A.J. Brown drove alone to Diamond Gym in Maplewood, New Jersey, weeks after the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl LIX victory, signaling a desire for relentless, grounded training. Diamond Gym operates with chaotic, grueling workouts led by hulking trainers who demand discipline from a clientele that includes men recently out of jail or battling addiction. Brown contacted trainer Haddy Abdel on social media and arrived ready to work, saying he wanted to remember where he came from despite newfound wealth. The two-hour session culminated in a Rocky IV–style sequence of chained barbell presses, wood-block pushups and an intense, roaring crowd.
Most, though, just talk a good game before cooling on the idea of being thrust into an environment where hulking bodybuilders double as drill sergeants, extracting every ounce of effort and discipline from a client list that, according to Abdel, includes men recently out of jail or battling drug addiction. But Brown was different. "He pulled up ... where we train at, in his car by himself, and showed up and said, 'I'm ready to work.' It was one of the craziest experiences I've had with anybody that's ever come to train with us before," Abdel said.
'He's like, 'I came here for this. I got all the money now. I have everything I've ever wanted in my life.' And when you get that, and you taste that, it's easy to get complacent, it's easy to forget where you came from. He wanted to remember where he came from.'
The closing sequence of the two-hour session looked like something out of Rocky IV. Brown, dressed in black Eagles sweatpants and a black sweatshirt with the hoodie pulled up, lifted a barbell with large chains on either end to his chest and ripped off 10 standing military presses. He released the weight, gripped a block of wood on the floor and did 15 pushups. The crowd circled around him as he rose and walked to the last station. Screams intensified. A boy, maybe 10, commanded
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