McKenna Cunningham

I am a trainer at a fitness gym called 9round in Waxhaw. I have been a trainer there for about seven months. Prior to being a trainer, I was a member for roughly a year and in that time I achieved many goals. Before I joined 9round, I had never been part of a fitness club before. The only exercise I did was playing basketball and softball in high school. I decided to join 9round because I wanted to finally take that leap in fitness. I can honestly say that it is one of the best decisions I have ever made. 

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Although I am now officially only a trainer at 9Round, I still consider myself a member because I still consistently work out three times a week. As a member at 9Round, I have to work incredibly hard to achieve the results that I want. I have to push myself every time I step into the gym because if I don't, I will not continue to see results. Working out is a lot like school: in order to see results, you have to push yourself and work hard. In school, you learn to gain knowledge. Well, in the gym, you work out to gain muscle and get lean. It is truly my dedication and perseverance that have allowed me to achieve success.

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As a trainer at 9Round, I have also faced some challenges and have to work hard. As part of my job, I have to learn and understand the workouts for the day and then be able to translate them to the members quickly and effectively. I also have to cater to any injuries people have and modify some of the exercises. In addition, a big part of my job is staying motivated and positive. Most of the members need a sense of positivity and determination to keep them going, and that is a skill I have grown to have while working there. With this job, it has made me truly understand the fact that when you walk into work, you need to have a smile on your face and leave any personal stuff behind you. In addition to these things that I have faced and had to work on, I love my job because of the people. I love getting to meet people in my community and getting to know them on a personal level. When I get tired or just feel sluggish and have a hard time getting myself to go to work, the people and the environment keep me going.

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As a member at 9Round, I achieved many fitness-related goals. One of the goals I achieved was reaching 50 workouts. After working out three to four times a week for four months, I was finally able to achieve this goal. When I reached this goal, I received a free t-shirt that says "I EARNED THIS SHIRT." This was a great achievement not only because it took four months to get, but because I stayed determined and stuck it out. In fact, a few months after that, I reached the 100 workout mark and became part of the "100 Workout Club"! Currently, I am only a few workouts away from reaching 300 workouts! These goals have not helped me physically, but they have also helped me emotionally. They have helped reassure me of just how determined and motivated I am and that I will always persevere no matter the circumstances.

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Not only have I been able to achieve personal success at 9round, I also had the chance to participate in a charity event. The event was the 2017 9round Kick Event and was held to raise money for a 9round trainer who was diagnosed with cancer. I purchased a t-shirt that said "I AM A FIGHTER" and all of the proceeds went to the charity fund. For the event, I completed a regular 30 minute workout, but this time, every round involved kicking. At the end of the workout, I tallied up all of my kicks and the owner donated a certain amount of money for each kick. This was an amazing opportunity because I was able to use the skills I learned at 9round in order to raise money for a charitable cause. Nothing is more rewarding than being able to use my knowledge and skills to help someone else.