Marybeth Costello didn't walk through the doors of Prototype Training Systems — she eased in through the windows first. Her youngest, August, had started CrossFit at 14, and MB would come and watch the classes, taking slow laps around the gym, getting a feel for what happened in here before she committed to anything. She'd done small gyms before. She'd never been consistent. She'd never touched a barbell. And honestly? She was worried about being judged. Then she looked around and saw Sandy, a fellow member who'd become a familiar face, and thought: my kid can do it, Sandy can do it — maybe I can too. She joined in November 2020, mask on, plastic barriers up. A crazy introduction to a place that would change everything.
At the time, MB was a school aide working with kids on the autism spectrum — a job she loved, timed around her family's schedule so she could be home when her kids were home. But home was hard. Her middle son had fallen into severe trouble, caught up in outside influences that pulled him down a very hard path. The household felt like a constant battleground. She was tiptoeing. Bracing. An emotional wreck, lost in what she describes as a dark, dark place. She was also dealing with high blood pressure and pre-diabetes. She came to Prototype thinking she needed to get healthier. She had no idea how right she was — just not in the way she expected.
"I thought it would be for my physical health, and it really turned into the most important thing I did for my mental health."
— MarybethThe gym became her reset button. She'd come in for an hour, push through something hard, and go home with her head a little clearer and her nerves a little steadier. The anxiety that had been a constant companion started to ease. The emotional roller coaster she was riding at home became slightly less wild. It became a staple — something she built her day around, not just squeezed in. And then came the realization that changed her perspective entirely: putting herself first wasn't selfish. It was the most important thing she could do for her family.
She also discovered something she hadn't expected at all: she loved lifting. She'd grown up in an era when women weren't supposed to lift weights — her own mother raised an eyebrow at "the crazy stuff" she was doing. But MB felt amazing. She became a visual learner who watched the coaches demo every movement, absorbed everything, and quietly built strength that surprised people around her. A substitute teacher once looked at her in disbelief when she mentioned she bench presses. Now she actively tells every woman she knows why strength training matters. "It makes you feel stronger, and if you feel stronger, that translates everywhere — not just physically," she says. "I can handle anything."
The Numbers Behind the Consistency
Over five-plus years, Marybeth has logged 1,124 sign-ins at Prototype — a number that tells you everything about how seriously she takes that one hour. She has set 257 personal records. She started with a deadlift of 75 lbs and built it to 210. Her barbell hip thrust went from 75 lbs all the way to a career-best 230 lbs in January 2026 — in Year 6 of her membership, during a period when she had also lost 54 lbs. Her blood pressure has improved significantly. She no longer gets dizzy going up and down from the floor. In August 2025 she completed a steep hike with her husband without needing to stop. Setting all-time strength PRs while losing more than 50 lbs doesn't happen by accident. It happens because you never stop showing up.
"If you can come here and do something really hard for 7 minutes, you can use that in your regular life. You can deal with that. You can get through it."
— MarybethThese days, MB trains five or six days a week. Ask her what happens when she misses a few days on vacation and she'll tell you: by day three she's dreaming about working out. By day four she's more anxious, her body feels off, and she's counting down to that first workout back. She doesn't take the routine for granted because she knows exactly what life felt like before it existed.
Her family is in a much different, much better place — and MB credits a meaningful part of that to the emotional grounding she found by walking into this gym and deciding, for the first time in a long time, to put herself first.
MB came to Prototype looking for a workout. She found a way to become the person her family needed most. Nobody comes here for what they actually find — and what Marybeth found was herself.
