Precerpt from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary: Finding a Gym When You Live in Small Town America
Entry: On Finding a Gym When You Live in Small Town America
Ninjas are supposed to disappear into the shadows. What they don’t mention is how hard it is to find a decent gym when you already live there.
Training off the beaten path isn't just inconvenient — it's isolating. There were no ninja-specific trainers out here. No ninja gyms, either. Just regular workout spaces with fluorescent lighting and motivational posters that felt about as stealthy as a bullhorn.
But I got lucky. I found Brittany. She gave me everything I needed — creativity, strength-building strategies, functional movement tailored to what I was preparing for. She took the ordinary equipment at our local Anytime Fitness and used it like a true ninja would: resourcefully, precisely, bravely.
Later, I discovered a rock climbing gym in Santa Cruz that offered new challenges. Upper body strength, yes — absolutely vital. But the vibe there was all about wilderness treks and rugged outdoor life. I wasn’t trying to scale Half Dome or disappear into the forest. I wanted to be agile, not off-grid. So I climbed. I learned. And I returned home.
In the beginning, I made a pilgrimage to a ninja gym in Roseville. Three hours each way — one time only. But it did exactly what it needed to do: it showed me the blueprint. The movements, the stamina, the creative problem-solving that ninja training demands. That one visit gave me the vision I needed to start shaping my own path.
Some ninja warriors have access to specialized gyms. Some own them. I envy that. Others train on their farms, on construction sites, wherever they can carve out a few square feet of possibility. I understand that deeply. It’s not about the space — it’s about commitment. It's about finding camaraderie in unlikely places and crafting resilience from what you’ve got.
Even when there’s no gym, no trainer, and no fellow ninja in sight... you still show up.
For more posts about/from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary, click HERE.
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