Connor Dawes, a member of EOS Fitness in Midway, committed himself to a training regimen that has won him the club’s annual “Submit Your Fit” contest.

And Pete McCall, director of fitness education at EOS, noted Dawes’ efforts underscore the positive mental, physical, and emotional benefits derived from committing yourself to a regular exercise program.

Pointing out there are five components – having goals, strength training, cardio, personal assistance, and personal nutrition – to fitness training, McCall added, “We make that available to all of our members through our personal training and all our equipment. Our goal is we want lifelong exercise practitioners. We want you to be a lifelong fan of exercise. We want people to learn how to make this a daily habit.”

“I had a goal, but it’s changed and developed over time,” said Dawes, who is from the Midwest, about his workout progress. “Initially, I came in to get in shape and feel better about myself. But when you start to see results … you just become, ‘I’m doing this every day.’ What my goal is today is very different than it was initially.”

EOS Fitness San Diego at 3156 Sports Arena Blvd. is a fitness chain offering a high-energy environment with loads of fitness equipment both inside and outside the facility.

“We give the tools so our members can start tracking their progress,” said McCall adding that’s why EOS has such a wide assortment – Olympic platforms, machines, dumbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, etc., of fitness equipment.

The club’s “Submit Your Fit” contest is held annually and is open to all members who would like to share their transformational stories, along with their before-and-after pictures. EOS team members vote on one gym-level winner from each EOS location. These winners then move on as company-wide contestants and the top five winners are determined based on votes from the entire EOS community.

Of Dawes’ progress, which allowed him to win the Submit Your Fit contest, McCall said, “He’s really dialed in.” McCall added customizing the experience of members has led to an evolutionary shift in the fitness industry. “The gym has changed significantly over the last 10 or 15 years to look more like an athletic training facility,” he said. “At EOS, we’ve changed our fitness floor to match the needs of our members.”

Asked how his health, both mentally and physically, has improved from working out, Dawes replied: “Overall the energy level, for sure. I made a conscious effort to get up and work out running early before I would start my workday. My mental acuity has gone up and I just feel sharper. And my mood is just overall better when I have more energy.”

McCall talked about a new rest-and-recovery approach to gym workouts being practiced at EOS. He explained that, while people need high-intensity exercise to stimulate muscle growth, it takes your body 24 to 48 hours to recuperate and replace things like carbohydrates and damaged muscle fibers. “All that is happening during the rest and recovery phase and then you’re ready to go (again),” McCall noted.

Of his fitness “evolution,” Dawes said, “I wanted to look good on the beach but I knew I needed to be in shape if I wanted to be anybody. Now it’s a part of life. It’s like, ‘Why do you get up and eat every day?’”

The ethos at EOS is to encourage members to work gradually toward achieving their fitness goals. “A little bit of something is better than a lot of nothing,” McCall concluded. “That moves them in the direction of becoming a regular exercise practitioner by starting small.”

Dawes concurred pointing out, “The more effort you’re willing to put in – the more you get out of it on multiple levels.”

EOS FITNESS

Where: 3156 Sports Arena Blvd.

Hours: Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Contact: 619-226-9500.