HELENA — We’ve all been there, trying to set goals for the new year. For many, it is losing weight and getting healthier. Well, this fitness business opened for those looking to not only get healthier, but to feel in the right community.
"The very title itself, [Dadbod Strength & Conditioning], is a welcoming name because we ain't dealing with some sort of model in me, here,” says Eric Hall, founder of Dadbod Strength. “We're dealing with a dad, who has a dad bod most likely. I suppose that offers a sense of community that a lot of people would like to have."
One of the reasons Hall says he opened Dadbod Strength now is because he went through prostate cancer treatment last fall at a young age of 40 and decided that the pandemic shouldn't keep people from tackling their fitness goals.
"With my prostate cancer treatment, I was always in this interesting position where COVID policies defined absolutely everything, including whether I could get a biopsy, when we were originally trying to figure out whether I had this or not,” says Hall. “So, I didn't want to simply let COVID policies define whether people could pursue health and other avenues."
The pandemic has also affected another business that shares space with Dadbod Strength & Conditioning. Salvo Self-Defense has transitioned from training all groups to now only women.
"I follow The Friendship Center on Facebook. This, seeing the reality of, during lockdown especially, women are stuck at home in abusive relationships,” says CB Smith, the owner of Salvo. “It kind of reinforced the idea that we need this, a lot of women unfortunately need this."
