare. I thought I was signing up to get stronger, fitter—but it turned out to be so much more than that. Shortly after starting at Ascension, I injured my shoulder while climbing.
Ian didn’t coddle me through it. He didn’t say, “Rest up, and we’ll try again later.” Instead, he focused on what I could still do. Rehab wasn’t about sitting still for six weeks; it was about building strength in other areas while slowly working my shoulder back. Thanks to Ian’s approach, my shoulder came back stronger than it had ever been. By the time I left for Peru, I was as fit and capable as I’d ever felt.
Ian is something else entirely—a mentor, a provocateur, a mirror reflecting your weaknesses, both physical and mental.
But Ian isn’t just a coach. Coaches are everywhere. Ian is something else entirely—a mentor, a provocateur, a mirror reflecting your weaknesses, both physical and mental. He doesn’t just teach you how to train; he teaches you how to think about training, how to build resilience, and how to set goals that truly matter.
Ian’s a character—there’s no other way to describe him. Unapologetically himself and a master of his craft, he’s the person you want in your corner. Whether your goal is to look good naked or reshape yourself for the mountains, Ascension is the place to make it happen. This isn’t just a gym; it’s a crucible. If you’re ready to face that, step through the door.