Pumping iron in Baker Lake

Joseph Partridge is on a mission of fitness and he’d like others to join him on the trip. Partridge, 19, of Baker Lake, recently posted to social media asking others to catch the fitness bug he caught a little more than two years ago. He said he started lifting weights as soon as he began his fitness quest — and the results are certainly showing. “I started pumping the weights, body building, and I’ve stayed with that,” said Partridge. “I bench press 145 pounds in reps (repetitions) of five. “It was actually a mental health worker who suggested asking others to join. They asked me to start a program and I agreed with them. “They just thought I was a good fit to start a program, so I started putting out the word for others to join about two months ago. I haven’t really had any response yet. “A few other people go with me [to the gym], but they’re my friends and cousins. Maybe it’s just the timing, beginning at 6 p.m., when everyone is still eating. I’m going to keep trying, so we’ll see what happens as time goes by.” Partridge said if new people decide to join, he’d introduce them to the bench press. From there, he said, he’d get them started on their shoulders the next day and then their legs on day three. “They could do whatever they want in the gym, but I’d do my best to make sure nobody was overdoing it. “I still enjoy looking in the mirror and seeing how jacked I am. That’s part of the whole thing, seeing real improvements. “I still get a real kick out of working out. I haven’t really set any goals, just trying to go up higher as I go along. Working out has really improved my mental health and it makes me feel better every day. “Every day at work and after I get home, going to the gym is all I think about. I would tell anyone thinking about starting that if they go to the gym every day, they’ll be really proud of themselves. It would help them with both their physical and their mental health.”