As part of spreading the movement of being a functional human, P.E. teacher, Mick Fuller, organizes a coed lifting group for students: The Barbell Club, Sept. 24.

The Barbell Club is a group of high school students who gather to workout as well as motivate each other, lifting on Mondays and Thursdays. A total of nine students currently make up the club, but the group continues to grow. The club is year round and helps students prepare for their upcoming sports season.

Brynlee Schmidt explains why she decided to join the Barbell Club.

“I wanted to join the Barbell Club because I wanted to stay fit and be ‘swoller,’” Schmidt said. “My goal is to become stronger than my brother.”

Fuller shares what is gained by being in the Barbell Club.

“The benefits of joining the Barbell Club are becoming a functional human being,” Fuller said. “You will become stronger than your friends.”

Fuller shares his passion for weightlifting with students through the Barbell Club, as well as his blog featured on The Feather. Fuller discusses the benefits to working out, sharing his personal experiences from his athletic background.

“Over the last several months I have experienced mental, emotional and spiritual growth that has changed my perspective on life and work,” Fuller said. “This year I knew I needed to do something that challenged me intellectually, physically and emotionally. I also needed to find an outlet outside the parameters the regular curriculum that would let me bring my talent for coaching and mentorship to bear on students.

Fuller went on to say that the Barbell Club brings together a group of students who are willing to exert themselves in a way that improves the whole person. It is fosters a sense of community, camaraderie and encouragement among the students beyond what he expected. Fuller plans to continue sharing his thoughts about health and fitness on his blog.

“The blog is an opportunity for me to exercise my brain and writing skills and distill some of what I have been learning in the last few years,” Fuller said. “It affords me a productive outlet for creative energy that I haven’t had since I stopped coaching football.”

Check out his latest post on The Feather.