We are two weeks away from the start of the open!  In CrossFit, these workouts are some of the toughest, both mentally and physically, that most of us will do. Every single one is memorable, and every single one will test you in ways that you haven’t been tested before. The open is a global competition that takes place in CrossFit gyms all around the world. It is the first stage in the process of qualifying for the CrossFit Games.  In years past, the games’ qualification went through three-stages: the open, regionals, and the games. The second and third stage were some of the most exclusive competitions in the CrossFit community. Regionals only qualified the top .001% of all participants from the open, and the games qualified the top .15% from regionals. Qualifying past the open meant you were one of the fittest people in the world.  To qualify for...

One thing that makes good CrossFit gyms different is the memories. I can tell you one memory that almost every CrossFit person has: their first class. For most, it is virtually always “One of the hardest workouts they’ve done.” They’re tired and probably, sweaty and happy. But for those that truly fall in love with the program, the methodology and the lifestyle remember more than just how tired they were. I remember my first CrossFit workout at an actual CrossFit gym. I had been doing CrossFit-ish workouts on my own for a while, cherry-picking workouts from the main site and a few other places, but one day a buddy of mine invited me to work out gym he coached at. I remember the people there, and I remember the workout, I remember the smell, I remember the conversations. I loved it. My second first class was at the first CrossFit...

To be a good coach, you do not have to be a good athlete—end of story. I think ego holds many people back in the sports world, and especially in the fitness. Many athletes will turn their nose up at a coach that is not as fit as them. Ego prevents them from an opportunity to learn from someone. It puts them at a disadvantage. I think there is some validity to being fit and coaching CrossFit. I think it shows the people you are training and putting yourself through the same challenging workouts. You should be a good example of what the program can do for your clients. But by no means does someone have to top the leaderboard to give quality coaching. In fact, the most fit person I’ve ever trained with regularly, could do everything well, better than almost anyone, but had a very hard time transferring...

It’s been a while since I have posted a blog. Sorry about that. Yesterday my Grandpa received his first COVID vaccination shot and, on his way home, stopped by the gym to say hello. I was coaching class at the time, so it was a quick visit, but when I finished and got back to class, I ranted a bit and decided that the rant was worth posting. So here I am with blog number one of 2021. I am one of the lucky people in this world who got to grow up with my grandparents. Many people never had the opportunity to, and even more, take them for granted. (I will make my point, so please don’t be offended and continue reading.) My Grandpa is 92 and has lived a long life with his family. He is a wonderful person and maybe one of the nicest and caring men...

This weekend, we hosted an in-house fitness competition, and it was amazing! I have been doing CrossFit competitions since I pretty much got into CrossFit. It is a different approach to fitness than the daily workouts we do. You learn to strategize and plan workouts out. You have a different mindset and need to be willing to push yourself as you have never done before. Many people think that you have to be the top guy or girl in the gym to compete, you don’t. Most competitions will have various skill levels that you can pick from to fit what you can do. Some don’t want to lose or look “silly” but understand that there will always be a first-place finisher and a last-place finisher; someone must fill both of those spots. The great thing about a fitness competition is that you either can win or you cant. You are...