Naming something comes with a huge responsibility. If you have children, you know all too well the difficulty & responsibility of this task.

Flash back to 2015 when I was coming up with a name for my CrossFit gym.

Do you remember that show, Drunk History? (not sure if it’s still a thing) Back in the mid 2010s (2014 to 16ish) it was all the rage 🤣. The concept was simple. Take a subject you are an expert on, and while getting increasingly more and more drunk, wax on it for a while. We must have thought it was pretty hilarious because J and I and a few friends (Brian, Chris, and Jerahme you know what I’m talking about) thought Drunk FITNESS History would be even more hilarious.

THE PLAN:

Part 1. Research a topic to become an expert on.

Part 2. Turn on the camera, have a few drinks, and discuss 😬.

Luckily, we stopped at Part 1 🤣, but all that research did pay off.

In researching the history of the barbell… we came across a guy named Hippolyte Triat who was credited with being one of the first to use barbells in workout ‘routines’.

I named my gym after a French dude from the 1800s, and here’s why…

HIPPOLYTE TRIAT “In 1833, Triat opened what is credited as being the first commercial gym.”

Hippolyte Triat was born in 1813 in a small village in France. He was orphaned as a child, taken in by gypsies and forced to perform in their shows as a strongman. During this time in Europe, gymnastic exercises were reserved for the military and strongmen like Triat. Triat was a man ahead of his time. He knew everyone could benefit from gymnastics and exercise, not just the military. In 1833 Triat opened what is credited as being the first commercial gym. His vision was to bring fitness to the middle class people, and that is exactly what he did.

To me, the story of Hippolyte Triat paralleled the more modern day story of Greg Glassman, the creator and then owner of CrossFit. Not only his practice of taking something that was once reserved for the military and bringing it to the everyday person, but also how his gymnasium drew in spectators to watch people exercise. Similar to watching local CrossFit competitions and the CrossFit Games.

Hippolye Triat’s gymnasium was called “The Monument”. It was rich with ropes hanging from vaulted ceilings, dumbbells, and barbells. In fact, Triat is credited with being one of the first to use barbells in his gymnastic routines. Triat used his skills as an entertainer to conduct his classes and discovered that his athletes enjoyed working in groups. He led his classes with the athletes working in unison to his direction. His workouts became popular even with non-participants as spectators stood along the sides of the gym floor and in the balconies to watch the athletes.

He knew he’d found something that would not only greatly improve the health and lives of his clients but would provide them with an atmosphere that would keep them coming back for more.

I was so inspired by this story and how it paralleled the creator of CrossFit that I named my gym Triat CrossFit.

He was French, but the ‘sassy’ one cracked me up. In the end, we ended up going with the version below. He became well-represented on shirts and in the gym. A flat Stanley version of him even existed and traveled with members to various locations.

I ultimately closed my gym in 2019 after many negotiations with my then landlord over rising rent costs.

What it did bring was the birth of Digital Barbell and the ability to help not only people near us, but people all over the country and even the world.

If you are one of those people who has become a part of the DB fam, we appreciate you so much!

If you were a part of Triat CrossFit, you know how special of a place that was and how many relationships came from that journey.

If you’re looking for your own ‘fitness home’ today, we’d love to help you through our online training options. You can learn more by clicking the button below.

Blakley

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