New fitness organization breaks into VCU

Amir Vera
Contributing Writer

Ashvin Sood, a senior psychology major, was the chubby kid in high school. He says he never really worked out until his brother started teaching him about weightlifting.

“I basically spent the end of my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college being taught about lifting,” Sood said. “I got the gains that I wanted. I felt a lot more confident about myself. I felt like having that type of guide … was so helpful.”

Sood felt like he should share his newfound confidence with others, and moved to start his own fitness club. The plan came together last semester when brainstorming for a way for students to work in groups to reach their fitness goals. The club became to be called Team B.R.E.A.K.

“Team B.R.E.A.K is … for the students, by the students,” Sood said.“It’s pretty much aimed at anybody who wants to hit a certain goal and feels like that they don’t have the time to balance an academic or social life. We’re trying to make it easier for students to work out.”

B.R.E.A.K. stands for burn, rebuild, endure, adapt and keep. Sood said he developed the name with it because, to him, those are the key steps to getting in shape, while the last word, “keep” was for motivation for students to stay fit and consistent in their workouts.

The group pools knowledge and experience to help those who want to get moving but don’t know how.

“We do the research for them, and then they have a way to quickly go workout according to the goals they want to hit whether it’s weight loss, fat-burning or lifting,” Sood said. “I want this to actually be an organization that can be really committed to helping students lose the Freshman 15 or at least feel like they have a resource that they can go to which is easy and accessible.”

The resource that Sood speaks of is something, according to freshman Jared O’Hara, many students do not have coming into college.

“The big issue with most students is that they do not have the proper information available to

them and get discouraged before they even begin trying to change their lifestyle. Team B.R.E.A.K. is going to offer students the opportunity to get all the information they need in order to positively change their lives,” O’Hara said in an email. “It will also help to motivate many students since they will have a giant support group behind them that is going through the same pains that they are feeling.”

The central goals of Team B.R.E.A.K, motivation, determination and consistency, are similar to tenets espoused by personal trainers. According to junior professional trainer Amit Vohra, the two organizations have the same goal, but the key difference is the level of knowledge.

“I like the idea because of the team concept, but personal training is a one-on-one type thing.

Basically, personal trainers have all of the knowledge.” Vohra said. “A lot of times people hire personal trainers because of lack of knowledge.”

Sood said he agrees that both groups are equally helpful to students.

“The personal trainers at the gym will be an incredible resource for those who want in-depth

training. Though both of our goals are similar, Team B.R.E.A.K is traveling a different avenue to get to the same means,” Sood said.

The organization meets every Sunday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Harris Hall, room 2101. During the week, members collaborate on training regimens and follow them. When Sunday comes, the group will analyze how things went and what they need to change to get the best results.

As for Sood, he said he is glad he can pass on what his brother taught him when he first began lifting. Putting people in groups based on goals, he said, is “almost like social networking on the exercise scale.”