5th Row Lifting Company

.nathe ‘s 5am crew:)

MOST PEOPLE DON'T NEED ANOTHER FITNESS CHALLENGE.

They need a place to start.

That's exactly why we created our Coaching-to-Community Intro Program.

One of the biggest concerns we hear is:
"I don't know what I'm doing."
"What if I can't keep up?"
"I want to try group fitness, but I'm nervous."

That's where this program comes in.

You'll start with 4 private 30-minute coaching sessions where you'll learn the lifts, get a snapshot of how our group fitness classes run, and build confidence for your first class.

Then you'll transition into 8 weeks of unlimited group fitness with classes available Monday through Saturday throughout the day.

No pressure. No trying to figure it out on your own.

Just coaching, support, and a community that wants to see you succeed.

🎉 June Anniversary Special
💥 Coaching-to-Community Intro Program
💥 Just $299
💥 Offer ends June 30

Purchase here:
https://5throw.pushpress.com/landing/plans/plan_4beda55d796742

PART FOUR: THE LOGO

Fitting that this is the last part, because a logo was the last thing I was thinking about. In fact—I wasn’t thinking about it at all.

I was standing in the parking lot in front of Pinehurst, talking with my sign guy, Nick Steig. I had a vision for everything I wanted the business to be and grow into. There was a lot going on in my ADD brain—chaos, really—but it was all in there. 😂

Everything except a logo.

So when Nick asked, “What about a logo?” I was caught completely off guard.

I quickly started thinking of logos I liked and told him the coolest one I could think of was the old Milwaukee Brewers logo—the baseball glove that cleverly forms both the M and the B.

Nick knew exactly what I was talking about.

A short time later, he came back with a design featuring a strongman lifting a giant pinecone overhead. I liked it immediately, and that’s what we went with.

This was 2014, and the craft beer and brewery movement wasn’t quite as prominent as it would soon become. It never even occurred to me at the time that the pinecone looked an awful lot like the hops used in many craft brewery logos.

Fast forward to 2021. We moved out of the Pinehurst shopping center, changed our name, and became 5th Row Lifting Company.

One thing I knew for sure: I wanted to keep the logo.

The pinecone had become part of the story.

So even though the name changed, the logo stayed.

And moving forward, with Clay and Madison being a big part of the future of 5th Row, if they’re ever ambitious enough to expand beyond Eau Claire, they’ll be taking a little piece of Pinehurst with them wherever they go.

The name may have changed.

The logo never did. 🙂

🏃‍♂️ GYM TO GYM RUN/WALK (or BIKE)
As part of our 5th Anniversary Celebration Month, we're inviting members, family, and friends to join us for our first-ever Gym to Gym Run/Walk (or BIKE)!

📅 Saturday, June 13
🕙 Start Time: 10:15 AM
📍 Starting Location: 5th Row North

We'll be making the journey from North to West on a route that is approximately 5 miles long, with about 95% of the route on the walking trail.

Whether you want to run, jog, walk, bike, or take your time enjoying the company, you're welcome to join us.

Along the route we'll have:
💧 A water station
🎉 Fun stops and surprises
📸 Photo opportunities
🤝 Plenty of time to connect with fellow members

This event isn't about speed or competition. It's about celebrating five years of strength, community, friendships, and everything we've built together.

Feel free to invite family members, friends, kids, or anyone who would enjoy a walk on the trail and a chance to celebrate with the 5th Row community.

5 Years. 2 Gyms. 1 Community. ❤️💪

Does anyone recognize the guy getting the hug?!?

Great to have you in for a workout Seth! You CRUSHED IT!!!

PART THREE: WHY “LIFTING COMPANY”?

“What are you guys?”

“What’s your thing?”

“Are you CrossFit? A boot camp? Kettlebells? Functional fitness? What’s your theme?”

We friggin’ LIFT.

What do you want from me? 😂

Seriously though, we do old-school strength training and exercise. Progressive overload. We help people get stronger. Lose fat. Build muscle. Move better. Feel better. Get some cardio in there too.

No cutesy theme. No trendy gimmicks. No special affiliation.

We just friggin’ lift.

For years, I never had a great elevator pitch for what we do. Honestly, I’m still working on it. 😂

The closest thing I’ve got is:

“We take people and help them get into the best shape of their lives—day after day, month after month, year after year.”

That’s the classic Ryan rant version of who we are.

But truthfully, our members played a big role in the name.

Back in the Pinehurst days, the biggest attendance days were always our most old-school lifting days.

BIG MOVE MONDAY.

Barbell squats. Bench press. Deadlifts. Overhead press. Pullovers—my personal favorite.

People loved it.

Then we’d run it back on THROWBACK THURSDAY, and they’d show up for that too.

The more old-school the workout, the more people seemed to love it.

And I loved that.

Instead of chasing fitness trends, we leaned harder into what was already working.

What our members kept showing us they wanted.

Strength.

Muscle.

Hard work.

Results.

So when it came time to name the company, the answer was sitting right in front of us.

5th Row Lifting Company.

Not because it sounded cool.

Because it’s what we do. 💪

PART TWO: WHY THE NAME “5TH ROW”?

A lot of people assume there must be some deep meaning behind the name.

There is.

But it’s also pretty simple.

For years, we tracked every workout on a member board. Every time someone came in, they got a tally mark next to their name.

One workout.
One tally.

Stick around, and your name stayed on the board.

Disappear for a while, and eventually your name came off.

The board wasn’t just a way to keep attendance. It became a visual representation of consistency, effort, and community. Every tally mark represented a workout completed. Every name represented a person who had decided to invest in themselves.

Back in the early days, we were limited by our space. With one trainer and a small facility, we could only fit about four rows of names on the board.

Then we moved.

The new space meant room for more equipment, more members, more coaches, and more opportunity to help people.

For the first time, there was room for a 5th row.

The 5th Row wasn’t just another row of names.

It represented growth.

Growth of the business.
Growth of the community.
Growth of the people whose names filled those boards.

Five years later, the name still fits.

Because we’re still trying to make room for one more name.

How We Came to Be 5TH ROW LIFTING COMPANY…

This week marks 5 years of 5th Row Lifting Company.

To celebrate, I’m going to tell the story in four parts.

Part ONE: THE ORIGINS

Most people see 5 years.

I see a journey that started long before the sign on the building ever said “5th Row.”

The timeline:

2009 – Certified as a personal trainer.

2010 – Opened a coaching studio out of my home in Bloomer.

2011 – Joined Highland Fitness, eventually taking on both training and management responsibilities.

2014 – Opened Pinehurst Fitness.

2021 – Moved into a larger facility and officially became 5th Row Lifting Company.

Five years as 5th Row.

More than fifteen years in the making.

Next up: Why “5th Row”? The answer has nothing to do with lifting weights.

What an OUTSTANDING DAY!!!

Some of us were familiar with Laura, and SUPER excited to have her in her first group with us. And what a SWEET, BADA$$ group it was! We actually got a new member lead just from the photo of that group, saying how it looked like such an awesome group of women to workout with…she wanted to be a part of it!!!

And then the evening….we hand another new girl except….TUESDAY 5:30pm has NOT been our best timeslot of late….and all day she was the ONLY ONE signed up-which would be fine but- not a good look 👀 from where I’m standing.

But then, literally ALL FAVORITE, absolute STUD members signed up, one by one and made for the perfect group to show a potential new member what we’re about.

I couldn’t have been happier:)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!! 💐💪

In June 2021, we became 5th Row Lifting Company.

Five years later, we're still doing what we've always believed in: building a place where people can get stronger, connect with others, and enjoy being part of a gym community.

This month we're celebrating our 5th anniversary with gym-to-gym run/walks, an Eau Claire Express game night, member events, and plenty of opportunities to spend time together outside of class.

Fitness is important, but what we're most proud of is the community that has been built over the last five years.

If you've ever wondered what makes 5th Row different, it's not the equipment or the workouts—it's the people.

Here's to five years of lifting, laughing, supporting one another, and building something special together. ❤️💪