R3VIVE’s Member of the Month, December 2022

R3VIVE Fitness • December 11, 2022
Woman in gym dips on a wooden box. “Dec 2022 Gym M.O.M.” text. Gym interior with another woman in background.
Introducing our Gym M.O.M. (Member of the Month) for December 2022 … Merian Lopez !⁠
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Merian has been a valuable member at R3VIVE for over 2 years now. Her journey began with personal training and personal programming, which then evolved into constantly taking classes.
 
During her initial visits, it was easy to see that Merian was fully capable of participating in classes due to her high energy and how she moved. However, the choice was made to create a path that would set her up for long term success rather than short term.

Going the route from personal training to classes has proven to herself that creating and following a long term plan outweighs any “quick fix” plan. We hope that her journey inspires you!
 
We are super proud to finally crown her as our gym’s member of the month!

Learn more about Merian below:

Q: What made you decide to start functional fitness training?
I decided to start functional fitness training to gain muscular resistance in a general way, increase cardiovascular performance and to avoid muscle imbalance in the future.

Q: Are you a student/working professional/both? What do you do for a living?
I work full time as a preschool teacher and administrative assistant.

Q: What are your hobbies/interests outside of the gym?
I love listening to romantic music and walking

Q: What are some of your favorite movements (name up to three)?
 My favorite moves are: back squat, front squat, deadlift

Q: What are your least favorite movements?
 My least favorite movements are: Lunges and biking

Q: What movements do you want to improve at?
 Clean and jerk and Kipping pull-up

Q: What advice do you have for someone considering our gym?
 I would say to them that they should definitely participate in a group training class where they can train in a supportive community with the common goal of achieving optimum health all while having fun.

Q: What’s your favorite “cheat” food?
 My favorite cheat food is the Dominican Sancocho that is made of all kinds of meat and vegetables and different carbohydrates.

Q: What is your guilty pleasure?
 My guilty pleasure is white bread with avocado and the pistachio and Myers’s rum Raisin ice cream flavors from JP Licks

Q: Do you have any nicknames?
 When I was a child they called me “Apirina” and some relatives still call me that.

Q: Tell us an interesting fact that we probably don’t know about you!
An interesting fact about me is that I like to help others. Every year I travel to my city of birth in the Dominican Republic, to make different donations such as donating clothes and toys to children, wheelchairs, walkers, canes and pampers for the elderly. If someone is in a difficult situation, they contact me and I collect so I can help them either with food or some medicine. I love being able to help others!

March of Dimes Charity Class

By Derek Saffold • March 16, 2026
What is the March of Dimes? The March of Dimes is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of mothers and babies, with a focus on preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Learn more about the March of Dimes here. Why is it important to us? We are excited to host a workout in support of the March of Dimes and the South Shore Hospital NICU team. My sister-in-law, Amanda Dougherty, and my nephew, Owen Dougherty, received a lot of care during Owen's premature and traumatic birth. Amanda and her family will be walking on the SSH NICU/SCN team in the March for Babies walk on May 9th, and we would love to support her by donating to the cause and helping other families in need. When's the charity class? We would love for everyone to come join us, no matter your fitness level, in support of this great cause. The class will be hosted on Sunday, April 12th, at 11 am. T-shirts will also be available for purchase as a preorder up until March 27th. All proceeds from registration of this event and profits from all shirts purchased will be donated to the SSH NICU/SCN team under Amanda Dougherty. Donate and Jump into Class If you would like to donate more, you can go directly to Amanda’s page and donate here.

Why Can't I Always Lift My Max?

By Derek Saffold • February 19, 2026
Strength expression is our ability to show or utilize the strength we have. We call it expression because in the world of lifting, CrossFit, functional fitness, or training, our ability to show that strength varies. Even though our potential strength is the same, we are not always able to fully express it the way we want. Whether that is hitting a max back squat, doing heavy thrusters in a CrossFit style workout, or hitting that heavy clean complex when olympic lifting, we will not always be able to hit our maxes, this is because of factors outside of just our strength itself.

Introducing EL3VATE

By Derek Saffold • January 27, 2026
Ever walk into the gym and not sure what to do? We put together a program to help eliminate that feeling and give you confidence and the accountability to reach your goals. Introducing EL3VATE where we want to EL3VATE your strength, habits, and mindset!
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