Member Of The Month – November 2025
Our November MOTM award goes to the shy little wallflower Ruth McShane!
Ruth has been a member at M Squared for a long time now and it’s about time she won member of the month. Ruth is a big part of the TeaM. She always gets involved in all M Squared events, helping out, taking part, coming up with new fun ideas to help with the community of the gym such as the Pride workout she ran this year, being a leader for the Wednesday and Sunday run clubs with Hannah, and whenever it’s her birthday she always issues an open invitation to all members to attend whatever crazy fancy dress event she has planned for it, which is so lovely. She is encouraging to others, people she knows and people she doesn’t. She has trained through multiple injuries, adjusting the workouts and still showing up, despite not being able to do the things she could before. She has also made loads of improvements on her movements, smashing out butterfly pull ups on the regular now, despite having a fear of hitting her chin, and although she will say her PB for everything is 35kg, it’s not, and she is lifting heavier, despite aforementioned injuries! She is slightly bonkers, wild, and funny and we wouldn’t want it any other way… apart from maybe a little bit less talking through briefings 😉 So have a read to find out about her CrossFit journey so far…
MÂ – How long have you been doing CrossFit?
RM – 2018 I started at another local CrossFit gym. Then Klare Oz kept asking me to try M Squared and I was like NOOOOOO I can’t, I’ve only just started. Then unintentionally a group of us went to try M Squared, not knowing we all went the same evening. A bit sheepish, we all then buzzed off each other trying a new gym… and the rest is history.
M– What class time do you usually attend and why does that work for you?
RM – Hmmm tricky. I used to be a 6am regular, but with work changes, commitments, not being quick enough to book on classes or book on properly in fact, I mix it up -5pms, 6ams, 6pm, run club, Saturdays, sometimes a Sunday. Whenever I can really.
M– What is your why? Why do you put yourself through it each day? Do you have goals you want to achieve?
RM – My why is because M Squared is a place that I come to as a release and a break from work and life.
My ADHD brain works a million miles an hour, all the time. And coming to the gym to focus on something for myself, not having to think, seeing people that are kind, friendly and positive makes me happier.
I wish I could dedicate more time to improve but work and injuries haven’t allowed much progress recently, but still coming here is important even if not 100%. A goal for next year is to try and improve my strength, stop getting injured and maybe get a muscle-up or something like that. The space itself and the people in it are what keep me coming back -and the occasional gains.
M– What advice would you give anyone wanting to start CrossFit but is either unsure or nervous? We get people all the time saying they need to get fit first or they could never do what we do? Any advice for those people?
RM – I was one of those people, I still can’t do as much as others but I don’t mind. Once you are here and you receive the level of coaching (that is genuinely the best coaching I have had – even across visiting gyms in other countries and within the UK) and you feel the warmth from coaches and members, you won’t want to leave. I think it’s important to allow yourself to be open with people and learn movements well, even if it means going back a stage to progress more. As hard as it is to come in somewhere with no judgement and try to be yourself, it then helps people see you for you and warm to you just as easily. Of course it’s nerve-wracking and of course it’s something different, but what Em has done to make (and continues to do to make) the place a buzz, friendly, inclusive and family- and friend-focused makes it everything it should be.
M What is your biggest achievement so far in CrossFit and what are you most proud of?
RM – I think just continuing with it for all these years through Covid, through personal setbacks, friendship/relationship situations, and still through it all having a safe space to go, break away, see people who motivate you to be better and stronger — mentally and physically. See people who you have genuine friendships with and want to hang around and be silly with.
Oh and also doing the Pride workout — that was so much fun and lovely to see 40 people in the gym having fun and working out together with some slight madness.
Maybe winning a comp with Rich Budz whilst having a torn meniscus and damaged ACL HA.
Maybe I’ll hit a PB and remember the weight of a it someday aye?
To finish, I think I would just like to say thank you to all the coaches for letting me be me – work drives me to be a very different person than I show in the gym. The kids get glimpses of my madness but you guys have to put up with it all the time. You notice when we are all having off days, you encourage us to push through tough workouts and you make us laugh and enjoy something that actually is grim at times.
Each coach, including Joe at Psych, brings something very different to the table but all equally as important to make M Squared the way it is – I don’t know another place like it.
Thankssssss…..
Pete for the calmness you bring – making me calm…ish.
Em for the elite coaching and friendship you bring.
Gage for always catching the funny faces, on-point coaching and big smiles.
Dan for accepting my lateness for what it is and possibly being the only one to get my bad jokes.
Lance for your sh**t banter, mega vibes and banging tunes.
Chris Gee for your wit and creativity beyond belief.
Hyrox Will and Oz for simply ruining me every week.
And thank you to the members for just being a great bunch of people from all different walks of life, making M Squared the vibey, happy place it is. If you treat people with warmth, kindness and respect you will get it back and that’s the best thing in the world! LOVE YOU ALL AND I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE MOTM WORKOUT!
Oh and OF COURSE – without M Squared I never would have met my girlfriend. She’s literally the best. Some of you may have seen us looking all gooey and loved up occasionally (blergghhhh borkkkkkkk) nah we don’t care. But thanks for that too.
M – Too cute. Well done again, thanks for a lovely blog and thanks for all you contribute to M Squared too!
