Exercising & Training

A few weeks ago, I shared a photo of the updates I made to my gym layout. Since I started The 1440 in 2018, it was exclusively online coaching and 1-on-1 personal training. 

The 1440 and I have certainly evolved since 2018, but what remains the same is a mission to help people change the way they view training and themselves. 

I learned how to be a fitness coach through CrossFit. My first training certification was a CrossFit Level 1, and my first coaching experience was in a group class setting. As a coach at a local CrossFit affiliate I learned how to see and correct movement, organize large groups of people, and build relationships which ultimately led to trust and credibility as a coach. I will always be grateful for CrossFit and the start I got as a coach in the fitness industry.

When I was a young, twenty-something coach, my dream was to open a CrossFit gym. I was all-in on the methodology and I wouldn’t listen to anything other than CrossFit. I was “that guy,” for sure. I believed that CrossFit was for everyone and those who weren’t willing to give it a try were just lazy or unmotivated. It took leaving the fitness industry for a few years to appreciate that reality was much more nuanced than that. 

Many of my clients have heard me say this before, but I realized that what made CrossFit and the group class model great for some, made it equally as bad for others. Let me explain…

A group class is great for when you need that extra energy and motivation to push yourself. However, a lot of people who are new to working out do not need to be pushing themselves to the limit every time they step into the gym. In fact, that very mentality is what causes many to be inconsistent and develop an all-or-nothing relationship with fitness. Group fitness class environments often push new trainees too far, too fast. 

Planned workouts for everyone to do together are another huge draw for the group class model. It’s fun to feel the camaraderie and know that the person next to you is feeling the burn, too. But I’ve learned that a lot of people need individual attention, especially when they’re just getting started and even more so when it comes to strength training. In a group class, it’s difficult to give beginners the attention and planned progressions that they need in order to really get meaningful results. 

Lastly, the group class is a great environment for people who want to exercise. Exercise and training are two different things… This idea can best be explained by lifetime strength coach and founder of the Starting Strength methodology - Mark Rippeote.

“Exercise is physical activity for its own sake, a workout done for the effect it produces today, during the workout or right after you’re through. Training is physical activity done with a longer-term goal in mind, the constituent workouts of which are specifically designed to achieve that goal. If a program of physical activity is not designed to get you stronger or faster or better conditioned by producing a specific stress to which a specific desirable adaptation can occur, you don’t get to call it training. It is just exercise. For most people, exercise is perfectly adequate - it’s certainly better than sitting on your ass.” - Mark Rippetoe (Starting Strength. Basic Barbell Training. 3rd Edition). 

Although tongue and cheek, this is a perfect summary of why I find strength training to be the most effective and efficient use of your time in the gym. I’m not saying that CrossFit won’t help you get stronger either; there are some great CrossFit affiliates that teach people how to properly train with thoughtful progressions and programs designed to achieve a longer-term goal. In fact, I’ll point you to the best CrossFit affiliate in the country that’s 1-kilometer away from my gym if you want to improve your strength, conditioning, and overall fitness for the sport of CrossFit. 

However, this is not the norm in group fitness settings. Most folks who attend a group fitness class are chasing the effect that a workout produces on the given day, and the instructors who program those workouts know that. 

After-all, what’s more enticing - a new five station circuit that utilizes lots of fancy equipment with fast music alongside some friends? Or another set of 5 back squats at 5 lbs heavier than you did the day before yesterday? Most people choose the former. Most people choose exercise instead of training. 

However, it has been my experience that training with a longer-term goal in mind is not only more sustainable, but it’s also much more fulfilling and lends itself to more measurable results. 

It has taken me many years of both exercising and training to learn that strength training is at the core of my passion for coaching. It is my belief that strength training with a barbell is the most efficient and effective use of your time in the gym, and the changes I’ve made to The 1440 within the last year reflect this belief.

Next week I’ll share more details about small group personal training at The 1440, and how it’s going to help more people change the way they view training and themselves.