Photo: Ron Turner

"Okanagan Inspired" is a weekly series of profiles offering a peek into the stories and inspirations of South Okanagan residents who hold creative roles in the community.

New Pentictonite Ron Turner loves fuels his creativity through fitness, using workouts to build his clients' confidence and growth.

Turner arrived from Grand Prairie, Alta. in the summer, and his family joined him for good in December, so they are just settling in. The choice of Penticton came about unconventionally.

“We have vacationed here for over a decade,” says Turner. “I spent the summer camping all over and I happened to be in Penticton and heard Beach City CrossFit may be looking for some help and it worked out. It was just good timing."

“The lakes are amazing and the climate is such a big draw for living here. When the sun is out, it’s a total mood changer. It’s a nicer environment all around and we all love the heat. One door opened up and one thing led to another and we’re so happy to be here,” Turner adds.

Turner is now a trainer and coach at Beach City CrossFit on Skaha Lake, and is loving it.

“I used to own a gym in Grand Prairie, but when everything was shut down in March 2020, we didn’t reopen. I missed it because I have been training full-time for over a decade," he explains.

"My background is pretty extensive. I had gotten a certificate in fitness leadership which led me to getting a Bachelor of Physical Education. I have coached basketball and then a CrossFit gym opened in Grand Prairie and they were looking for trainers to teach boot camp classes, and I thought that could be a fun side thing for me. I eventually got to be known as ‘the Jillian Michaels of Grand Prairie,’ because I would do weight loss boot camps and would help people get great results."

Turner's diverse training experience makes him comfortable coaching people with all kinds of varying fitness goals, with experience in everything from high-level weightlifting to CrossFit competitions.

"Beach City is a really inclusive place for people to do gymnastics, cardio and lifting and learn a blended skill set,” says Turner.

With a long history of coaching, helping people is what stands out to Turner as the most rewarding aspect.

“I like watching people struggle,” Turner says laughing, “but then seeing the progress and the growth, where it isn’t a struggle. Most people don't understand what they're physically capable of and it's really rewarding to help show them. I really enjoy the energy of people getting better and giving them a place to sweat and work it all out."

Turner flexes his creative muscles when tailoring a specific, unique plan for his clients.

“CrossFit is universally scalable to everyone. You can explore such a wide range of things, so you can target all different goals and it is completely adaptable to address different physical limitations. I have had a Division One swimmer training in the gym, and beside her is a 62-year-old lady doing the exact same exercises. The expectations are just different. CrossFit is the same way as in basketball. It is fun for everyone, but not everyone wants to be a pro basketball player,” Turner explains.

With gyms slated to reopen Tuesday, barring new provincial health orders, Turner believes now is a good time to begin your journey, or to step it up.

“Health and wellness is everything right now, it's gold. I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, but I think we should just start now. We want people that are here to train, it's hard to hide in a CrossFit class. We get people wanting to do meaningful training. Whatever is motivating you to get fit, if you are committed you will lose weight and get fit, and that's just a part of it,” says Turner.

CrossFit beginners start with other newcomers, while Turner does an assessment.

People familiar with working out can also still benefit from using a trainer, he says.

“You maximize your results from the gym. If you just cracked open your car and started pulling things out, you wouldn’t expect to fix it. Squatting can take you months to learn, or I can teach you in five minutes, and especially now, there is a lot of different information out there online and it is hard to know what is the right advice to follow.”

While training with Turner, you can expect to hear him playing Bring the Pain, by Method Man to get psyched up for big lifts.

Check out more from Turner @coachr_ron_t on social media or at Beach City.