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Sending Off 2025, Welcoming in 2026

January 2, 2026

2025 Year in Review

Wrapping Up 8 Years of Revo

As we wrap up 2025, I’m reflecting not only on the growth we’ve experienced this year as a team, but how far our Revo community has come in the last 8 years.

Wow.

We are so grateful for all of you for the hard work you put in every day. Missoulians are a hardy bunch — rain, snow, or sunshine — we like to work hard and play hard. We couldn’t be more proud to work with each of you.

Thank you for trusting us with your training.
Thank you for showing up, even when you don’t want to.
And thank you for inspiring us to be the best we possibly can be.

That is our mission as we roll into 2026: To be the best coaching center in Montana. Along with a theme of agency — but more on that in a bit.

Reflecting on Our Year

First, a bit of reflection about our year — as we grow, I find my attention (along with Callie’s) being pulled more and more to the business side. But our main purpose is and always has been to provide the best coaching in Missoula.

This year, Coaches Bobby and Mariah stepped into leadership roles, and I couldn’t be more proud of their growth.

Bobby is now aiding Callie with our Member’s experience, a role in which he is obviously excelling. On top of being a truly elite coach, his communication skills, happy vibes, and steady presence have been a wonder for our whole team.

Mariah is helping me (Mike) with our growth as a sales lead and communication center for all new members. She works as hard as anyone I know — juggling copious hours of coaching, extensive learning about our complex concepts, and now crushing it in her new role.

Both Bobby and Mariah balance these new roles on top of coaching in the trenches a great deal, and they deserve all the credit in the world.

Welcoming New Pros

This year we also added a new, very welcome addition to our team: Coach Nate.

Nate fits our culture perfectly — he has an insatiable work ethic, a deep knowledge base, a keen coaching eye, and is eager to keep learning. He’s already crushing it with our adults and is only just getting started coaching the youth athletes in our community.

Keep your eyes on Nate — he’s going to have a huge 2026.

A Thank You to Our Engine

I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out and thank our rock, Callie.

She continues to set the standard as the best trainer in Missoula, all while handling the duties of an extremely busy General Manager. We all lean on her immensely.

I was thrilled this year when she was able to join me in shadowing a mentor’s gym in Seattle. It’s important to both of us to keep learning from the best so we can bring it back here. We have lots to bring into the fold this year, and I couldn’t ask for a better partner in crime.

I’m very proud of our team, their hard work, and their continued development. I know we will continue to hone our practice and mission to provide the best coaching experience in Missoula — not just because of continued education or courses we’re taking — but because of the grit and diligence each of our team members demonstrate every day.

So Long 2025, Welcome 2026

Before we tie a bow on 2025 and our 8th (!) year in business, I figured I’d contribute to the end-of-year blurbs that are filling your emails and social media these days.

I have written out 8 Fitness Industry Observations after 8 years of gym ownership and almost 15 years of coaching.

This list isn’t designed to be hot takes or drive traffic — probably quite the contrary. They’re foundational beliefs and observations that we’ve been practicing or observing and have felt reinforcement with this year. I believe they will transcend “fitness trends” as we all sift through the rubbish that is the fitness social media machine.

At this point in my career, I’ve seen a lot of trends come and go. I’m now seeing some come back around — and there are some I’m happy to see go.

Without further ado, here they are.

1. Well-Rounded Programming Is King

I believe the days of “You just need HIIT / STRENGTH / CARDIO / CROSSFIT / HYROX / CYCLING / RUNNING / PILATES / ETC” are over.

People on social media or gyms that are just learning about marketing may still push this kind of dogmatic or oversimplified language on consumers. But the science and readily available information are really clear:

Everybody is better served with programming that includes strength training, metabolic training, and aerobic development — preferably not all squeezed into one workout.

2. Mobility Is Neural, Not Local Tissue-Based

Mobility is far more about your body and brain learning how to move actively through a full range of motion than trying to stretch local tissue into oblivion.

Contrary to popular belief, I am not opposed to stretching. It can be very useful to open up space for someone to move into.

However, if you do not follow up light, dynamic stretching with moving through the range of motion, you may be diminishing your body’s ability to use those muscles or joints by over-stretching — not improving your mobility.

If a muscle is chronically tight, that is usually for a reason. Often it means your body is overcompensating because it doesn’t trust other muscles, systems, or patterns.

And yes — breathwork helps you control your autonomic nervous system (fight-or-flight mode) and has a profound effect on mobility.

3. Coaching Far Transcends Exercises & Programs

For over 5 years I’ve been traveling the country to observe and learn from the best coaches and facilities, and one thing always stands out: their coaching eye in action.

As a team, we preach and believe in Coaching First — coaching the person in front of you, not dogma, trends, or what someone screaming on the internet says.

This year was a huge milestone as we hosted one of the best coaches in the world, Mike Robertson, for a seminar on programming and coaching. In the past, we’ve hosted others such as the Postural Restoration Institute, and I’m thrilled to tease that we’ll be hosting multiple courses and seminars in 2026.

Both of our programs — RevoFit and MTStrong Semi-Private Training — offer different approaches depending on your needs. And both will be even better in 2026.

At the risk of sounding jaded, I see too many young trainers reselling someone else’s programs and believing they can learn everything from YouTube. Going forward, we’re committed to in-person experience and exposure so our coaches can bring a deep toolbox to our community.

4. Experience Matters

The older I get, the more this stands out.

Experienced coaches provide far more than demonstrations or cheerleading — they communicate what you should feel, what matters, and how to adjust based on context.

Everyone should squat — but not everyone should back squat. If you’re looking to get stronger but you’ve been dealing with chronic lower back pain or just got through giving birth, back squats are probably a bad idea. A great coach understands when and how to modify movements based on injury history, life stage, and goals.

For this point, I considered switching out experience with exposure. Early on in my Revo journey, it was easy to stay in our own walls and get complacent with our methods. But seeking exposure is important to me in the gym and out in the world — whether that be seeking to ski big lines or learn from great gyms and mentors around the country — this principle and action provides perspective.

Much of our team will be travelling to learn in 2026, and I’m excited to bring that growth back to Missoula.

5. If You’re Over 35, You Need More Plyometrics & Speed Work

I say this from experience.

There were times I rushed strength work and ignored speed and plyometrics — and it caught up with me. Reintroducing them has dramatically improved how I feel, recover, and perform.

Plyometrics can be micro-dosed throughout the week. Simple, effective work before sessions builds reactivity, pliability, and resilience — qualities we naturally lose with age.

As mountain athletes, this matters. Nobody in our circles wants to be more rigid or slow – The dosage is the key.

6. We See Far More People Undernourished Than Overtrained

Recovery strategies are important — but many people struggle because they simply aren’t eating enough or planning intelligently.

Running or biking daily, strength training, and adult life require protein, carbs, fats, sleep, and down-regulation.

If this sounds familiar, you may not need less training — you may need a better plan. Better habits, adjusting your workout schedule, and eating/sleeping enough can do wonders for your wellbeing.

7. Abs Are Made in the Kitchen

I know, this one is obvious. But personally, I have swung back to the importance of nutrition knowledge for the everyday person and the benefits of macro tracking.

I constantly hear from folks that they “definitely eat enough” and then proceed to complain about nagging aches and pains from their favorite activities or the gym. That’s like never putting fuel in your vehicle and wondering why it’s always breaking down.

Tracking provides clarity and reference points — even if it’s not forever. Personally, it helps me avoid under-fueling early and over-eating later.

An experienced nutrition coach isn’t about dieting or echoing to “just eat more protein” — it’s about developing skills and habits that last.

8. Perimenopausal & Menopausal Women Are Being Targeted by Predatory Marketing

Here’s the only point I have that I think may ruffle some feathers.

There is a lot of noise, fear-based messaging, and dogma being sold.

It’s exhausting, but here’s the bright side: due to the dialogue, it’s being researched and tested better than ever. And yes, adjustments should be made. But many of the extreme takes are being disproven rapidly.

The science supports balanced strength training, metabolic work, and aerobic development — all adjusted to recovery.

Strength training is hugely important for maintaining muscle mass and bone density. 1-3 times per week is ideal depending on experience, goals, and background in the gym.

Metabolic training (HIIT) has huge benefits, particularly hormonally with all the changes happening, particularly insulin sensitivity (weight gain). It also aids in improving VO2 max, which is still one of the greatest indicators of life expectancy.

Speaking of VO2 max, everyone needs aerobic development. Cardiovascular and metabolic disease are still the leading causes or mortality of all populations in the US – no, zone 2 isn’t poisonous for women. That’s absurd. Contextually, it’s more about what you need based on your training background and what’s most efficient for you.

All of these need to be balanced based on work capacity – Your ability to recover. That’s why a good coach is key – they can help learn about you, where you’re at, and how to adjust accordingly.

Of course, this information can feel better received from someone with life experience similar to yours. But just remember, there’s a lot of people in the health and wellness field with something to sell. Algorithms encourage extreme takes and controversy.

Whether or not it’s ethical or truly science-based is really hard to discern in 2026. Like any realm of fitness, I’d personally view dogmatic or singular approaches as major red flags.

Theme for 2026: Agency

Before we send everyone off into 2026, I want to quickly address my theme for 2026 – Agency.

In my training and in life, there have been times where I felt adrift. As if I let proverbial or real storms dictate my direction. Where the ship was headed.

In 2026 I am resolving to change this, and I challenge you to do the same.

To steer the ship.

Agency is the ability—and the willingness—to take responsibility for your life, your decisions, and your outcomes.

It’s recognizing that:

You are not powerless
You are not a victim of circumstance
And while you can’t control everything, you can always control your response, your effort, and your standards

Agency is the opposite of outsourcing responsibility—to luck, genetics, the system, the weather, your schedule, your boss, your coach, or your past.

Are you taking agency in your life or letting a hectic schedule or a rough patch dictate your outcomes?

This can be as simple as planning your lunches for the week as opposed to eating out 3-5 times per week. Or it can be about intentionally planning your workout schedule instead of trying to squeeze it in when it works.

Or it can be about waking up or going to bed at the same time instead of always wondering why you’re tired or irritable.

Your reasons will be your own – but let’s take on 2026 together and steer the ship, lest we end up adrift.

Let’s get it. Happy New Year.