The Yard

Join the April 10k Step Challenge today! 👟 Log your steps via the link in bio. Giveaway is announced this afternoon!

Technology is a powerful tool for improving productivity and efficiency. But like anything, it reaches a point of diminishing returns, eventually becoming counterproductive to our physical and mental health.

The rise of AI amplifies both sides. Used well, it automates mundane tasks and frees you to focus on higher level work. Used poorly, it becomes a crutch that erodes critical thinking.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m just as guilty as anybody when it comes to this stuff. I’m constantly working to minimize screentime, resist the urge to doomscroll, and limit my dependence on AI. I’ve found that spending time outside is the best remedy.

That’s why we’re challenging our community this month to hit 10,000 steps every day. The average American adult takes about 4,800 steps daily, and fewer than 5,000 is considered sedentary. By modeling an active lifestyle and setting boundaries around technology, we can set a better example for the next generation.

The Challenge:

✔️Move: Hit your 10,000-step goal through your daily commute, walks, or training.
✔️Log: Every time you hit the mark, scan the in-gym QR codes to log your success (or click the Link in Bio on IG to log!).
✔️Prize: Every logged day is an entry to win an exclusive giveaway at the end of the month.

I can’t point to a single moment when I felt like we’d “made it” at The Yard Strength Training. Maybe it’s impostor syndrome, or maybe it’s the fear that acknowledging success leads to complacency.

I’m sure a lot of small business owners can relate. When you’re in the weeds every day, over the course of years, growth feels incremental at best. Some days feel more like defense than offense—just trying to keep the bottom from falling out.

The same is true in fitness. Gains don’t happen overnight; they’re the result of years of consistent effort.

That can feel daunting if you’re just starting your entrepreneurial or fitness journey. But I like to frame it in a way that removes the pressure: start small. Commit to something you can sustain over the long term. Once it becomes a habit, build on it incrementally. Look back in a few years, and you’ll be shocked at how far you’ve come.

At The Yard, we obsess over the mechanics of a squat. But for the female athlete, there is a secondary foundation often ignored: hormonal health. We sat down with Izzy, founder of DailyBasis, to bridge the gap between high-performance training and biological reality.

Inside the interview: 💪 The Power Phase: When to push for PRs. 🧠 Data over Liability: Turning your cycle into an athletic advantage. 🥗 The Nutritional Gap: Why male-default supplements fall short.

🔗 [Link in Bio] to read the full Q&A and grab one of the final 5 spots for our Women’s Strength & Social this Sunday.

This Sunday, we’re closing that gap. Join The Yard x DailyBasis for a morning dedicated to the female body.

✨ 10:00 AM: 45-min Strength Workout with Trainer .
✨ 10:45 AM: Cycle-syncing & Nutrition Q+A with .
✨ 11:00 AM: Sauna, Upside Coffee, and socializing.

THE DETAILS: 🗓 Sunday, April 19 | 10:00 AM 📍 The Yard Mill Valley 🎟 FREE for Members | $10 for Non-Members. RSVP LIB!

What is The Yard?

I’ve given this spiel so many times over the years that I could do it in my sleep. We operate two reservation-based strength studios in SF and Mill Valley. When you book a session at The Yard, you get your own squat rack for the hour (we call them “pods”), along with shared access to free weights, cardio equipment, and cable machines.

Our model serves two types of users:

Independent Personal Trainers. Trainers reserve pods for private Client sessions. The Trainer pays the gym; the Client pays the Trainer. Our Trainers love us because they can program with confidence, knowing exactly what equipment they’ll have exclusive access to. Our model allows them to earn 3–5x more than they would at a traditional commercial gym. This offering is inspired by models like barbershops and commissary kitchens—independent professionals sharing high-quality, standardized infrastructure while running their own businesses under one roof.

Individual Members. Members reserve pods for their own workouts. Our community—busy professionals, young parents, and more—gets more efficient, productive sessions, leading to meaningful physical transformations. This offering is rooted in my own experience: after nearly 20 years of lifting, I know the frustration of waiting for a rack, rushing through sets, or reordering workouts based on equipment availability. Like many of our members, I’m now in the best shape of my life since adopting this model.