At the end of the CrossFit Games I sat on my flight home and began to think about the past year. I went into the weekend with 3 athletes at the highest level of the sport and came out with all 3 finishing in the top 10. I was over joyed from such a triumph. Many people reached out ecstatic from the gym and I couldn’t show them my joy. The whole time I was gone I kept feeling like something was missing. I kept thinking of possible reasons as to what it was and at every turn I came up with nothing. I came home and spoke to my wife and then to my brother. They helped me figure out what it was.
Right now, at the end of my 9th season I realized that I missed my gym. Traveling to Wisconsin and being gone for so long removed me from what my main purpose is… that of being a fitness expert and community cultivator. The competition part of CrossFit is a byproduct of Crossfit the fitness routine, but it’s not what Crossfit is. The CrossFit Games season has a way of mentally pigeonholing me into being solely a competitive CrossFit coach and building a brand along this line. This lead me to forget why I got into fitness in the first place and what I love doing most… coaching everyone. Competition is just for fun and in general it is just a hobby. My true purpose is to help people live long healthy lives free of early medical treatment, obesity, crappy food, and lack of sleep. People don’t come to precision to learn how to get a muscle up or squat more weight. People come to get healthy and stay healthy. That’s why I really have a career. Not just because of my ability to get someone to the CrossFit Games. In my opinion the biggest accomplishment precision has had in the last 5 years is someone like Dan Riggs who put decades on his life by joining our gym… not Team Precision making it to 7 straight Regional’s or Bill’s silver medal in 2015. Although, these feats make me incredibly proud. My career is about the journey of health and creating a community that allows people to flourish. In the end people won’t remember what the team placed or that I even coached Bill to that 2nd place Games finish. They will remember how much weight they’ve lost, how their confidence improved, how they’ve added years to their life, or that they met their sole mate within the walls of Precision.
On the competition side its should be all about fun. The serious athletes will remain serious. For them it’s a sport first or a second chance to do something great. I can never rob them of that chance. I know that they need me to be the best they can be. Although, this is by far the hardest part of the job for me. I become emotionally invested in all my athletes. I believe that this is what makes me good at what I do but I know it also makes me unapproachable to some. This is because they fear how I will react or that one might be letting me down. Believe me I am sensitive to this but I don’t know any other way to be. However, I have learned that I have to separate everything in my mind. On one side is Crossfit for health, and on the other is the sport. Both will intertwine slightly but my true purpose is health. I need to keep perspective and focus on the fitness, strength, and community that Precision CrossFit brings to everyone at any level.
I hope that my sharing of this let’s everyone know how much I think about you all. How much I love coaching everyone at any level. So much of what bothers many of us professionally can come down to purpose. It is just a matter of figuring out what your purpose is. I needed to collect my thoughts and talk to my family to figure out what was missing. A fantastic triumph that I couldn’t share with you all immediately. I began to feel real down until my brother reminded me of my purpose and why I felt the way I did. Now I remember why I do what I do. I coach to better lives. Getting people to the CrossFit Games is a byproduct of this focus. I could not be more proud of what I accomplished this past week at the Games and for how the 2017 season went. But I am most proud of Precision CrosFit. Everything that it is, all that it stands for, the place that many of you call your home away from home… that’s the most beautiful thing in the world. Wall of Blue you are my purpose.
Together We are One
WARM UP:
400 M. Run or Row
3 Rounds
10 Lunges w/ Pass Through
10 Good Mornings
10 OHS
5 Inch Worms
10 Scorpions
Then:
Mobility
SKILL:
3 Rounds (At a walking pace)
10 Reverse Bicep Curls
8e DB Bent Row
Burn out set of Banded Tricep Extensions
10 Band Pull Aparts
WOD:
“DUMB ROWER”
For Time:
500 M. Row
50 Alt. DB Snatch (50/35) (45/30) (40/25) (35/20)
750 M. Row
40 DB S2O
1000 M. Row
30 DB OH Lunge
1250 M. Row
20 HSPU
*Sub. HSPU for HRPU accordingly.
