365 Days.

365 days. That’s what we’re given each year. 365 days to look back on the year and be proud of the person we have grown into. We’re already 6 days into the new year. When it’s December 31, 2025, what do you want to remember of yourself?

In this newsletter you can expect an introduction to Monarx, 2 key workout sessions for the week, reasoning behind those workouts, business updates, and how I failed at the end of 2024.

Monarx - Going the extra mile
Ethan here, hopping on for the first time writing a newsletter. Usually Cameron writes these up, so I sincerely apologize for my lack of literacy. I’m not even sure if I’m posting this correctly. So maybe sending out this email fails… but you’ll learn a little more on my take on failure at the end of the newsletter.

We’ve been silent for some time… haven’t really posted on Instagram, no big fitness challenges, no newsletter, site is locked up, etc. It’s been a quiet winter for Cameron and I. But I’ve come to enjoy the silence. No pressure to post or feel like I need to outperform the algorithm. It’s been good to spend time with family, reflect on the year, plan for 2025, and train.

During this time, I’ve had the opportunity to reflect on Monarx, and the reason “why” I am still here another year trying to build the brand. To be completely transparent, I don’t know the answer to this. Here’s what I do know. Previously, I worked on Monarx for the wrong reason. I thought it would be “cool” to own a fitness brand and work on it full time. Being able to combine my passions of fitness and fashion felt like enough justification to enter in a market where (at the time) there was a need for better men’s athleticwear. Though I still think it’d be fun to work on full time, my personal reasons for starting Monarx were a bit selfish and shallow.

While I am currently searching for my why, I do know a few things. The customer comes first, always. I will tie my fitness ambitions to a cause greater than myself. Everything I learn in fitness will be applied to the business and vice versa. In person community is important. Leading quietly by actions is much more meaningful.

By the end of 2025, I will have hopefully found my answer to “Why Monarx?” Until then, it’s building this brand through discipline and consistency. We hope you enjoy following along this year, and take away something for your own endeavors.

Workout of the Week
This section will be different this year. Last year we shared workouts… and to be fully transparent, I never even looked at them let alone run them. This year, I hope to share more practical workouts and training tips with you. And these will ALL be ran by at least one of us during the week. If we preach leadership, might as well practice it.

For now, I will share the two key workouts of my week while I train for a Half Marathon. Note, this could all be subject to change which is why I share another alternative for my Saturday Session.

Track Day
1-2 mile warm up
8×800m w/ 75s rest @ 15-30s faster than Goal HMP*
1-2 mile cool down

Goal HMP is my target half marathon pace (6:30min/mile)

Saturday Session
Hero WOD ‘Clovis’
For time:
10 mile run
150 burpee pull ups

Alternative Saturday Session: Half Marathon
2 mile WU
2×4mile @ 30s slower than HMP (7:00min/mile) w/ 1mile float recovery in between sets
1 mile CD
Lifting session in the afternoon

Workout Philosophy
800m repeats
- The idea is that 800m repeats gives the best ratio of physiological benefit to recovery time Jeffery Cunningham (Bat City Track Club and BPN Coach)
- You don’t want to overrun these. Effort should be mildly uncomfortable. Recovering after this session is the key for success to get ready for Saturdays session

Hero WOD Clovis
This is one of my favorite WODs as it includes a good bit of miles and is overall just a tough workout. A straight cardio killer even throughout the burpee pull ups my heart rate will average 160s.

U.S. Army Second Lieutenant Clovis T. Ray, 34, of San Antonio, Texas, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, was killed on March 15, 2012, in Kunar province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He is survived by his wife Shannon, son Dean, parents Bob Ben Sr. and Cecilia, brothers Eddie and Bob Ben Jr., and sister Jennifer.

Business Updates
Monarx Athletic Club is running TSP LALV25
300 mile foot race from Santa Monica Pier to Las Vegas Sign
Our team is made up of 8 runners from across the country, all with various backgrounds and running experience
The goal is to average 6:30 min per mile across 300 miles

Below is a snapshot of a sample windbreaker we are creating for our team to race across the desert.

January Challenge
For the month of January, take any workout and do it every day
Here are a list of examples:
1. 100 Pull ups
2. 100 Pull Ups / 200 Push Ups
3. 300 Pull Ups
4. 1 Mile run AT LEAST
5. 10 minute Ab circuit

Personally, I am running at least a mile a day and doing at least 100 pull ups a day. Currently, I’m averaging 250 pull ups and 4 miles a day. The idea is that this challenge is all supplemental to your current training plan. I am still lifting weights 4 times a week and training for a half marathon.

It’s not too late to join. Just pick a workout and do it for 31 days. The idea is to take a small workout (10-30 minutes) do it every day and see how the consistency compounds over 31 days.

Failure
This past week… I failed miserably. Infront of everyone. I set out to run 12 marathons in 12 days from December 21 - January 1. I got through 2 days…

Preparation:
I was ill prepared. To be successful in anything in life, you need to be prepared. I take all my preparation very seriously, whether work or training related. This time I was very unprepared. There really is no excuse to make here other than I wasn’t strong enough. The amount of hours I needed to train for this went over my head, and I thought I could just show up each day and it would be an easy 4-5 hour day. I was very much reminded a marathon is still… a marathon.

Don’t sit on the sidelines:
The reason I was so eager to say yes to this challenge is because of this one idea I learned in 2024: don’t sit on the sidelines. I would rather fail trying than failing to try. I knew I wasn’t healthy going into the marathons, but that didn’t matter to me. The only thing I cared about was lacing up my shoes, and giving it my best shot each day.

'Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly' - Robert Kennedy
Pursuing ambitious goals, even when it comes at a risk of a big failure, is necessary to achieve great things. Setting goals so big that you’re scared even thinking of it is right where you want to be. And who knows, maybe you set your goal so big that even when you fail you land better than the rest of the pack.

We will certainly be back to tackle this challenge. Until then…

Thank you for being a valued member of the Monarx Community. If you would like to be more involved, please find us on instagram: monarx.co
We are always open to feedback and hearing from our community so feel free to shoot us a message!

WIP Instagram: Monarx WIP for all the behind the scenes