Mark Higgins

Mark Higgins is 48 years old. He has a wife, three boys, a job that keeps him on the road across New England, and a family history he thinks about more every year.

His father passed away at 51. His father's father passed away at 48.

He is 48 right now. He is not being dramatic about it, and he doesn't want the story told that way. But he'll tell you plainly that it's on his mind, and that it's part of why he gets out of bed.

Mark was raised by a single mom he describes as an amazing, strong, independent woman. He says he somehow managed to marry an equally strong one — "the glue that holds us together and the engine that keeps the Higgins boys moving forward." Professionally, he's been in biotech for about 24 years, and he currently works as a District Sales Manager with AstraZeneca, leading a team across New England. A big part of that job is developing people, coaching, and helping others reach their potential.

Which means he already knew, before he ever walked into Prototype, what it looks like when somebody expects more from you than you expect from yourself. He just hadn't spent much time on the receiving end of it.

Be Stronger Than Your Excuses

That's the sentence they've adopted in the Higgins house. It isn't a poster or a slogan someone bought. It's the thing Mark says to himself in the dark when the alarm goes off and every cell in his body is voting to stay in bed.

"In a weird, fucked up way, I actually love going to the gym early in the morning before the rest of my family wakes up, because it gives me a chance to live that out," he says. Then, immediately: "Just don't ask me to come to the 6:00 AM or 5:00 AM class."

He can come up with a hundred perfectly reasonable excuses not to get up. He knows every one of them. He also knows what he's trying to accomplish and what kind of example he wants to set for his three boys, who are 11, 15, and 16 and growing up faster than he'd like.

So he gets up.

Sent from the road, with the caption: Be stronger than your excuses.

"It's not about being motivated every morning," he says. "It's about making a commitment to myself and my family and having the discipline to follow through, even when I don't feel like it."

The 7:00 AM Family

Ask Mark for the moment that stands out and he can't give you one, because it isn't a moment. It's a room, and it's the same room every morning.

"I enjoy the unfunny jokes that somehow keep getting told," he says. "I enjoy how we can make fun of each other and give each other a hard time. And most of all, I enjoy suffering through the workouts together."

Some mornings he's crushing it. Some mornings he's struggling and wondering why the hell he got out of bed. Either way he's surrounded by people going through the exact same thing, and somehow they get through it together.

That's the part he didn't see coming. "I thought I was joining a gym," he says. "I didn't realize I was joining a community that I would genuinely look forward to seeing every morning."

Discipline runs in the family.

Twenty-Plus Gyms, One Standard

Mark works on the road, which means he's dropped in on more than twenty different gyms over the years. That's a sample size most members never get, and it's why his read on this one carries weight.

"One of the things that makes Prototype special is that it's the most professionally run gym I've been to," he says. "I can honestly say I've learned something from every coach that has been here."

He describes the coaching the way somebody who leads a team for a living would. "They expect more from you, but they also believe you can do more. That combination is powerful. They're quick to reset your form if you're slightly off, and in the off chance that I'm doing something correctly, the coaches are always there to say good job."

What He Can Control

Ask Mark how his life would be different if he'd never walked in, and he doesn't talk about a number on a bar or a number on a scale.

"Prototype has given me something that is mine," he says. "It's time I intentionally set aside to invest in myself, and that investment allows me to be better for my family, my kids, and the people I lead at work. Without Prototype, I don't know if I would have developed the same consistency and discipline around my health."

He's clear-eyed about what the gym does and doesn't promise. It doesn't guarantee him anything. It doesn't undo a family history. What it gives him is the one thing that's actually his to decide.

Life right now is busy, he says, but in a really good way. "Fitness isn't just about looking better. It's about being able to participate in your life." He wants to be the dad who can get out there and play with his kids, coach them, watch them compete, travel with them, keep up with them. He wants the energy to enjoy this stage of his life instead of watching it go by.

"It's not about trying to look like I'm 25," he says. "It's about being 48 and wanting to be the healthiest, strongest version of myself that I can be, so I can enjoy this life with my family."

His boys are growing up too fast. He wants to be there for all of it — the sports, the vacations, the milestones, the conversations, and eventually watching them build lives of their own.

And if there's one thing he'd say to somebody standing outside the door, it's short. "Don't wait. You don't have to be ready. You don't have to be in shape. You just have to take that first step."

"One of the biggest reasons I go to the gym is because I want to be a good role model for my three boys. I want them to see that taking care of yourself, staying disciplined, and making your health a priority are important. More than anything, I want to do everything I can to stay healthy and be there for them for as long as I possibly can."

You're somewhere in your forties. You've got kids, a career, and a calendar that belongs mostly to other people. Maybe there's something in your own family history you'd rather not repeat. You keep telling yourself you'll start when things calm down.

Things don't calm down. Mark didn't wait for them to. He found one hour that belongs to him, put it before the rest of the house wakes up, and let ten years of it stack up.

Book a free No Sweat Intro. Twenty minutes, no workout, no pressure — just a conversation about where you are and what showing up could look like for you.

I've been fortunate to work closer with Mark than most, because he's the president of WASA, and for the past four years our Row For event has supported the organization. I've gotten to see him drive that event first hand — rally the WASA team, get stuff done. I've also gotten to see the funny, joke-around side of Mark. He's a blast.

And I've gotten to see him train over the years. I've watched him navigate pain and injuries, push himself, set new PRs — and then not record them in Wodify.

I've known Mark for a while now, and we're fortunate to have him here at Prototype. He's a big part of the 7am crew, which has become famous around here, and he's an all-around good guy. This is the part of 100 in 100 I didn't see coming: I got to learn more about Mark than I would have known otherwise. It doesn't surprise me at all — his mentality, the mantra with his family. It's really cool, and it's inspirational to me as someone raising a young family myself.

Cheers, Mark. Thank you for sharing your story.

This story was developed through written responses submitted by the member and shaped with the help of AI writing tools. The facts, quotes, and experiences are Mark's own — AI helped organize and present them in a format worthy of the story he's lived.