We’ve Been Doing This in Nelson Since 2015. Here’s What We’ve Learned.

I didn’t start in a gym. I started trying to feel like I belonged. Tall. Lanky. A little out of place. Hockey gave me that-and the better I got, the more accepted I felt. So I chased it. I started training young. Push-ups, chin-ups, whatever I could find in old bodybuilding magazines. No plan. No guidance. Just effort. And for a while, it worked. Until it didn’t. At 15, I was drafted to the WHL. I should have been in the best shape of my life. Instead, I was in constant pain. On a trip to Disneyland, I couldn’t stand for more than 15 minutes without my back locking up. I remember thinking, this can’t be right. When I got home, I was sent to a coach in Nelson. I thought I needed to train harder. He saw something different. He told me I wouldn’t touch weights for six months. Instead, we slowed everything down. Breathing. Stretching. Learning how to actually move. Within a week, something shifted. The pain was gone. I could stand tall. Breathe deeper. Move freely. I felt… light. Almost liberated. At 15 years old, it was one of the most profound experiences of my life-going from constant, limiting pain to feeling fully at home in my body. And it changed me. Not just physically-but in what I wanted to do with my life. I knew, right then, this was something I wanted to give to other people. That same feeling of relief. Confidence. Freedom. Because most people don’t need to be pushed harder. They need to be guided properly. They need someone paying attention. A plan that makes sense. A path they can trust. That’s what Maverick is built on. A place where you’re coached from day one. Where nothing is random. Where you’re supported through every stage-not just the beginning. So you can feel strong again. Move without pain. And build your confidence back-step by step.
– Cody Abbey Founder, Maverick Strength