Morning Rambling: Clearly you work real hard

Seth Godin says, “Tribes are increasingly voluntary. No one is forced to work for your firm or attend your services.” When I read this I immediately think of the contracts often signed by clients at their various gyms. Contracts are not evil and they are a great business tool. I have seen business decline rapidly due to a clients ability to cancel on a whim as they travel or over the holidays. Had they been under contract they may have been more likely to have simply put their membership on hold or been more motivated to show up in the days they were around. If a client steps away because their schedule is picking up, there is no guarantee that when things settle down they will choose to return.

Tough toe nails. That’s life and if they are not eager to return then they have either seen a change in their desires OR your product is simply not worth their time and money. We are a society that struggles with entitlement. When I was a kid, entitlement was a word that was thrown around referring to the wealthy. Kids who were absolute trash in the athletic arena but who demanded (and often received) a starting spot. Or the guy at Starbucks who talks under his breath the entire time he is waiting in line at Starbucks or waiting for them to make his super soy, half calf, horse shit, barely coffee machiatto with heavy whip. He clearly deserves to be at the front of the line.

But the business owner is the worst, and in my world it is the affiliate owner. Your product is sub par but you don’t need to change anything because you are just that good. Let me quickly say there are so many incredible affiliates, and even in those that should improve, there are amazing communities of strong people looking to improve themselves and the world around them. Do not misunderstand me to be saying your box is trash. I have carried myself with a sense of entitlement at times though I would like to believe I caught myself quickly and shook it off.

You put CrossFit on the banner out front and then you just kick your feet up and wait. That’s all you had to do right? Pay the $3,000 annual fee and that guaranteed your success, right? Of course you work hard. I mean you had to show up every morning at 5:05am for your 5am class. And you did that for a whole 2 months before you quickly “promote” a client to take those “inconvenient” classes for you. And since then you even had to cover one morning! You, the business owner had to be around your most disciplined clients. Oh my! Why hasn’t Forbes interviewed you yet?! And who could question the time and effort you put into programming? You spend a whole 45 minutes worth of your life on a week of workouts! You’re the guy (or girl) who showed the world you can effectively execute a heavy 5×5 back squat with adequate rest AND include a 20 minute AMRAP after a superb warm up all in an hour! So yes, you’ve got the programming in the bag. And as if that was not enough to prove you work hard, you even cleaned the gym once! Swept, mopped and wiped everything down. All the way through. A hard worker never would have stuck it out for the entire 2 hours that took you.

As if this truly needs to be said, the client deserves better. Especially when you are unwilling to price your service for what you are actually offering. A quick google search will find most affiliates in our area charing ~$155 for unlimited. Some are more expensive and some are less. A client hears about what we do from a friend, or she sees it on television or researches it on the internet. Then she walks in your door fully aware of what the going rate is for her area. You lay out your pricing and then she signs up. Too bad there is no easy way to evaluate what you are offering. Sure, she will be able to figure it out in a month or two when she has seen very little change in her health. I actually believe that even someone completely unfamiliar with fitness activities will have a good idea if things are right after a week or two (1 free class? Really? Afraid they will figure you out before giving you their money?). But why should you get by misleading potential clients? This is not about style, though we all have our own. And this is not about program design. Whether you simply post straight from main site or you have a very structured strength template with conditioning added in the end, a competent program has many forms. It’s about you!

This movement has shown the world so much. What resonates with me most is the defiance of our community towards the traditional strength and conditioning education. Some of the most ineffective coaches I have ever come across were college educated and CSCS holders (Of course there are also plenty of CSCS holders who make great coaches. Same goes for personal trainers). CrossFit came in and stated that it does not take an expensive education to lay a foundation of fitness. The fitness world has spun this in a negative way many many times. According to the dissenters (I would say haters, but I am a professional…sometimes), CrossFit claims the Level 1 certificate gives you the right to coach people to become Klokov. Because you spent a weekend with the Level 1 staff, you have the right to take untrained bodies and throw them into “Amanda” unscaled. The truth is that CrossFit is simply saying that fitness is not complicated. Take what you are proficient at and mix it up! You’ll see improved fitness and you will have a good time doing it. If you aren’t proficient at the snatch then you don’t get to do “Amanda.” If you are then have a go! And your coach is there to help you along the way. It is the coaches duty to guide you and show you how to improve. But the coach knows his/her limits too. If muscle ups are not my thing then I may not need to program them since I am not able to effectively teach them. This is simple. And because of the simplicity it’s impact is deep.

So how did you mess this up? You have no heart. If coaching is not complicated and it simply requires a little self awareness and some logic then it really comes down to passion and effort. Life is so tough on the entitled business owner because when you work without passion then your job becomes more of a sentence than a calling. And when you are not operating as though you are blessed to be there in front of those classes, the clients see it. You are cheating them and they will find out. And yes, the simple solution is to trap them in a contract (NOT ALL CONTRACTS ARE TRAPS!) because then they are not able to just leave. And by the time they are out of their contract you’ll have new blood that has not figured you out just yet.

I apologize for the heated words but I stand by what I am saying here. My challenge to any affiliate owner would be to earn your clients’ business every single month. Use their chance to leave each month as an accountability tool. If you are not able to create a sense of loyalty within your community then it is you that are failing. What are the chances that 100 or 150 or 200 people all would leave unless you were not putting the effort in. These are just my thoughts. Be better.

Your Quality of Life is Trash But at Least You’re Borderline Healthy

Tags

Community, Food, Health, Nutrition, Paleo, Well Fed

It is unknown what the far reaching ramifications of a poor diet are exactly. A few things are known such as heart disease, diabetes, physical limitations, etc.. So perhaps it would be more responsible or accurate to say that the true benefits of making wise food choices are not specifically known. What I mean by that is that we know eating well will keep us leaner than obese and will allow us to climb stairs a bit more efficiently. But this is America. And you are not going to trick me into your commi socialist diet plan because I am already only sort of not in shape. How much better could I be?

What I am illustrating here is our willingness to be mediocre. If we see a gigantic person riding their rascal through Disney World, we immediately think they should be taking better care of themselves through better food choices and probably a bit of exercise. But if we were to immediately look into the mirror, we would see that maybe we are not so awesome ourselves. Maybe we shouldn’t have that dole whip in our hand (this is a bad example because if you did manage to make it to Disney World, or on any vacation for that matter, I believe it is 100% ok to have a few treats along the way).

Those of us in the middle fall into a dangerous mindset. Clearly we are not obese and the doctor has not informed us of any imminent health concerns so we should just keep on keeping on. The fat people need to change, and, in all honesty, the sexy people on Instagram could pull it back a touch and have a few orders of french fries from time to time.

And that is fine. We have every right to go through life mediocre and pathetic. This is not a rousing speech about giving ourselves a boot in the ass to get moving down the path to a healthier life. I’ve written and delivered that one many times before, and I will many times again in the future. This is about the fact that we are so content with “blah” but so quick to run to the doctor for every little ailment and every little discomfort. You don’t sleep well, you have acid reflux, you’re constipated, you have gas, you’re irritable, you’re constantly tired, you’re bloated after a meal, you’re worthless at 3pm, and so on and so forth.

Social media is the window into our lives. We pull back the curtains as much or as little as we choose (NOTE: Can we talk about how much you are not worth spying on? Shut up about your privacy. Absolutely 0 people care. Certainly the people at Facebook, or the NSA or the United Nations, or the Evil Coalition of Spying of the Universe, or whatever bullshit government body you think is interested in your sad mediocre life certainly does not care. All they would find is that your “location” puts you on your couch in front of your tv for hours at a time. And guess what?! MESSAGING ON FACEBOOK IS NOT MANDATORY! NOR IS HAVING FACEBOOK TO BEGIN WITH! SHUT UP! A PETITION?! REALLY?!). I have friends on social media who are constantly, and I mean at least once a week, posting about how they are sick again. And judging from how much detail they share regarding the inner workings of their lives, they do not have any sort of disorder or disease that would cause this. So this is simply them getting a stomach bug, or the cold, or the flu at pretty much every opportunity. If you are sick all of the time, your diet is crap and you need to go for a walk every once in a while. Now, none of these people are morbidly obese. You would not look at any of them and think they are in dire need of a new health plan. Most are cute women and fairly ordinary men.

So here’s the point: the food that we choose to eat dictates the quality of life we CHOOSE to live. I do not know if you have a serious medical condition and that is why you have those issues I mentioned above. But I do know that the least you could do is make better food decisions. The worst thing that happens is nothing. But in all likelihood you would see a reduction in your discomfort. It is not ok to be uncomfortable in our bodies. Yes, it comes up from time to time, but if it is a daily struggle for you then you need to make a change.

NIGHTSHADES: The Mysterious Word Tossed Around The Paleo World Without Much Explanation

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#NightShades #AutoImmuneProtocol, Autoimmune, Ben Jocz, Clean Eating, Community, CrossFit, Disorder, Eat Well, Food, NightShades, Nutrition, Paleo, Potatoes are Paleo, Whole

My mother and I are reading through Liz Wolfe’s Eat the Yoiks together and meeting up to discuss each chapter as we complete them. I have already read through the book once which actually has made it more difficult to read through again, not because it is any less entertaining (its actually more entertaining as you pick up the details the second time through), but because I’m a dumb boy and think I know everything already because, obviously, I would never need to read something twice.

We discuss the general themes and issues brought up by Liz in each chapter and then discuss how they relate to our lives. I have always known that grass fed, properly raised animal protein was the way to go. But even as an affiliate owner who ran numerous nutrition challenges with overwhelming success, I had a hard time believing I should spend that extra money. Thanks to Liz, it became clear that 1) the money was not the real issue ($3.15 for an iced coffee from Starbucks daily) and 2) grass fed, properly raised animals benefited our health AND the world around us!

Recently the term “Nightshades” has been jumping out at my mom as she skims social media and par oozes popular blogs. Unfortunately the term is rarely attached to an explanation. AVOID NIGHTSHADES! NIGHTSHADES WILL KILL YOU! These are extreme and not at all what she read, but when you put a term out there and attach a vague “your life is better without these” or “you probably want to avoid these,” but you do not explain further, you are either inciting (minor) panic or looking to be dismissed.

SIDE NOTE: THIS MAY BE A SLIGHTLY UNRELATED RANT THAT I AM TYING INTO THIS ISSUE

You are a lot like the liberals screaming about global warming, saying it is up to me to make a change and then failing to tell me what those changes need to be (No, this is not a political stance against global warming. It is a stance against videos of ice cubes melting and you crying and offering no solution). Just to balance it out, it’s also a lot like the conservatives hooting and hollering about all of these CHILDREN looking for a better life in America and how they need to be dealt with. Whats the solution, dear conservative? Throw them back into their desolate, violent world? What’s the solution? Quit your crying and be productive.

So my mom wants to know more about nightshades, so that is what we are going to learn this morning. Nightshades are simply a group of foods and plants. They do not cause serious heath issues in everyone and specifically come up when discussing a paleo autoimmune protocol. Everything from potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers all the way over to tobacco fall under the nightshade tree.

Nightshades are generally focused on because of their varying levels of substances called alkaloids which are certainly problematic for those with autoimmune disorders, but may even be unfriendly to those who consider themselves perfectly healthy (The World’s Healthiest Foods).

Sarah Ballantyne, PhD (the Paleo Mom), has the most clear and concise post regarding night shades and why she avoids them,
“The reason why nightshades are problematic for many people is due to the glycoalkaloid content. Overconsumption of these edible species can actually be poisonous to anyone, and it is possible that the low-level toxic properties of nightshade vegetables contribute to a variety of health issues over time.” (The Paleo Mom).

In both those with autoimmune disorders and those without, characteristics of nightshades may contribute to poor digestive health and general inflammatory issues. This all depends on a persons sensitivity to nightshades, the amount of nightshades being consumed and the overall health of the individual.

“Of all the foods restricted on the paleo diet autoimmune protocol, nightshades are the least likely to be reintroduced successfully” (Ballantyne, PhD).
So for most of us, and for my mother, we need not to worry. We just need to be aware. Like most things, moderation is important. But if we are living an active lifestyle, maintaing a healthy omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio, and being wise with what we consume, we should be just fine. For those with autoimmune disorders or those who feel they may be dealing with something similar, you would be smart to distance yourself from nightshades, even if only for a short period of time. You may miss some of the food options, but if you see a reduction in inflammation or digestive irritability, are you really going to miss them that badly?

-Ben

When the “Haters” Take the Lead

Tags

Always Improve, Community, CrossFit, Houston, Perseverance, Persistence, Stay Strong, Stay true, Texas

Resonating With Me Right Now:
Incredibly relevant words from Lisbeth

Daily Welbourn

A post that punched me in the gut with one of its points when I read it

Thoughts: This one may be more therapy for me than informative to you. So click on the links above and learn from actually educated and smart people.

It is important to understand that life is not fair, especially in the short run.

Sometimes the conniving, unethical, undisciplined people of the world do come out on top leaving the good souls feeling beaten down and hopeless. And the chance for these mediocre-at-best individuals to win often brings out the worst in them at the expense of others.

But take heart in knowing that the unimpressive types we are discussing will be just a flash in the pan. They will adapt or die and adaptation requires investment and caring. Death seems inevitable.

It is in our darkest moments where we find our greatest opportunities. “There is no progress without stress” (Mark Rippetoe while talking to the Power Athlete Radio team), and you have the choice to either sink into a period of self loathing or rise up with something greater.

We will rise. And we will impact more than was ever thought possible.

Veggies In Your Breakfast: Another terrifying suggestion

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Advice, Anti-Mediocrity, Be Well Fed, Ben Jocz, Business, Feedback, Health & Wellness, Invest in your people, Live Well, Musings, Nutrition, Paleo, Passion, Quality, Sacrifice, Safety, Seminar, Suck out the marrow, Suggestions, Try Harder, Vegetables, WOD

The importance of eating your vegetables with every meal can be easily overlooked. In the big picture it is always easy to look at the day as a whole and see that because of an extraordinarily large serving of vegetables at lunch or dinner, we were able to meet your “quota.” And in the beginning of our adventures in nutrition, this is absolutely ok.

However, in the interest of being better than average (because mediocrity is disgusting), we may be better off getting a saving of veggies in early. Here is why, and be warned, there’s science involved!

We know that in times of low to moderate activity (everyday life and average exercise) and/or when carbohydrate consumption is high (the modern diet), our body switches to storage mode. Basically any glucose (what carbohydrates are broken down into in order for the body to utilize them for energy) that is not needed for immediate energy transfer are is then socked away to be used on a rainy day (defined here as a day where nutrients, carbs specifically, are scarce). Fat has the same fate under these conditions.

But when we begin adopting the principles of a Paleo diet, we generally lower the amount of carbohydrates we consume daily (we DO NOT eliminate them altogether though!). Our bodies will then begin to utilize the stored glucose. Here is the science: our red blood cells as well as our brain rely on glucose made available by carbohydrates consumed in your last meal. When that fails to meet the need, your Liver is able to export stored glucose into the blood stream for your cells and your brain (and any other tissue in need) to utilize.

But because you have discovered this new, amazing, almost obvious choice of whole foods based nutrition, it is unlikely you will find yourself consistently consuming enough carbohydrates to switch back over to storage mode. As a result, your liver will run dry of its stored glucose eventually. BUT DO NOT FEAR! To avoid falling straight down into the brain fog, I want to encourage you to get some vegetables into your breakfast. Remember that sleep is 8 hours without nutrients (a fasted state. And 8 hours because that is how much you are sleeping each night right?!) so breakfast is a big deal. But like most big deals, it doesn’t have to be BIG. Just get something in your system.

Scramble a few eggs in coconut oil and serve over a bed of spinach. Or chop up bell peppers and toss them in the skillet with the eggs. Or maybe some tomatoes. Or just snack on some carrots on your way out the door. Just eat something! Your blood cells and your brain will thank you and so will everyone you interact with!

“Why She Didn’t Do CrossFit In The First Place”

Tags

AntiCrossFit Propaganda, CrossFit, Musings

I will not pretend that the CrossFit community has implemented the professionalism that would preclude us from being the subject of such attacks. However, I also will not sit back and watch as the masses descend upon an opportunity to attack something that is changing lives.

 

What people outside of our community fail to understand is that we are 99% life changing and 1% douche bag. Yeah, the long sock wearing, t-shirt lacking, head band sporting d-bag is the one sharing his videos on YouTube and Facebook. Unfortunately that means that is what the world sees and therefore assumes is what takes place on a daily basis.

 

Want to know what is not on YouTube? Men and women getting off of the couch for the first time in years or maybe ever. People making fundamental changes to their lives that will allow them to have a higher quality of living. A community that carries its own through tough times inside and outside of the gym. A group of people who come together to support causes unrelated to fitness.

 

There are generally two types of CrossFit critiques: personal trainer/CSCS holders; And the skinny fat/terminally lazy crowd.

 

Follow me here. Party #1 is extremely frustrated that their overpriced services are no longer being sought after because a group of people are meeting in a bare bones warehouse in the back of an industrial complex. The personal training and strength and conditioning communities have failed to adapt (IN GENERAL! THERE ARE PLENTY OF INCREDIBLE PERSONAL TRAINERS AND STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING SPECIALISTS OUT THERE! They are generally the ones not running their mouth with anti-CrossFit propaganda because, like any educated individual, they understand everything has its place in the world) and clients are becoming aware of a more efficient way.

 

Party #2 is so mad that their sorority sister or frat brother is no longer out late Thursday through Saturday night drinking until 2am every weekend. They are frustrated that people can make choice to change even when it is a tough choice. Instead of accepting the fact that their friend has made a choice to get better they get mean. And i mean really really mean. There is nothing worse then a skinny fat girl whose best friend starts CrossFit. “You’re gonna get bulky!” or “Your arms are starting to get manly…” are not uncommon statements in this scenario.

 

And the boys are just as bad. But it goes a different way. Generally a lot of bragging about their ability to crush everything we do without any evidence to support it. Your quarter ass back squat is less than my girlfriends ass to grass front squat so just keep it to yourself. Nobody believes your story bro.

 

Before I pick a part the blog that was literally written just to generate website traffic (and it definitely succeeded!) I do want to mention that I understand where criticism may come from. But what I do not understand is why it is specific to CrossFit. There are plenty of certifications out there that are much less extensive than the CF L1. There are plenty of personal trainers who are having their clients do irresponsible things.

 

And what’s worse, there are too many strength and conditioning personalities having their clients stay above parallel in the squat. This alone should have people up in arms! Want to not walk when your 40? Throw 400# on your back and do some quarter squats.

 

And why is it that nobody assumes responsibility for the epidemic of ACL injuries among female athletes? Why are strength and conditioning specialists not held accountable for failing to strengthen the legs of these athletes? Or teaching them how to plant and drive laterally? (“Loaded knee faults are FAR less traumatic when they don’t also carry a rotational/valgus force (feet forward not feet turned out). When you see athletes and kids dynamically load and land like ducks, red flags should go off in your head. Squatting makes you better at life and sport.”-K Star)

 

Understand something here, technique comes before weight and speed each and every time. That is instilled in us at the Level 1, it is discussed in any journal article about programming and any coach worth his salt inside and outside of this specific community will stand by that. If you do not have the technique you do not get the green light to bang weight and fly. It’s as simple as that.

 

 

Alrighty, now let’s have some fun. Here are some of my favorite quotes with a little insight into each (Here’s The Original Post):

 

“Secondly, the workout was going to have deadlifts, which I had never done and to this day I still don’t do them”

You are speaking more to the shortcomings of your own education and experience here. You will soon go on to discuss how extensive your background is in fitness and yet you never managed to understand or execute deadlifts, and even worse, you don’t understand the usefulness of this incredible lift in your training? I am not suggesting everyone must pull heavy deads, but to not utilize deadlifts in any capacity is very short sighted. Unless you are planning on never picking anything up off of the floor, the deadlift is an incredibly useful movement pattern to practice and perfect.

“I was constantly yelled at to go faster, to take shortcuts, and to do movements that previous injuries precluded me from.”

Ummmmm….. bullshit! What does it sound like to be told to take a short cut? “Don’t worry about getting your chin over the bar!” or “Don’t stand all the way up with the bar!” It is hard to imagine this is what you were hearing. But at this point we realize you have embellished the story so why pick it apart any further? Now what you are probably doing is poking fun at the movements you were executing, specifically the kipping pull up. After all, the super cool thing to do is to cry and cry about the shortcomings of the kipping pull up (guess what, i have multiple women that can do more strict pull ups than you as well! WHAT?!). Even in the most poorly run boxes I have never heard a coach tell someone to take short cuts, if only because it would mean you had a chance to beat his stupid time. D bag coaches don’t like you crushing their WODs dude!

“I should have known better that the thruster combination of cleans and push press shouldn’t be done for speed/time, but I did it anyway.”

Yep, because squatting and pressing could never be incorporated together. What are we even saying here? Why on earth could I not squat, stand, and press with some pace? Where is this inherently dangerous? Sure, if I collapse into the hole, stand up through my toes and then half moon the bar around my big stupid face then pace is not a good option nor is weight. But executed properly, the thruster can be done safely with weight by even the most inexperienced lifter.

“Never once, in the 5 years I was at Florida State University working out with a 3 time back-to-back national championship team, did my strength coaches give me a workout sheet that told me to do Olympic or Power lifts for time. Never once did they give me a workout that told me to do sets of 15, 20, or 30 Olympic or Power lifts. Never once did they tell me to do as many as I possibly could. Never once in the nearly 2 years I’ve been at A&M working for a men’s 4-time national championship track and field team and women’s 3-time national championship team, have these things occurred. Why? Because Olympic and power lifts are not meant to be done in sets of 30 or for time.”

Actually, sweetheart, the reason your coach never asked you to do that was because you were in sport specific training, and, depending on the race you ran (I believe you were a track athlete), the physiological demands varied greatly. If I am coaching a competitive volleyball player, the snatch is not going to be much of a friend to us. In fact shoulder to overhead work in general may be avoided altogether.  The point being that when you are specifically training for a sport then there are changes made to what you would be asked to do. But when you are training to be generally fit, those same accommodations need not be made. So to say because your coach did not ask you to do it means nobody should do it is again short sighted and a little silly.

I know there have been studies done (and there was an “article” published) but just as I know that studies I disagree with are flawed, I am also aware that means studies I do agree with may be flawed as well. So I will rely on practical application. With proper technique and proper weight, 30 clean and jerks or 30 power snatches are good to go. They are a great indicator of a persons ability to generate power which really is a measure of our fitness. Yes, the old days of rounded back “Grace” are in my memory as well. And no, that was never an ok thing to see or do. But that goes for anything. If I play sports like a dumbass then I am not going to gain any benefit and probably get injured. No ones fault but my own!

“CrossFit seems to think that the more pain you are in, whether on that day or the days following the workout, the better. The more you disregard the pain and keep pushing through it, the “tougher” you are. But this is not true, and more importantly, it’s not healthy.”

Fortunately we understand 8-12 minutes is all you really need with an occasional long burner here or there. But that’s right, you also believed the chubby guy on Good Morning America who says we pass out Rhabdo like party favors. “You haven’t done CrossFit until you’ve peed a little brown soda” is what we say!

I have far more people concerned with our workouts being too short than too long. On the rare occasion we exceed 20 minutes during our workouts it is generally to show them how much their fitness has improved.

“Secondly, CrossFit coaches are able to get certified in a weekend…Very few of them have any real knowledge of proper form, which is especially critical for Olympic and Power lifts…most people are doing the lifts and other exercises all wrong and there is no one there to correct them.”

This is like saying that because your blog post was complete bullshit then very few personal trainers tell the truth and most people listening to personal trainers are being misled. Hmmmm, seems like that may be inaccurate as many personal trainers are able to publish credible and useful information quite frequently and many people have learned a ton from them.

The certified in a weekend thing is old news. A CSCS is earned in the comfort of your own home with a text book, and a number of personal training certifications require less than that. If a dude is peddling crap, don’t buy it! When did we become so pathetic? This morning the radio not only warned me about extreme thunderstorms in the area but it also went on to explain what that means, why it would be dangerous and what i should probably do. Im pretty sure just 10 years ago it just beeped, said there was a storm and then returned to the music because it assumed you had the wherewithal to make your own decisions.

Fitness is foreign to most people but that does not mean you are not capable of understanding if you are at a reputable business. Believe me, the fictitious gyms utilized in this blog post would have been lit up on Yelp! if they really existed. And even if you did not have access to the internet to check reviews, a bad coach will rub you the wrong way well before you are put in a dangerous situation. When did society give the ok to not having common sense?

“CrossFit means job security for medical professionals due to the high rate of injury among the ranks of Crossfitters.”

This line is so 2006. Get a new one.

And for anyone buying into it, the rate of injury in running is sky high compared to everything else! The rate of torn ACLs among athletes is sky high as well. But I don’t see that being discussed publicly. You still go for your useless jogs and played your sports.

“This is simply not true and every single thing that I’ve posted in this article refers to EVERY SINGLE GYM THAT FOLLOWS CROSSFIT. There are no exceptions, if you’re following the WODs, it’s not good for you, it’s not safe, and you’re putting your health in danger. Take it for what it’s worth, but please believe that your box is NOT different, no matter what your coach says.”

Are you kidding? Didn’t you’re mother ever teach you that, “there are exceptions to every rule?” So even if there was any weight in what you said, which, by now, there is not, now you’ve definitely lost it. If a thousand monkeys banging in on a thousand typewriters eventually write the works of Shakespeare then surely at least one CrossFit gym has managed to get it right.

The “please believe that your box is NOT different” has to be the best line. Disregard the change in body composition or the increase in self confidence or the reduction of chronic pain or the better standard of living or the better nutritional choices or the better friends you surround yourself with or the higher standards you now live by. Ignore ALL OF THAT because clearly you are wrong.

Yep, seems accurate….

Quality is Gonna Cut You Down

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Advice, Business, CrossFit, Feedback, MetCon, Quality, Safety, Suggestions, WOD

It’s like Johnny Cash stated so eloquently, “God’s gonna cut you down.” Except, in this case, we will avoid any religious affiliation and say “Quality is gonna cut you down.”

If you are failing your clients, whether it is because you are in it for the wrong reason, disinterested in their progress, unwilling to invest in their future, too lazy to put the work in, or maybe, just maybe, you simply have no idea what you are doing, I am coming for you.

I am quality. I am what your clients deserve and I am what you are capable of providing but, for one reason or another, you choose not to. Often times it is naivety and other times it is arrogance. Almost all of the time it is a result of you succeeding so quickly as a result of slapping CrossFit on your name that you mistake the fact that everyone wants to try it for that meaning everybody wants to train under you.

It is very hard to fail in this business. The overhead cost is generally pretty low and you can almost always find the 50 or so clients it takes to pay the bills and put food on your table. But it is very difficult to actually succeed (1 year is not success. 5-10 years. Look at the big picture). There are not a huge number of affiliates who thrive for more than a year or two. Even now, many of the old dogs are failing to innovate or maybe choosing the wrong (this is a matter of opinion) path. New sexy affiliates pop up everyday, but they are just a flash in the pan. They are great for one reason or another but they fail somewhere.

And because I am there, they are all found out. Quality is coming. It has not been absent from our community entirely, but it certainly has been lacking. And we are not talking incompetence in coaching though it is unbelievable that the levels of poor coaching still exist to the extent they still do (really, you say go and then go sit in your office? Are you kidding?). Believe it or not, it is not difficult to coach someone safely through a movement. This is not to discount coaching, but with a working knowledge of proper scaling as well as experience in how the body is meant to move, you could probably have a go at getting people through a workout and do just fine.

Quality includes what happens outside of the metcon and outside of the hour long class. Quality occurs when you add specialty programming or education opportunities that may not directly add to your monthly revenue. Its when you train your coaches instead of pretending having your L1 is enough to run your classes. Its when you don’t assume every coach is able to handle classes the same. Its when you have an epiphany when your out to dinner and you let that client know you have an idea on how to address their issue.

The time will come for all of your subpar, entitlement bullshit to fall down upon you. People with true passion for this are out there and your clients will find them. So enjoy it now while you can. I suggest you try to begin to understand why your business has grown or why it is shrinking. Listen to your clients and be humble enough to know you might be the problem. Be willing to change. This takes courage and its a hard pill to swallow. But if you make the change now you have a bright future ahead of you.

And if you don’t, i’ll be there waiting for your clients.

 

-Ben Jocz

Invest In Your People

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Ben Jocz, Business, CrossFit, Invest in your people, Nutrition, Passion, Sacrifice, Seminar, Suck out the marrow, Try Harder

I am currently preparing for our 6th free Nutrition Seminar. This one is scaled back a bit compared to the larger seminars we have put on, but its purpose remains the same: to educate people on the importance of solid nutrition, how to lay a good foundation, and why we should avoid certain “foods.” The Joker says in The Dark Night, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” This is interesting.

 

So much of this business is based on what turns a buck right away. Don’t sell those shirts for $25 if you could sell them for $30. Don’t let friends drop-in for free when you may get $20 out of them. A week for free may be 6 or 7 days too long.

And its not just on how we turn a profit but also in how we approach compensating our employees. $20 a class no matter what, no matter who, and no matter how great.

Now, quickly, none of this is WRONG, but to not consider other options is just silly. I do not believe most coaches deserve more than $20 as most are doing the minimum at this time. BUT an incentive program that has the possibility of that coach making $25 or $30 after achieving and maintaining certain standards of the job may be something to look in to.

Same for the free services like seminars, trial classes, on ramp classes, intro sessions.

Both of these scenarios either cost you more or don’t make you anything at the start. But take a step back and look at the big picture. If you truly invest in your people (coaches and clients) you will see an incredible return on that investment. Your people are your business. Duh right? Then why don’t we act like it?

If you hold nothing back and invest all that you have in your coaches and your clients then they will, in turn, reward you with their their commitment to the job (coaches), their loyalty to your business (clients) and new customers. There is no traditional marketing in the world that will bring in more of the right clientele for you robustness than a coach or client whose life you have impacted.

A well educated client who has drastically changed their life is worth all of the free weeks and free seminars in the world! But then again, you have to have the knowledge, expertise, and service that is 1)worth sharing and 2) will put a client in a position to make a drastic change.

 

Sacrifice and Passion. Without it you are simply embracing mediocrity no matter how smart you think you are.

-Ben Jocz

Shortcomings in a Wildly Successful Industry

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Ben Jocz, CrossFit

It is disappointing to see people enter an industry that I love with a complete and total lack of confidence in the product they produce before they even begin. It is curious as to why they chose to begin in the first place.

It is very exciting to be able to start your own business, especially in a field that you enjoy. But just because you can does not mean you should. And the biggest danger of you being involved at all is not that you may injure someone (and you really might), it is that you may turn someone off from something that could absolutely improve their standard of living.

Your mediocre business operations are not just disappointing because it is so easy to succeed, but it is infuriating because every single person who walks in your door now thinks that pathetic level of business that you do is the standard that we all adhere to.

In a worst case scenario that client will never so much as google the term CrossFit again because you have bored the pants off of her or him with no progress in improving their fitness and no benefit through community activity. You are either too uneducated, inexperienced or entitled (often a bit of all 3). The bar is set very low in this industry. Very very low.

The good news is that when you click on the affiliate finder map you should not be disheartened to see so many little red dots in the neighborhood where you would like to open. Take heart in knowing 3 out of the 4 pins are absolute trash in one way or another. 1 out of every 4 is doing something exceptional. They are educating their coaches and their clients, building stronger communities through fitness and philanthropy. They are creating programs, empowering their staff, and expanding their reach. They are in business to bring value to all of those involved.

“And the mindset was that business is about makin’ money, ’cause if you can’t pay the rent, you won’t be in business. But then it hit me in just a blinding flash: ‘Wait a minute. I’m not trying to make money. Money’s what happens when you do something right.'” -Greg Glassman (http://journal.crossfit.com/2013/01/gregspeech.tpl)

 

-Ben Jocz

Crush Life

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Ben Jocz

We have a lot of good looking people working in our midst these days. Not that you have not all always been beautiful (you certainly have), but I think it is the effort that you are putting into your time here that is bringing the sexy back. In a lot of situations we look back at some point in our life and think “damn, I really had it going on back then.” In a similar fashion there are some of us who feel like we have never had it and maybe until recently, we felt we never could have it going on.

Wake up in the morning and crush life! Do not settle for what you have allowed yourself to become. Do not fall into the trap of believing life must remain the dull, mediocre monotony of underwhelming success and achievement.

I do not know why it was so crystal clear today. Maybe it was because the deadlift is the greatest demonstration of effort because the technique is so easily picked up. We have to be strong to move that weight. We have to get excited, be enthusiastic, be aggressive. That weight must come off of the ground and we are tired of living a life where we are unable to do it.

I see completely passive personalities become conquerers. You must take this into your day. You are absolutely as amazing as you perceive yourself to be.

-Ben Jocz