Welcome Ben Bunnell!

We are beyond excited to welcome Ben Bunnell to our training team in Bangor, Maine.  Ben grew up on a farm in Vermont and received his bachelors degree in Exercise Science and Coaching Certification from Colby-Sawyer College in 2016.
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He brings with him 3 year’s experience coaching at several gyms in New England.  Ben has a passion for exercise – he has been an athlete his entire life and enjoys challenging and pushing himself physically.  He believes this is what gives him the confidence to go after his biggest goals.  

​When we asked Ben how he planned on delivering on the vision, mission, and goals of Wilcox Wellness & Fitness, this was his response: 

I will embrace the mission and core values of Wilcox Wellness & Fitness by integrating them into my own life and fitness journey first. By practicing what I teach, I hope to emulate these values and mission statement rather than simply adhere to them. Thankfully, my background in athletics has taught me a lot about working in a positive team environment and therefore has prepared me to embrace these values wholeheartedly.

Working as a team and supporting each other’s goal is crucial for a constructive group training environment. During my sessions with client’s I like to point out what they are doing well. I would like to implement client’s doing the same with their teammates within the session. I believe this will help reinforce good form/technique as well as create an environment in which everyone feels noticed and appreciated. In turn, I believe this will also influence another core value, enthusiastic pride. A space in which everyone feels celebrated and supported is one that is easy to feel proud and enthusiastic about.

Getting client’s to continuously improve can be challenging because people are often scared to fail at something. Hopefully, pointing out what clients are doing well will make this less of a daunting task. During my sessions, I want to make a progression an even more positive accomplishment. Progressing an exercise to an increased range of motion, weight, ect. will always be the goal and will be met with encouragement and congratulations. A progression, PR, or goal board would be a great way to encourage Kaizen. This will ensure that there is always continuous improvement for clients. I will encourage clients to “take action” and let me know if a weight or an exercise isn’t challenging them enough. Creating a space where that communication can happen will encourage hard work and, conversely, will encourage clients to speak up if an exercise is bothering them.

I want to make my sessions upbeat and motivating enough that people want to put their heart into it. The sessions I work the hardest in are sessions that I work out with a friend, the music is good, we are doing exercises we like or trying new ones, and we both have fun. People put their hearts into the things they have fun doing, so in order to get that heart hustle training needs to be enjoyable. I think ample support, a good playlist, and continuously making new exercises will foster the proper setting for heart hustle to happen.
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I hope to instill lifelong, sustainable fitness goals and enhance my clients lives by embedding these core values in every single one of my training sessions while applying the knowledge and experience I have gained from my degree. These core values implemented with years of education will certainly lead to positive client outcomes and continuous improvement. I look forward to introducing these values into my own personal life to better represent them in my training sessions. 

Welcome Ben!  We are so happy you have found your home here with us!

Paige & Mike Wilcox