Our Partner
Nerves are high and muscles are warm as the digital clock on the wall starts it’s loud countdown from 10 to 1 and the workout commences. With a strategy in mind and a loaded barbell in front of you, the attack on the “RX” prescribed workload ahead of you begins…
If you haven’t heard of “CrossFit” by now or know someone that has, then you might as well have been living under a rock. The fitness phenomenon that revolves around intense training has all but blown up in the last few years boasting a wide array of movements making it ideal for demographics across the board. For it or against it, it’s here – and it’s here to stay.
I had the chance to sit down with Brandy Key, who co-owns CrossFit Dig Deep (alongside her husband Doug), one of the premier functional fitness facilities in the Western Kentucky region, to learn a little more. Dig Deep is a local lifting powerhouse that started as one couple’s vision of bringing a community together through a versatile mix of exercise and camaraderie. The goal? To “Dig Deep” and tell their story…
Brandy Key’s passion and fuel for fitness began to burn at an early age while attending high school. Upon graduating and entering into adulthood, she searched far and wide for something to fill the void once preoccupied by sports and athletics. Key dabbled in fitness programs of all kinds such as Zumba (Which she eventually became an instructor), Training For Warriors (an intense cross-training program), BodyPump (group-based barbell classes), and more before finally stumbling onto CrossFit. Once discovered, her world was forever changed.
According to Brandy, when asked the burning question, “Why CrossFit?”, she had this to say.
“The program immediately sparked my competitive side and spoke directly to my inner athlete. I was introduced to a community of like-minded individuals working towards a common goal – fitness.
I looked around the gym and saw people of all shapes and sizes, working out together and supporting each other in a way I had never really seen or experienced before. I was hooked from the word ‘go’.”
As a licensed pharmacist, Key’s greatest passion in life, outside of the world of fitness, is helping people. By becoming a CrossFit coach she was granted the opportunity to work within both capacities essentially killing two birds with one stone. When the opportunity to take over Dig Deep’s ownership from former owner Mike Wray presented itself, she knew becoming a “box owner” was in her future. Key now co-owns the Dig Deep brand alongside her husband Doug engaging new clients on a daily basis.
When asked what kind of message she would like to send the Paducah community, she had this to say:
“We know how intimidating it can be as you drive by our facility, hear the dropping of weights, the blare of loud music from the outside, or even doing something as simple as a Google search. If we can just get you to walk through the door, you’ll see that we’re no different from any of you. Our overarching goal is to improve people’s lives through fitness and provide a sense of community that people might not have had the opportunity to experience elsewhere. This program is for everyone. My message would be not to fear the unknown and step outside your comfort box (and into ours).”
“If we can just get you to walk through the door, you’ll see that we’re no different from any of you.”
So there you have it! Are barbells and rowing machines in your future? While there’s always a substantial chance you might not like it, there’s an equally large possibility it could be the next step in your fitness journey.
