I know it has been a while since I actually wrote some original content on here that wasn’t a birthday post or update. You all just keep me way too busy these days, hahaha. However, I want to take this time to say what I did not get a chance to say at the holiday party.
Greg and I opened Precision almost 4 years ago. In this time we watched this labor of love grow into the gym you all know today. We have put countless hours into it. We have hired the necessary staff to keep it top notch. We have invested money back into it whenever we could to make sure you all have everything you could possibly need. And, above all else, we have invested into the creation of an inclusive community–a community that you are proud of, where you are not judged based on your talent level, but on the kind of person that you are. The word community is a sexy buzzword that CrossFit loves to throw around. However, I see many advertise it without really understanding what it requires to create a real one. I invested much of my time into figuring this out when Precision was just a dream of mine. Let me tell you, it was not easy, but here was my process…
When I started brainstorming about how I wanted to develop the Precision family, I took a long hard look at two gym communities that I have the utmost amount of respect for: the Invictus “Sea of Green” and Brick CrossFit’s “Brick Nation.” They have always shown up in huge numbers to support each other at events, and I could always tell each member had a genuine sense of pride about belonging to their respected gym. The more I studied these sub-cultures, the more I realized what I wanted the “Wall of Blue” to be. Invictus could mobilize a community like no other. To this day they continue to take over sections at CrossFit events with their green t-shirts worn ever so proudly. They are community invested in each other and it is obvious. Throw in the superior coaching and programming of CJ Martin and his staff, and you truly have an amazing example to follow. Those two things I truly wanted to emulate at Precision. I wanted to have that same type of community, taking over sections at CrossFit events wearing our blue ever so proudly, and I truly felt like I had the tools to put myself and the Precision staff at the same level. However, one thing I did notice about Invictus upon visiting them was that they had a divide. They separated the competitive athletes from the non-competitive, and I noticed how this caused a split within their community. For better or worse, I did not want this even though I knew it worked for them. So, I decided that “TEAM PRECISION” was always going to include everyone. We would be one community who would be together as one. This would mean that everyone would have to take part in the group classes, and that individualized programming would be available for all. It also would mean that our top athletes would have to check their egos at the door, be cordial to all, be humble, and not act self-entitled. Although we are not perfect and we do have our moments, I believe this truly does happen. Great athletes will have chips on their shoulders. It is part of being great. But, if they respect those around them, love those around them, their quirks can be overlooked because the community loves and respects them back. Now, we have had some push this envelope and I have made it very clear: I will never choose an athlete over my community… ever.
What I saw with Brick was their amazing sense of professionalism. Their ability to bring in fantastic coaches to run their company and their remarkable branding capabilities. Their coaching staff “bleeds orange” as they famously say, and they do an awesome job of supporting all that make up the “Brick Nation.” However, in my eyes they felt too corporate for me. An awesome business model, just not exactly what I wanted Precision to be. I also felt that their community was forged by their branding, not by their personal involvement with each member. This was just my observation 4 years ago. Athletes love it there, but do they truly feel a part of something bigger than themselves, or do they just love the hype? Brick is a phenomenal gym, but I wanted more when it came to my community. I implemented that Brick corporate infrastructure with a GM, Jose Cobian, with a Sports Performance Director Daimino Stewart, and with that same high quality coaching staff. I also wanted a brand as awesome as that Brick Orange Kettle Bell. Something that would speak for itself. That is how the Precision Barbell Cross-hair was born. We now send our apparel all over the world. We have a brand. It has become very prominent, and people associate our logo and the color blue with Precision CrossFit. I love seeing the “Wall of Blue” with that cross-hair displayed prominently when I go to events. It seriously makes my day.
The “Wall of Blue” was just an idea that I had 4 years ago, and now I am writing about how I went about attempting to create it. It is a very real thing, and we are all a part of it. I do my very best to know everyone and see everything, but I cannot always, so I offer my apologies, and I thank you all for your patience. My apologies for not being 100% involved with everyone. Some of you I do not even know yet. As Precision has grown, my coaches know you better than I do. In addition, over the past year I have decided to take more days off to spend with my family. This is something that was unthinkable to me in the first 2+ years of our business. I coached at least two classes a day and was often at the gym 7 days a week for months on end. However, due to this I found myself missing key moments in my family’s lives. My children are only this little once, and I decided that I wanted to cherish more moments with them. I wanted to give baths before they go to bed, take care of them when they are sick, and be at all the “firsts” I could possibly make. Because of this, I am not in the gym as much. I am not as accessible. Believe me, this was a hard factor for me to grasp when I originally decided to do it, and I do understand how it may bother some of you, but my family is stronger because of it. Moreover, many of you have become some of the top competitors in So Cal and even the nation, so now I am often pulled out of the gym to travel to each of your various events. So although many may not see me mid-week or throughout a long weekend, it does not mean I am not coaching. It just means I am representing the “Wall of Blue” at an event somewhere. Since last Christmas you guys have brought me to Texas, San Francisco, Reno, Orange County, San Diego, Carson, and the list goes on and on. I am truly blessed to do what I do, and because of people like Jose Cobian, Daimino Stewart, Butch Pierson, Deeana Douglas, Sam Chang, Katie Tromello, Daniel Tromello, Hunter Knowles, Jess Goeser, and most importantly, Greg Smiley, you are never not in phenomenal hands when it comes to your progress. Precision CrossFit is what it is today because of these people. It does not need my presence every day. Please know that I do truly attempt to keep tabs on you all, and that I am always here for you, so please do not ever hesitate to contact me. However, there is only one of me and several of you, so please be patient. I say thank you because you have allowed me to fulfill a dream. You have become part of my vision. You are all the “Wall of Blue.” Thank you for your belief and trust in us. You have shared much of yourselves with us, giving of yourselves as you would in a family. You have all truly made my life better. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and happy holidays.
Fitness –Strength-Community
WARM UP:
3 Rounds
5 Strict Pull Ups
10 Inch Worms
10 Air Squat’s
10 Scorpions
Then:
Hip & Shoulder Mobility
SKILL:
3 Rounds (At a Walking Pace)
8 Assisted Glute-Ham Ext.
60 Sec. Plank
8E BB Split Squats w/ RFE (Bulgarians)
LIFT:
Dead Lift
3 @ 65%
3 @ 70%
3 @ 75%
2 @ 80%
2 @ 85
1 @ 90%
2 x 1 @ 90-103% (Your Choice)
*Lift your final 2 reps based off feel. If you feel good, go big. If not work within reason.
WOD:
“SANTA!!!”
Every 2 Min. For As Long As Possible (ALAP):
5 Push Press (115/75) (95/65) (75/55) (65/45)
10 Dead Lifts
15 Pull Ups
*Score = Total Rounds + Remaining Reps.
POST WOD:
Roll & Stretch
