Workout Buddy: Craig B - R.i.p.
1/31/26
Robert B.
Every Friday afternoon Craig B. and I met at a Planet Fitness in St. Paul. MN. and lifted weights for an hour. Craig was a great dude, interesting recovery guy and a Certified Personal Trainer. One year went by and he had helped me figure out all the workouts for the 12StepGym. We got them where we liked, and we got into a nice routine. Counting pounds, adding weight or reps as we became more comfortable.
He was brilliant, and a beast. I just got in better condition.
Craig and I had some similar history. Drinking and smoking. The lifestyles that go with these behaviors was hard on our God-given bodies, as well as our mental and spiritual health. While the human body is ‘built to take it’ the lifestyles created by our addictions created extremes of terrible fitness, weight problems, diminished capabilities and shortened lifespan with a poorer quality of life. We figured the 12-StepGym could be a path to healing and better overall health and wellness.
12-StepGym was created as a series of simple workouts designed for people in early recovery, to help restore physical health and capabilities, aligned with mental and spiritual health. While you can always work out on your own, I know my workouts are better when I go regularly, and when I workout with a buddy. The workouts were designed to take about an hour; either doing one or two of the circuits like legs and core; or the full body workout. Craig and I did the full-body workout on most Fridays: twelve exersizes and machines - three sets of each.
12StepGym workouts are built primarily around weight machines to facilitate discipline, develop good technique and prevent injuries. It’s easy to get wrapped up in free weights, dumbbells and all the workout ideas you can find on Instagram or elsewhere. There’s no shortage of muscle-bound dudes and women from whom to draw inspiration. But starting out simply seems like a good option - especially if you are just off nicotine, alcohol or anything else. Keep it simple!
We used “counting pounds” to keep track of our progress. There’s a blog post about that here.
It’s great discipline and a good goal setting tool.
Last April, Easter Sunday 2025, Craig passed away. He had been undergoing chemotherapy, but was doing his workouts as best he could. We lifted on a Thursday afternoon, and the following week he texted me - said he went to the hospital. He died three weeks later from treatment complications.
He was an amazing guy. Salt-of-the-earth. Hard working. A great dad. A loyal friend. I miss working out with him, and am grateful for all the work - and workouts - we did together on the 12StepGym.
I hope you have a workout buddy like Craig, ; try a workout; and let us know how it goes.
Send in a Pound Report!
Enjoy the Moment.
Robert