The Inconsistent Member: From a Coach’s Perspective

I get it. You are running late because of your work schedule. There was a ton of traffic. You had to drop off your children at practice. You had other obligations. You were “busy.” As a coach, I pride myself on my empathy and communication skills. These traits have come from my experiences, and listening to inhibit, instead of listening to respond. I understand that everyone has something going on, and not everyone has the luxury to be spending hundreds of dollars per month on a fitness membership. But I care friend. I want to see you succeed and conquer your fitness endeavors. I want to know how fitness is impacting your daily life with your career, family, and relationships outside of Crossfit. I want to know how your self-confidence and overall image of yourself has drastically improved from a couple of month’s ago since you started. I want to compliment you on how your body has changed since the first time I met you. I want to celebrate with you when you PR your lifts, or cycle your first kipping pull-up. I want to hear you tell me how you played with your dog, kids, or pick-up game of basketball on the weekend and how you weren’t tired. I want to hear you tell me how you finally gave up junk food and have been adding more quality foods to your nutrition.

I can’t do or hear that if you are constantly giving me excuses on why you aren’t showing up to class. Fitness needs to be a priority in your life. You need to devote at least one hour a day to fitness. Your why and motivation doesn’t have to be Rich Froning’s or Mat Fraser’s, but you need to have a why. I don’t need to tell you the benefits to exercise, you know what they are. I need you to understand and internalize that if you don’t prioritize it now when you are still young, believe it or not, you are going to wake up one day and regret. I’ve spent a day at a nursing home in college. I urge you all to experience this in your life. You’ll get 100% authentic perspective from individuals from all walks of life. The common denominator from all of these people, they all REGRET.

I don’t want you to grow old and regret that you didn’t take fitness more seriously. I don’t want you giving your hard-earned money to hospitals and pharmacies because of your medical needs. I don’t want your loved ones to watch you helplessly die as you age because of your health. I want you to value fitness for what it is. I want you to know that the passion pouring out of my mouth when I’m teaching is coming from a good place in my heart. I want you to know that when I’m critiquing your movement and telling you that you need to squat lower, or get your head through the bar on an overhead press is coming from good intent, not because I’m trying to degrade you. I need you to understand that coaching is a very extroverted profession, and by the end of the day I am sometimes mentally drained from having to repeat myself over, and over again because I am a very introverted person. I want to give you my energy and my passion, but I need you to reevaluate your priorities and make fitness one of them. I need you to know that I absolutely love people, and watching you move. I need you to know that I’ll stay an extra 30 minutes after class to help you get better without hesitation. I need you to know that I want you to succeed and live a long, happy, and fulfilled life. If you still don’t understand, I get it.