Fitness Friday: Interview with Flywheel’s Steve Justice

You all know him.   You all love him.  I just happen to be the lucky CSP blogger who gets to interview to our favorite Flywheel Instructor, Steve Justice.  I get obsessed with his classes, his playlists, his arms… just like the rest of you.  Want to know a little more about him and that sparkle he has that we all seem to be drawn to?  Well, now is your chance to read more about him.

My time at Flywheel has taught me one thing.  When that Sunday booking window opens, I gotta stop what I’m doing and book my bike in your class or I’m shut out.  Why do you think you are such a popular instructor?  

Charlotte has such great instructors so you have to jump online to book your bike no matter who is teaching.  The one thing I have in my favor is my time slots. I was blessed with some pretty good spots so I can’t really take credit for having fuller classes!

There are so many things that are motivating about your classes.  What motivates you?

My motivation is being the best father I can be to my girls and husband to my wife.  To do that, I have to give my all at work to provide for them. My God and my family are why I wake up in the morning and they give me strength to keep going when I am exhausted.

Mashups.  You have the BEST music in your class.  Tell me how the process of selecting your music started and what makes a good mashup?

There is no magic to the music. I find songs I like and I know others will like. Most of the time I look for good beats and songs that build to a final push, which makes it a little more emotional. I want it to hit home.  When I look for mashups, I try to search artists I like or that are popular at the time. The mashup artists do the rest. I just find their great work and play it!

We have all heard about the massive weight loss that you experienced after you left the NFL.  Tell us about that process.

When I played it was a real struggle for me to keep the weight on. I was consuming 6,000-6,500 calories a day to maintain the weight I was at (about 315 pounds at my heaviest).  So, when I didn’t have to eat as much after I retired and added more cardio into my workout routine, the weight just fell off. Since I met my beautiful wife freshman year of college she got me eating healthfully, so none of that really changed.  I guess the biggest difference would be around a year into the weight loss I decided to go gluten and diary free and I will never go back! I feel so much better and it has allowed me to drop a few more pounds.

What do you like about working at Flywheel?

I love everything about it. From the staff and instructors to the riders.  It is always a bright place to go.  You can’t beat exercising for a living! I have met so many life- long friends in that studio; I have nothing but gratitude for Flywheel.

What are some of your favorite themes for Flywheel classes?

Of Course, Superman Sock Monday! Every Monday I wear Superman socks and I try to get the riders to wear some sort of Superman apparel. Every now and then I do a football playlist! I’ll pull up an old hype playlist that I would listen to before my football games.

What are your top 3 workout songs?

Shane and Shane: Liberty
Hillsong: Man of Sorrows
Jesus Culture: The Anthem

How would you describe your classes to someone who has never been before?  Are you more of a hill workout or a sprinter?

I really just change it up. A lot of the time I will do it on the “fly” (no pun intended)! For some reason, instructing comes very naturally to me and I am able to switch things up pretty easily. I always want to keep things fresh and new for the riders.

Outside of class you seem so shy.  How do you pull out of your shell when you are instructing?  Is it the hooting and hollering from the crowd?  The music?  The adrenaline?  

I really feed off the crowd. If the riders give me some feedback, I get excited. I also always want to teach each class like its my last and every one else’s first. Just like in my athletic career, I always want to “leave it all on the field”. No regrets.

How are you and your family doing?  I know you have just experienced something most could never comprehend.  How do you get through something like that?

Thank you for asking this question. We have much joy amidst much sorrow. There are no words for what we have been through or for the hope that we have other than faith in a real, sovereign, and gracious God who is good to those who fear Him. We have much peace and would do the whole thing a million times over because of the fruit it has produced in our lives and the lives of others. We were so blessed to carry 7 children for 12 weeks and 6 for 21 weeks. The whole story is a miracle, and its not what you may “think” at first. It is God’s story, in which we were and still are beholding His glory. If you have not been, please visit our online journal that documents it all: www.jacojustice.blogspot.com, password: HisGlory. The story of this miracle starts at the post “The Fire” in January of 2014.

Where can we run into you and your wife around town for a date night?

We only go two places:

1. Sushi Guru. We crush some sushi! We usually have at least 10 or 11 rolls between the two of us. I eat around 6-7! The Guru is the only place to go for sushi in Charlotte. They don’t serve anything else and all of their fish is fresh and very high quality. They also have brown rice and lump crab. The no-carb roll is legit!

2. Whole Foods. We share a rotisserie chicken and cajun sweet potatoes and lots of greens ☺

Favorite family thing to do in Charlotte?

Riding our bikes to Squirrel Lake Park. We live in Matthews and just love being outside and active!

Halloween is right around the corner.  What candy are you stealing out of your kid’s trick or treat bag?

I am always a sucker for the Reeses Cups! Not sure if I will steal any from their bags. Last year, Lindsey got some “real” peanut butter cups from Earth Fare and they were really good. So, maybe I’ll get spoiled again!

Thanks Steve!  Looking forward to burning off some calories with you this month!  🙂

Need to burn off that Halloween Candy?  Flywheel has lined up the perfect calorie burn for you to take those Twix and Butterfingers off those thighs! 

Friday, October 31^st will be an ALL DAY Freaky Fly Friday!  Anyone who wears a costumer to class will be entered to win awesome FLY prizes!

Also, be sure to reserve your double FlyWheel Candy Corn Crusher class with Steve at 10:45 and 11:45 to ease the guilt of candy indulgence.  Afternoon and evening classes will also be FLY Fright themed where the studio becomes spooktacular with Boo Barre and Fly Fright classes.  Check the schedule for more details!