Hi, my name is Yannick and I am the owner of Odyssey Products.

Mental health is something that has touched my family deeply. My sister lives with severe OCD. My dad lives with bipolar disorder. I have watched the people I love most fight battles that nobody else could see. After 20 years of growing up in that household, I want to give back to anyone who is struggling.

Mental health needs to be talked about more, especially in the fitness space. We talk about PRs, programs and plates on the bar, and we stay quiet about what is going on in our heads. I am here to change that.

Odyssey has always stood for one idea: the strength is in the journey. No matter what is going on in your life, you get stronger in the journey, not at the destination. That is true under the bar, and it is true with mental health.

I started Odyssey because ever since I was a kid I said I wanted to invent something. I did. Now I have the chance to use that platform for something bigger than a product.

I am kicking this off with a CA$500 donation of my own. Every dollar raised here goes to the International OCD Foundation, the organization my sister chose. Anything you add goes on top of that.

WHAT IS THE ODYSSEY BENCH FOR MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGE?

It is simple. Guys bench their bodyweight for as many reps as they can. Girls bench half their bodyweight for as many reps as they can. Post it to your story, tag us, DM us the video, and pass it on. No speech needed. Every story is one more person in the fitness space showing that mental health matters.

HOW TO TAKE PART

Load the bar. Guys: your bodyweight. Girls: half your bodyweight.

Bench it for as many reps as you can. One set, uncut.

Post the video to your Instagram story and tag @odysseyproducts_ (https://www.instagram.com/odysseyproducts_ ).

DM us the video too, so we can share it.

Nominate five people to go next.

You do not have to be strong. You do not have to be an athlete. You just have to show up and pass it on.

Join the challenge and follow along here: https://www.instagram.com/odysseyproducts_

WHERE THE MONEY GOES

Every donation on this page goes to the International OCD Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people affected by OCD and related disorders. My sister picked them, and that is reason enough for me.

You can take the challenge without donating, and you can donate without taking the challenge. Both help. Doing both helps most.

THANK YOU

To everyone who has supported Odyssey, I truly love you all. You keep me going every single day and make my heart warm. Thank you for standing with my family on this one.

Yannick