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April • May • June 2026
Hi, 804 Community,
Every spring the same message shows up everywhere. Summer is coming. You are not ready. Time to fix yourself.
We are not going to do that here.
If you have been training, your body is not a project that resets every season. The work you put in this winter did not expire because the calendar turned. It compounded. Quietly. The way real progress always does.
And if you are just getting started, that is the whole point. Starting. Not catching up. Not cramming. Not punishing yourself into shape before some arbitrary deadline.
There is no summer-ready version of you that is different from the version training right now. The version that shows up, does the work, and trusts the process is the only one that lasts.
This quarter we have a story we almost did not write. We are glad we did. Keep reading.
Matt and Collin
DEKA at 804 Strength | April 25, 2026
DEKA came home to 804 Strength. And this community showed exactly who it is.
The floor had everything. Members competing for the first time who a year ago would not have pictured themselves here. Athletes ranked nationally. Local competitors who traveled from as far as North Carolina to be part of it. Every level. Every background. Same gym.
But the part that stood out most had nothing to do with the leaderboard.
The night before the event, members showed up with food and helped move equipment until the setup was done. On event day, members gave their entire Saturday to judge, check people in, and handle whatever needed handling. Judy, who has been part of every DEKA we have hosted, took care of tables, chairs, tents, and first aid before we even had to ask.
We say this every time and it is still true. We could not run this event without our members. The fact that they feel like they owe us is something we will never fully understand, because we feel the opposite.
Member Highlight
David joined 804 about a year ago during a difficult transition in his life. He was looking for community, structure, and something to hold onto. He found all three.
Since then, he has been one of our most consistent members. Three sessions a week or more, every week. Top 5% in attendance across the entire gym.
At the December DEKA, David volunteered to set up, break down, and judge. He watched everyone compete and something clicked. He told us he wanted in. We stayed in his ear over the next few months. He started the Saturday training sessions. And on April 25th, he stepped on the floor for the first time.
He placed second overall in DEKA Strong Individuals for the men.
[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER — David Guevara action photos from DEKA event]
David told us he was grateful we pushed him. The truth is, we are just as grateful for him. He shows up every time we need something, and he showed up for himself when it mattered most.
That is what this gym is. That is why we do this.
On the Floor
Dr. Collin from Grit Physical Therapy and Performance returned for the second year, offering pre-race and post-race body work, cupping, and recovery tune-ups. Precision Clinical Body Work provided massages between events. And Lone Mutt Mocktails, a business started by two of our own members, kept competitors going with handcrafted drinks built for active lifestyles.
[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER — DEKA event floor action photo — 640px wide, 16:9]
[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER — Lone Mutt Mocktails vendor table photo]
Heroes Among Us
There is a kind of strength that never gets measured.
It wakes up first. It goes to bed last. It sits in the car for five minutes after work just to walk through the door calmly. It gives years without keeping score and carries responsibility like it weighs nothing, even when it weighs everything.
This is the mother who puts everyone else's plate together before sitting down. The father who has not taken a full day off in longer than he can remember.
They do not ask for applause. They just keep showing up. Day after day. Year after year.
This month, look at the person in your life who never asks for credit and tell them you see it. Then do one more thing.
Bring them with you. Give them one hour where someone else builds the plan, manages the load, and coaches them through it. One hour where the person who carries everything gets to put themselves first.
If there is someone in your life who has earned that, this is the invite. Reply to this email or talk to your coach about booking a session for them. No commitment. No pressure. Just a chance to give something real back.
[PHOTO — Matt's mom and/or wife]
Warm portrait, rounded corners
[PHOTO — Collin's mom and/or wife]
Warm portrait, rounded corners
The people who showed us what showing up looks like.
We also want to take a moment for Memorial Day. We are grateful for those who gave everything and never came home, and for those who carried that weight and did. If you know a veteran in your life, pass this letter along. They are always welcome here.
Outdoor Workout
We are taking training outside.
Two sessions that morning on the river. 7:30 to 8:20 and 8:30 to 9:20. There will be no Saturday class at 804 on this day.
This is the kind of morning that is better with someone next to you. If there is a person in your life who keeps saying they want to start, this is the invite. No gym walls. No intimidation. Just coaching, movement, and a good morning on the river. Spots are limited.
What We See. What the Research Says.
We have had more conversations this year about GLP-1 medications than any year before. Not in a clinical way. Just quietly, in the gym, before or after sessions. Members pulling us aside. Members asking what it means for their training.
We decided to write it down.
Whether someone is using a GLP-1 or considering one, that is a medical decision between them and their doctor. We have no opinion on that choice. We do have a responsibility to share what the research says about what happens to the body during that process.
What the Research Shows
• Weight loss on semaglutide includes meaningful lean muscle loss, especially in the early months. (SEMALEAN study, Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism)
• That loss stabilizes, and muscle strength improves, when structured training is present. (SEMALEAN study)
• Metabolism adapts during sustained weight loss, and what happens during that plateau determines long-term outcomes. (SELECT trial, Nature Medicine, 2024)
The pattern is consistent. The body loses muscle during rapid weight loss unless it has a reason to keep it. Progressive, coach-led strength training is that reason. It is the primary tool for protecting the tissue your body needs to stay strong, functional, and metabolically healthy through the process.
If you are already on a GLP-1, or it is something you have been thinking about, this is worth a conversation. Bring it up at your next session or reply to this email directly.
From the Blog
You feel it locked up mid-set. Your first instinct is to grab water.
That instinct is based on a theory from the 1920s. Controlled research has since moved past it. A 2013 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine dehydrated subjects by 3 to 5 percent of their body weight and found no change in cramp susceptibility when fatigue was controlled.
So if it is not dehydration, what is it?
The short answer is your nervous system. The longer answer involves how your muscles decide when to fire and when to relax, what happens when fatigue tips that balance, and why the people who cramp the least are not the most hydrated. They are the best trained.
There is also a reason over-drinking plain water can make things worse, not better. We wrote the full breakdown on the blog.
What We Watch. Every Rep.
Coaching reduces injury risk by approximately 35 percent. Structured strength training programs reduce relative injury risk by another 30 percent. Users with less than six months of experience account for half of all instruction-related gym injuries. That is not a conditioning problem. It is a supervision problem.
What causes it: Repetitive overhead pressing without scapular stabilization correction.
What it feels like: A pinching or catching sensation in the front or top of the shoulder during pressing movements.
How we reduce the risk: We observe and correct scapular positioning every session before compensatory patterns develop.
Zhong et al., 2024, Frontiers in Neurology
What causes it: Lumbar flexion under load during squats and hinges when neuromuscular control is not yet there.
What it feels like: A dull ache or sharp tightness across the low back during or after training.
How we reduce the risk: We manage progressive overload with periodized volume across the week and adjust load in real time based on what we see.
Shabanpour et al., 2020, BMC Sports Science
What causes it: Load progression moving too fast in squat patterns with poor valgus control and limited range of motion.
What it feels like: A nagging ache around or behind the kneecap, especially going downstairs or sitting for long periods.
How we reduce the risk: We scale load and depth individually and build resilience at end ranges where knees are most vulnerable.
Chen et al., 2025, OJSM
804 Strength is not personal training and it is not a class of 30 where your form disappears into the room. There are 4 members to 1 coach. Every rep observed. Every pattern corrected.
If something has been nagging you, bring it up at your next session. If you are not a member yet, a free consultation is where that conversation starts.
Local Pride
We spend most of our time inside 804 Strength. But the way we train carries into how we live. Here are a few local spots we personally use and trust.
If you are looking for a trusted local chiropractor, we cannot recommend Dr. Scherm enough. Her care, professionalism, and attention to detail are consistent every visit. She genuinely cares and it shows in the results.
schermfamilychiropractic.com ↗Camryn runs a local farm producing handmade soaps, wool products, and more. The morning coffee soap is a personal favorite. Find them at St. Stephen's Episcopal on Saturdays 8–12, Big RVA Market at Bryan Park Saturdays 8–12, and South of the James at Forest Hill on Sundays 10–1.
wanderingcowfarms.com ↗Local owners Bryan and Teresa Mueller have been members at 804 for over five years. They handle far more than closets. If you have any organizational project at home, they are the people to call.
closetfactory.com/locations/richmond ↗Gourmet protein shakes and energy-infused teas, hot and cold. Creative menu, quality ingredients, and everything built to support an active lifestyle.
facebook.com/GoodVibesRVA ↗None of these are sponsorships. These are just people and places we trust.
Know a local spot we should check out? Reply to this email.
Thank you for being here. Every quarter we write this letter for the people who keep showing up, and every quarter we are reminded of why this place exists. It is you.
Here is everything in this letter, in one place.
One small thing — move this email to your primary inbox so our upcoming events and updates find you first.
Before You Go
The New 804 Gear Is Almost Ready.
When it drops, this community gets first access before it goes anywhere else. We are also tracking something this quarter that we have never paid attention to before. A number we started watching after DEKA. We will share what it tells us in the next letter.
If you want to be part of that story, keep showing up.
Matt and Collin
804 Strength
804 Strength