My Favorite Clients
As a CrossFit coach and a coach for the CrossFit Gymnastics certification with Jeff Tucker, I have come to realize one thing: I love coaching the underdog. You know, the one who walks into the box looking defeated already. The one who comes up with a million and one excuses why he or she can’t clean and jerk that day.
The one who says he or she could never do a pull up. The one who has little coordination to string single jumps with a jump rope together, let alone even think to try double unders.
Yes, I adore those people because I know there is a purpose in helping them build their confidence and their self-worth. It’s not really about how many handstand push ups you can do in a minute. It’s about the desire reach beyond your goals. It’s about the high-five when that first strict pull up happens after a year of training.
The Story of Linda
As a CrossFit coach for the last three years, there have been a good deal of the a-ha moments for me, but one in particular stands out. The interesting thing was this did notinvolve a muscle up or a high-level skill. It was all about a simple jump off two feet up onto three stacked plates. It isn’t simple, though, when you realize how long it took this athlete to build enough confidence and overcome her fear.
Linda (name changed) came into the gym believing that she did not belong with the “younger” athletes. In her fifties, she only wanted private lessons, thinking she would be overwhelmed in a group CrossFit class. After all, she was never an athlete, but seeing her own mother aging, she was convinced she needed to step up her game and get healthy and fit.
Her son convinced her to give CrossFit a try.
With some listening ears, appropriate modifications, and tough love, I built a trust with Linda and integrated her into the group classes. Fast forward almost two years and Linda continued to grow in confidence each day, performing squats, snatches, and self-assisted pull ups. But she had yet to conquer a two-foot take-off box jump (for which we stacked three 45lb plates instead of using a box).
One particular morning, after I showed movement standards for a workout that included box jumps, I turned to Linda and, by the expression on her face, I knew it was the day. She was ready to take control. That was a remarkable moment for me, as a coach - to see that she was finally confident and ready to attack something that had terrified her.
Before the workout, we started with one plate - success. We slowly built her confidence by adding the next plate, and then it was time to add the final plate. 3-2-1... JUMP.
Both feet left the floor at the same time! Success!
After the workout, Linda came up to me and thanked me for believing in her and staying persistent. But I told her she was the one who needed to be thanked because she is the reason I love what I do.
Why I Love to Coach the Underdog
The coolest thing, for me, is to observe how the dedication inside the box translates to everyday lives. The more confident you are in the CrossFit gym, the more confident you feel at work, with loved ones, and with yourself. Of course, everyone likes to look good naked or feel great in a new pair of jeans, but the transformation and confidence that is built on the inside is the incredible stuff.
It’s easy to take a talented athlete to a higher level, but you need patience and knowledge to teach clients with little athletic talent and sometimes even a lack of desire. As their coach, you are teaching them that they matter, yes cliché, but from the inside out, they matter.
There is no “agony of defeat” in my coaching, because I have learned “the thrill of victory” comes from the relationship between us - you and me. It takes patience and understanding to get to know each of my athletes - and not just in the gym. I really dig deep into who they are, where they come from, their goals, what music gets them going (we break out in dance, usually when Teach Me How to Dougie comes on), and we smile, a lot.
So tell me your dream so I can help you achieve it and watch you soar into a confident and fit individual - and never be an underdog again.