JCW’s staff are known for their determination when it comes to tackling a wide range of challenges, both in their professional roles and personal pursuits. This year we have witnessed a marathon in Bath, an ultra hike in Aberdeenshire and even a group skydive, among other remarkable activities. This inspiring spirit to confront challenges with courage, strength and commitment is now being highlighted once again by our Sheffield based Electrical Engineer, Ryan.

The Shed 500

We heard Ryan is currently training for a little challenge called 'The Shed 500' for the charity ANDYSMANCLUB and were intrigued to find out more. The Shed 500 consists of various exercises conducted in 5 hours completed by members of The Shed Gym & Fitness. ANDYSMANCLUB takes its name from Andrew Roberts, who sadly took his own life aged just 23 in early 2016. Andy’s family was unaware of his struggles, prompting them to explore suicide and mental health. Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK, with a deep-rooted stigma surrounding men's mental health.

In mid-2016, nine men gathered in Halifax to discuss their mental health issues and support each other. They felt a unique connection that needed to be shared, leading to a rapidly growing movement. Seven years later, ANDYSMANCLUB has expanded to over 150 groups across three UK countries.

For Ryan, this charity challenge marks a significant first experience! It is an opportunity that Ryan is very much looking forward to participating in, and motivated by the cause, he is eager to take part in similar events in the future as well!

The Challenge for Ryan

Ryan will perform a total of 500 Dumbbell presses, which should not be confused with a single 500kg Dumbbell press, he explained to us. Ryan’s goal is to use dumbbells weighing between 15kg and 25kg throughout the entire event. The event in question will take place over a 5-hour period within the same day, starting at 10am and concluding at 3pm!

For context, Ryan would normally preform 10 repetitions of his regular dumbbell in 1 minute and take a rest between 5 to 10 minutes long. He anticipates the struggle is going to lie with fatigue in the repetitive movement over the time, and for the numbers needed.

Training and Ambition

As a solid foundation, Ryan has accumulated a few years of experience in the gym. Additionally, to train for this particular event, Ryan has been focusing more on upper body strength, and incorporating sessions where he is consistently pushing his endurance by increasing repetitions. The 500 will be a hard task to achieve, but some members taking part are a little more ambitious. They have decided to set 750 as a next level target to push themselves, and as a forfeit, further donations will depend on how many reps are outstanding from this 750 target! 

The Reason for Ryan

Ryan is undertaking this significant challenge for a few important reasons. He believes that mental health is not something that is openly discussed or acknowledged as much as it should be, and he wishes to raise awareness through this challenge and associated fundraiser. Ryan has specifically chosen to fundraise for ANDYSMANCLUB because it has played a supportive role and helped him immensely with his own personal troubles and difficult times. Ryan truly believes that this organisation, along with the gym, represents the best environments to support and improve mental health.

Ryan’s challenge will take place on 7 December 2024. To support Ryan, check out the extended list of challengers and donate to ANDYSMANCLUB click link here.