Reboot Customer Spotlight: Gerald Williams

Gerald is a professional bodybuilder, Olympian, bestselling author, and one of our Reboot Ambassadors. He’s been a Reboot regular for 7 years now, beginning when we opened our Rockridge location in 2016.

We had the privilege of interviewing Gerald about his experiences at Reboot over the years and learning about his inspiring personal and professional life as an athlete and musician.

Reboot:

What is your athletic background?

Gerald:

I grew up playing soccer. I started around 7 or 8 years old. In the summer between 8th and 9th grade (high school) I asked for a Kmart weight set. The weights were plastic and I couldn't have had more than 100 pounds to use. I would workout every day while I was on summer break. When I got to high school I started playing football and doing track. This was my first real introduction to a weight room. By my junior year of high school I had stopped playing sports and found a gym outside of school. I have been working out ever since.

Reboot:

How long have you been coming to Reboot?

Gerald:

I started coming to Reboot at the end of 2016. I was finishing my first year as a professional bodybuilder and was looking for ways to help me recover. I was familiar with infrared saunas from years before but cryo was new. I jumped on the opportunity to try something different.

Reboot:

What are your favorite services, and do you tend to change the frequency of your visits and/or choose certain services over others based on your training schedule or other factors?

Gerald:

I have been using the cryo machine and the infrared sauna since 2016. One of the things I have learned in my career is that recovery is more important than training. There is always so much focus on the gym but the attributes of progress are developed outside of the gym. I have intermittently used compression boots and floated once. I think there are huge benefits to floating; however, I have not applied this to my regular routine yet.

Reboot:

What benefits do you find from the Reboot services you use?

Gerald:

The infrared sauna is great for getting toxins out of the body. When I can I will schedule the sauna after a deep tissue massage to help accelerate the removal of toxins that are released after a body work session.

Whole body cryo is great for decreasing inflammation. Joints and muscles can be inflamed or irritated through training; this helps get back on track faster. It is important to be in-tune with what your body is trying to communicate. The spa sessions allow a short break from all of the external noise to do weekly internal check-in's.

Reboot:

You told me recently how you're a touring and recording musician and we briefly discussed the connection between health/wellness & creativity — can you elaborate on how staying 'Rebooted' has helped you in your creative endeavors?

Gerald:

I have been playing music since around the same time the Kmart weight set came home in 8th grade.

Good physical health is essential for success in other areas of life. I am a big believer in energy and the ability to channel our internal energy to a task is important. This is connected to our global diet; the things we watch, listen to and read. When the body feels good there is the potential for more creative energy. Sometimes if I am foggy mid day I will do a cryo opposed to having caffeine because the effects of the cryo can promote the same outcome, for longer, without caffeine jitters or crash.

I have been around the world and I have not found a facility with the same type of high quality equipment or great staff. Reboot is truly unique.

Reboot:

Any advice for aspiring athletes, bodybuilders, or musicians?

Gerald:

In whatever someone decides to commit to, figure out a cadence that is sustainable. Progress in all things comes from a sustained process.

Reboot:

I've heard several great songs you've picked for your cryo's when I've run them for you — can you recommend any off the top of your head that you like to listen to in there that we can share with our audience?

Gerald:

• "She's Always in my Hair" - Prince

• "Infinite" - Eminem

• "Message of Hope" - Blue Note All Stars

• "Bullet in the Head" - Rage Against the Machine

• "Cold" - Chris Stapleton

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A big thanks to Gerald for his thoughtful and insightful responses, and for being a valuable resource for and inspiration to other athletes and creatives.

Below is a recording of Gerald's band playing in São Paulo, Brazil! Enjoy 🎶