Double Edge Fitness
This podcast is dedicated to showcasing to our members and any of our listeners who are interested in how this northern Nevada gym operates. Our mission is to inspire others to bring health and wellness home to truly make a difference in the household with the ultimate goal of making Reno the healthiest city in the country.In this podcast, we will be talking about things that are on our mind and answering questions from our members and our listeners to provide a unique listening experience.
Double Edge Fitness
From Gamer to Double Edge Legend: Cody Burch’s Inspiring Fitness Journey at Double Edge
What does it take to transform from a late-night gamer fueled by fast food to one of the fittest members at a CrossFit gym? Cody Burch joins us to reveal his remarkable six-year journey that's about much more than physical transformation.
Cody candidly shares how he went from playing World of Warcraft until dawn to becoming an elite CrossFitter, despite having zero athletic background. "I was already fat," he laughs, reflecting on his pre-fitness days. "The fuck's a dad bod? I'm not going to already live that life." This refreshing perspective drives his commitment to health even as life has evolved dramatically around him.
The conversation explores how Cody has maintained his fitness through significant life transitions—marriage, fatherhood, and career changes. While many use these milestones as excuses to let their health slide, Cody doubled down on his commitment, recently completing a half marathon in 1:41 with minimal training. His secret? Consistency in CrossFit training that prepared him for challenges far beyond the gym walls.
We dive deep into the mental aspects of training, including how Cody has shifted from high-volume "junk training" to more intentional, quality workouts. "I'm arguably the fittest, most well-rounded athlete and human I've ever been," he shares, despite training less than during his coaching days. This wisdom about recovery, sleep optimization, and the negative impacts of alcohol provides practical insights for listeners at any fitness level.
The most powerful takeaway might be how fitness principles translate to success in other life areas. As Cody puts it, "Good things take time... to build something successful, it's not just going to happen randomly." His journey proves that consistency—showing up daily for just one hour—can transform not just your body, but your entire approach to life's challenges.
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all right, homie, we recording yo yo. All right, double-edged fam people. Today we got the legendary I'd say you're legendary, you fit the mold crossfit code, cody birch. Hey, those of you that don't know cody, if you're new to the gym and whatnot, uh well, I'll have him explain. But he's had a. He's been around this place a long time, done a lot of things here, even coached for a while, and uh yeah, so let's take it back real quick, code, introduce yourself. How'd you end up at double edge? And uh, give us a little backstory here, sure?
Speaker 2:yeah, so I started here in. Uh, it was actually late 2018. I think October was my first intro class over at South with Joel and you guys were running some promotion back then One month for 99, I think, is maybe what it was.
Speaker 1:Imagine that now I'm doing one month for free. Exactly.
Speaker 2:Exactly so did that, did the intro class came for a month, then I went on a trip, so I was gone for, yeah, a week, and so then when I came back, I think I would have had to sign up and commit and I just started bodybuilding up to this point, or maybe I was lifting for six months or something like that. So, like I enjoyed what I did, crossfit wise, but also it was completely different than what I was used to. And then I came back, I actually went to BlizzCon total nerd convention, world of Warcraft stuff yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:So when I came back, I was like, oh, I could go back to CrossFit or I could just like go do my own thing again, like I was. So I chose that. I don't know, looking back, I don't know why I chose it because I really enjoyed what I had learned and started with CrossFit. But I was like I was kind of torn, so did that for the remaining two, three months and then I was like, okay, now I'll came back. So I started again, 2019 of January, late, late January 2019. That was when I committed, signed up and then I've been here ever since. So it's been yeah, six years now, six years, six years, consistent member. So working out for 2019, up to 2020, mid 2020,. I got my level one actually 2019 and Thanksgiving. That's a funny story. We got so many different stories we can go over. But uh, just like you know how, you heard that I wanted to coach, yeah, got me at level one, did that, had the level one in the back pocket for from thanksgiving or november of 2019 up until covid july. And you just sent me a text one day, like the month before, maybe a couple weeks before, like, hey, I need you to start coaching and I was working for Apple at the time just went remote because of COVID so they shut everything down. I became remote for the last couple of months up until that point. So it worked out perfectly because I could work my nine to five and then I was going to coach six 30 only because Chase was going back to school. And then I was going to coach 630 only because Chase was going back to school. So I started in July, coached for six months 630 only.
Speaker 2:Wes left Yep. Became full-time in 2021, january 1st 330, 430, 530, 630. Did that until Jess left Yep. Then I switched to mornings. Chase came back to the afternoons, so we sort of or he took my place, I took Jess's place coached mornings 7, 9, 11, 12, whole remaining of 2022, or I guess, yeah, the remaining of 2022, almost through all of 2023 and then stepped away from coaching full time to what I do now re-nurry home buyers and so I've been there a year and a half still coach part timetime. Saturdays it's off. You can always find me and I'll fill in if I can with yeah when people need time off and stuff.
Speaker 1:So reason, bring cody on the podcast today. One catch up with him. I mean he's a staple around here. Introduce him to members that don't know him because he's not around here all day anymore. But, um, catching up with some of the past coaches and where they're at in life and things are going on. Cody's had a lot of things happen over the last few years. It's been exciting and from the outside, looking in, it's been cool to witness. It's been cool to witness uh, you taking a different path in life but still taking ownership of your health in that process. You're taking a different path in life, but still taking ownership of your health in that process. So a couple of things he left out there. He broke the employee manual, started dating his now wife, who also worked for us back then, yep, and that was totally not planned, of course, so funny Stuff happens, I guess.
Speaker 1:Yep, I got to take that I might as well.
Speaker 2:Just remove it from the employee handbook, know, yeah, especially I mean I don't know how many, like there's been a handful, I would say I don't know how many coach to member or coach to coach relationships there's been, but there's at least three or four, and then how many relationships are just within members, you know but I mean member to member.
Speaker 1:I have no influence over yeah I don't want to be known as the gym, but these have all been rock solid relationships for the most part that I know. And, um, I mean, you got Wes and Shay, you and Lindsay, uh, jess and Ryan Jamie Chase.
Speaker 1:Yep, these are all just popping off the top of my head, those quick ones and those are all. Those are all coach related. Yeah, I mean you're around a group of people that are like-minded, work hard, have all the right qualities, take care of their health. It's hard to ignore that attraction happens.
Speaker 2:I think it's a common thing just in general for gyms or probably more CrossFit gyms Like-minded people but also working out with generally probably more attractive people, because we care about the way we look. A lot of times in provocative clothing, guys always take their shirts off, girls are in skimpy booty shorts and sports bras.
Speaker 1:It's kind of natural to look or whatever it may be. To pretend it doesn't happen in the gym would be ignorant to say Cody's just saying what everybody else is thinking Right and naturally I was looking at Lindsey oh yeah, so so they met, started dating. They've actually both worked here during that time. Cody worked at midtown, lindsey worked at south. Then you guys got hitched and you didn't waste any time. You would have had uh procreated real quick. Yeah, what was the timeline? You mean I, it was at your wedding.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we got married in August 2023, and then we found out Lindsay was pregnant in January of 2024.
Speaker 1:Damn. Now he's a dad, that's right. Now he's a dad, and he's seven months old now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's little homie's full name Wyatt Lincoln Burch.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he's already grinding away dick boy.
Speaker 2:Dick boy. Yeah, and he's already grind weight, dick boy. Dick boy, he was 9 pounds 12 ounces when he was born. All the doctors or yeah, well, I guess, when he was born they were like, they were like kind of guessing or like betting each other like oh, he's 7'10 or he's 8'5, and then they weighed him like 9'12 and everyone's like what the hell? He was measuring like eight and a half or something like that too. So he came out big and yeah, he's just. He's in like the 80th to 90th percentile for all of his height, weight, head size, which is kind of funny. But I don't know, because I'm not a normal or I'm a normally sized, not big person. My family doesn't have anybody tall or size wise. Lindsey's family doesn't. Her dad's sisters are tall, they're all like six foot. But it's like that. Gotta be where it comes from, who knows bro it's because she did crossfit while she was pregnant could, could very well be for sure you know,
Speaker 1:yeah, I mean it's funny because some kids are born small, grow up just fine. Some kids are born big, grow up just fine, you know, just yeah. I don't know if there's any uh formula. Obviously mom's nutrition, mom's health, everything does probably contribute to that. But yeah, he was a thick boy. When you sent those first pictures, I was like dude.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know which is funny, and I there were doctors were saying that if Lindsay would have waited another couple of days, she probably would have to get a C-section just because he would have been too big. So thankfully it worked out that we didn't have to. But yeah, mom's healthy baby's healthy, dad's healthy.
Speaker 1:All good things, all good things. So this brings me to my first topic. I want to ask you yeah, how old are you now? 31, 31, so you're in that well 20s. You already had your time of life, because prior to starting working out, doing your trial at the gym, if you guys didn't know, this c Cody is a kind of video game nerd, but he's a nerd all around, straight-a student, crushed college, like your degrees in computer sciences, a very smart intellectual human being, but he's also a gaming nerd. How did that gaming past contribute to your health?
Speaker 2:Negatively at first, so you know you get away with it when you're obviously younger. But I've played video games ever since I can remember Always been into it since just a kid, and that carries on into elementary school, middle school, high school and I was never like overly sized or super heavy, until college really is when it kind of hit and it wasn't like immediate. Yeah, it was like maybe junior sophomore to junior to senior year. It was when it like started to catch up to me the extra calories, start adding on yeah, and it wasn't necessarily like the gaming portion.
Speaker 2:Obviously that's not healthy, but it's the diet that went along with it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's I. It's not the act of playing video games, but traditionally it seems that people that spend a lot of time sitting around you're not snacking on salads, and you know and less movement.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah, virtually zero. And my diet was basically fast food three times a day breakfast, lunch and dinner or some sort of something convenient and easy. And if it wasn't fast food, it was like microwave chicken or hot pockets or pizza, you know yeah kind of exaggerated college life.
Speaker 1:Processed food diet exactly I mean I was there.
Speaker 1:I got up 220-something pounds during college, I remember, because your pants and stuff kind of stretch with you as you're getting thicker. And I remember I had to go buy. I remember at Clear's Day Macy's I had to go buy new jeans. I just needed them. They were finely toast and my standard jean purchase was typically like a 34-34. Go grab a pair of 34s to the dressing room, that shit don't button. Go grab a pair of 36s, head to the dressing room, get it buttoned, but it ain't right tight 38s. I remember it clears day. I put those pants back on the shelf, went and got a gym membership at 24 hour fitness and dropped close to 20 pounds in like three months.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:But that was. That was my college unhealthy growth days, and Cassie's been with me this whole time.
Speaker 2:There you go.
Speaker 1:But, um, that says a lot. Yeah, so I get it in college, the freshmen 15 or whatever it is. It's a man, it's a real thing. It's a real thing. The reason I bring it up is because now Cody is's a real thing, it's a real thing. The reason I bring it up is because now cody is known as one of the fittest people in the gym, constantly putting good scores up on the leaderboard, always willing to do some of the shittiest workouts, always signing up to do crazy events. But now you're 30. This is where a lot of folks in life especially 30, with you know, new marriage, job change, new child. This is a pivot point of life where, like you start seeing you know I'm going to use the word men, your age that dad bod really starts coming in strong and people let their health get away from them. You haven't done that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, bro, I was already fat. You know, like the fuck's a dad bod. You know to me, like I'm not going to already live that life, which I'm thankful for in many ways it sucked in the time because, you know, it was pretty like depressing and sad or whatever. But looking back I'm grateful for it because now I know what direction to not go down. And I think a lot of the people that embrace the dad bod or happens I don't know if they embrace it per se, but they didn't experience that because they were jocks or whatever it may be. They were super athletic, fit, whatever happened in their life, they never experienced it. So then they kind of let themselves go because they didn't live that pain early.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then they seem to and culturally not want to wake up from it. Because the amount of excuses I hear from various people outside the gym I come into contact with, like, oh I don't have time for this, can't do this, this can't do that, but you've managed to find time, like you're no longer quote unquote gym rat, you don't have the gym as your job and you're still making it happen and it's awesome. It's been cool to watch because you haven't even missed a beat and taking care of your health, and I mean lindsey's doing the same thing, taking care of her health and like, and she had a job change also so like you guys both went.
Speaker 1:You've gone through a pretty significant family evolution and you're still making your health as a family priority yeah, so I think there's two parts of that, at least for me, you're holding little homie this weekend at the high Rocks event.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Why.
Speaker 2:Lindsay competed, yep, yep. I guess that's actually a good point. So I was going to say there's two parts for that, at least for me, I think, there's three parts. And so Wyatt being a big inspiration, of course, probably the biggest, but the other two, other than that, is just like that. I I've already lived that life before. I was miserable, sucked. I will never go back to it, and it's just so. I guess that's point number one. And then point number two is just, I love being here and I love being at the gym. I love the community we have. I love seeing everybody, being friends with everyone, talking to everybody. You know it gives me energy to be here. It might feel like shit, I have a terrible day, whatever it may be, but when I walk in the doors I know that it's going to be at least a better hour.
Speaker 1:If.
Speaker 2:I did have a bad day or whatever it is. It at least be a better hour than I had the previous hours during the day, or whatever maybe. And if I had a great day, well, it's not going to be a terrible hour. Yeah, the workout might suck, maybe hard, but it's so rewarding to be done. Yeah, To look back on, oh, the workout that you just did, whatever it may be, and so there's that.
Speaker 2:But I think a lot of it just speaks to the community that you have built. You and Jacob have built you know double-edged fitness in general. And yeah, CrossFit in general has great communities and things. But I can't speak for any other gym because this is the only gym I've ever known CrossFit-wise, because this is the only gym I've ever known CrossFit-wise and I couldn't see myself trying to start over, going to another gym or whatever it may be. All my friends are from Double Edge. Anybody I hang out with is from Double Edge. If I hang out with anybody that's not from Double Edge, it's because they're like a one-off, which is very rare, or like I was friends with them in high school or college or something like that.
Speaker 1:You have a couple of friends that you've been friends for a long time.
Speaker 2:Exactly. But, everybody else, everyone that came to the wedding other than, like some family members, all double-edged members.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:It was pretty stacked with the crew, exactly, and so not only is it coming to the gym and working out and taking care of my health, a lot of it is just like coming and seeing my friends, hanging out with my friends, seeing the coaches, seeing everybody connecting with them, socializing with them, even if the workout looks boring, sucks hard, easy, like we can all do that together, suffer together, cruise together, whatever it may be, and we're having a good time.
Speaker 1:Do you find that obviously there's more stressors in life now? I mean you do have from what I can tell it's a demanding job and kid other responsibilities and stuff. I mean I think it goes without saying working out helps with managing stress. But I also find for me personally and people take this with a grain of salt, because I'm the guy that owns the gym I'm in the gym all the time but you were a coach in that environment, now you're I mean, you're still coach, but you're more a member now than you are a coach that coming in and seeing these people and connecting with the community, like for me it's a big part of my mental health. It just makes me happy and like my day is better. Yeah, I agree.
Speaker 2:Me too, and you know being like looking at it from the member perspective now, like still a coach, but like when I'm in class I will talk to people. Obviously I'm not gonna not talk I'm very social in general, but I step back and I just like kind of hang out while chase is coaching. You know whoever the coach is, and I'm not trying to take the coach mindset and be like, oh, I should, because that's not my role. Yeah, right. So I'm embracing it fully as a member. So if I wasn't a coach, I'm being a member and I'm seeing what it would be like if I had no coaching background or didn't know what it was like to coach and I feel comfortable. So, even if I didn't know the coaching spot, I feel good just being there and like, okay, this is a good spot to be as a member.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you started this whole journey six years ago with zero CrossFit experience.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, zero CrossFit experience.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you started this whole journey six years ago, with zero crossfit experience oh yeah, zero crossfit experience you honestly didn't do a lot of sports growth. Did you do any?
Speaker 2:no, I mean I say no, very, yeah, very, really like no. I played basketball in eighth grade. Okay, I raced a little bit of motocross, but not enough to say that I would talk about it, like with people yeah, so you weren't there.
Speaker 1:Like Carl and Ryan on here, I mean they're the quintessential jocks, if you will. I mean that in the kindest of terms, that they're very athletic, both played college sports and, like, went through high school playing sports, like it was a big deal to them. They embrace CrossFit. But then somebody who had because what I'm getting at is a lot of people have this assumption that crossfit's just for previous athletes. You have to be an elite athlete to do this kind of training. But you came into it and became, I mean, you are really good at crossfit now, but you started with, I mean, zero background in this, like barely touching a barbell outside of some burl lifting yeah, literally that's it.
Speaker 2:I never had done power cleans or anything like that. I did. I took weights junior, excuse me, or senior year, so we back squatted I think, that was probably the only adventure.
Speaker 2:But outside of that, like no, um didn't touch any anything-related or dive into it. I was never anything like that, dude. My fun and my hanging out with the friends was us playing World of Warcraft all night. 2 am hits. We hop in the car, we drive to Jack in the Box, we get like 20 tacos, milkshakes, french, a french bunch of curly fries and we eat that. I thought go back to the house, eat that, play world of warcraft, continue until four or five, go to bed. We're big, wake up and basically repeat so and he's still got straight a's in school.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah I mean, school was easy, like and I don't say that to like no, but you do have a gift.
Speaker 2:like you're very intellectual Well yeah, Thank you, and the whole point I was trying to say, or like so, yeah, basically circling back no, no sports and the minimal like lifting experience. I had only happened for gosh, maybe eight months until I started CrossFit.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because I started in lifting in January of the beginning of 2018. That was like my New Year's resolution. I had just gotten out of a relationship pretty serious relationship with a girl I dated from college. We had broken up and I was like, okay, and I think everyone has thought this If you never have made a fitness change or a health change before, you're like, all right, this is going to be the time I make a change.
Speaker 2:So you can sign up for a gym membership and I've done that three or four times up until that point. I would go for a week and be like, ah, this doesn't work, or this, there's something, it's just me, you know, I'm not meant to do this and then so, any, I did that and lifted for eight months until, yeah, september, september, I guess October, so 10 months until then started CrossFit for that short period, took a couple months off and then didn't really start until that January. So, yeah, no experience. And the experience I had of lifting was following, you know random bodybuildingcom program, classic, back and bys one day, chest and tris, legs and shoulders, abs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, don't knock it, those still work, oh for sure. But one of the biggest things when it comes to training, traditional bodybuilding splits and whatnot is one it's boring and monotonous. It doesn't have the same community vibe, and that's like two key components of why, after all my years in the fitness industry, I've still firmly believed CrossFit. I think its methodology is sound, but because the constantly varied functional movements execute a high intensity component of it all in the community piece it, it facilitates, uh, more consistency because it's not boring and you're doing it with people together and you kind of feed off that.
Speaker 1:And, um, I mean I've done the traditional bodybuilding splits, I still do them, but uh, back in the day, you know, I was just grinding out by myself and that's coming from a pretty heavy sports background, and it's when I found CrossFit and then eventually turned it into the career path. I mean it transformed my life in that, the community and the hard work together, and that's what drew me in more than anything and it's fun. So so, yeah, I mean Cody's got a pretty awesome story and, uh, I just wanted, wanted him to highlight that a little bit because he, he is not your, uh, what do I say? What people think of as you're just like. This is the person that does CrossFit.
Speaker 2:He started with no experience and now he is legitimately one of the fittest people in the gym. Like I got you what by one rep yesterday. Yeah, yeah and that was that was a tough one. Rep dude. I was like like I finished the burpee or something. It's like five seconds. I like even if I walked over to the rower, I'm not getting a calorie yeah, no, I saw that.
Speaker 1:I was like, I saw that one extra calorie I squeezed out paid off today. Heck, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Just real quick to finish that. So cause I hear that from people randomly at times or like mainly when I was coaching would be like like were you a gymnast or did you? What did you play? And when I tell them like no, I was nothing close to that, I did nothing. Like I played video games for my entire life and I used to be fat, everyone that didn't already know that or know they're like they think I'm lying or they're just like shocked. It's just, I mean, it's 100 the truth and just goes to show you know the how well-rounded you can be and what you can gain from a CrossFit program.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's been really cool because I didn't know you right when you started, but somehow I can't remember when. But we connected pretty quickly and, yeah, it's just been awesome to see your whole evolution and being a part of it. The gym.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that. I think the reason why we connected or how we even connected was it always comes back to Alex, which is funny. I appreciate that and I think the reason why we connected or how we even connected, was.
Speaker 1:Uh, it always comes back to.
Speaker 2:Alex, which is funny. But uh, he had showed you 75 hard, that's right. And then you guys all started.
Speaker 1:I think, and then you guys may have already been done at that point.
Speaker 2:And then I hopped on and did it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Cause that was 2019. Cause it did it and that Because it did it. Yep, that is what it was Good old 75 hard days. Classic. So be a new dad, what's?
Speaker 2:that sleep like bro. Oh boy, If the parents are listening, don't hate me, it's been great.
Speaker 1:I was going to ask that you got one of those kids. He's well fed, so he sleeps tight. He's eating good man he's eating good.
Speaker 2:There's some statistics, I guess, that go with that. Like the bigger, heavier babies, they sleep better because they're more full. I don't know exactly what it means or what happens, but he has always slept very well. That's awesome, which is incredible.
Speaker 1:I mean I hate you for it, but I'm very happy for you. I appreciate that. I mean I hate you for it, but I'm very happy for you. I appreciate that.
Speaker 2:Because I just hear the horror stories and I'm like I'm talking to other new parents and they're asking that question too. It's just kind of like a common thing. And the thing is because you, as parents, are trying to find a common ground, because you expect them to say shitty or whatever it is. I'm like oh, me too. They'll ask me that and I'm like I'm sorry, but like it's been great. They're like, and I can't relate hours a night yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:And they're like dude, like she just won't stop crying, like that's them saying, like I can't relate, I'm sorry I mean claire was she, she is, oh, I love that child to death, but uh, I mean she didn't sleep good to four, age four dang like it was constant. I mean me and cassie, back and forth in and out of the room like dude. I mean you probably remember me in some of those days just a constant grind.
Speaker 1:And then when jackson came around, uh, I was just like I ain't doing that shit again. So, uh, cassie, let me do the cry it out deal with him. She had to put earplugs in, go sleep on the couch because she couldn't take it and after like four days he started sleeping pretty good. Now, at this juncture, I mean he's seven, she's nine, I mean little homies in my bed every night, like that's, it is what it is, and I've just come to it's not going to be forever and when it stops you're going to miss it, kind of mindset. And Claire, she sleeps in her own bed now I mean she's nine, so she does pretty darn good, but no sleep finally happening on a consistent level. And I want to say it didn't really start until about two, three years ago. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I think that's got a pretty common story, at least at some some level. Of course he has his moments, but I mean he's only seven months so I can't say like, oh, it was the first couple years of the first couple months. It's just like a kind of a in general, he's doing awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's awesome so that's great because that's a big definitely a big contributing factor to success, if you will, in the gym, or like fitness in the gym and being able to compete or do better in the workouts. If I wasn't sleeping as well, I'm sure my performance wouldn't be as good. I'd still be here, but it would just be a little bit more lacking.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, there's no question, sleep is the number one anabolic thing you can do for your body when it comes to recovery and performance. There's literally nothing better for you than quality sleep, and it's something you know I'm still to this day.
Speaker 1:I mean, I average about seven hours a night which does pretty good, but, um, it's still something that I'm like heavily focused on, like I recently in this week. Um, I'm making a pretty significant increase in my magnesium consumption and tracking it with Whoop and whatnot just to try to level up that sleep to the next level. Pretty much alcohol-free again. I'll have the occasional drink and I'm not like I was back 75 hard days and whatnot, but just because of how negatively it influences your sleep, just because of how negatively it influences your sleep, and it's just not something I'm as willing to sacrifice now that I'm starting to get it again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly when you start to feel good, and then you know what feeling good feels like, and then you're like, well, I could go down this path and not feel good for two, three days, and then you got to start the process over. They say I'm going to butcher it, but there's a saying that basically, like you know, drinking today is just borrowing happiness from tomorrow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so much truth to that. In many ways, mental health, sleep, physical recovery. You know, anxiety is something that I tend to have to deal with and I usually deal with it through training. It's one of my main tools. See, now May is mental health awareness month.
Speaker 1:Yeah, true, on the flip side of that, I ended up going down a path of beating the shit out of myself in the gym and then, if you had bad sleep on top of that, it becomes a recipe for disaster at a certain point. And I found you know I like having drinks. I mean me and you I got you a nice bottle of whiskey when you told me you're moving to a new job. You know I enjoy having drinks with friends. Like, I genuinely enjoy it. Open up a nice bottle, have some drinks. It is something I do find. What do you want to say communal personal value out of? But on the flip side of that, you just say, borrowed from tomorrow, it doesn't matter If I go over. Like one drink is my limit, if I two, three, my next day is not going to be as good, no matter what. And it's pretty shocking because I remember like even when we first opened the gym, there'd be once or twice a week. You know four or five drinks.
Speaker 1:Now all the members want to go out and hang out and, like you, end up going out with them and, as you know, you've been a part of some of these double-edged get-togethers. It's members goal to mess up their coaches. Yeah, come here, derek. Here's another shot, like, and you know it's all fun and whatnot, but at the end of the day there's such little there. Well, there's zero health value in it. Outside of, you know, social fun, like having fun with friends, and I do think there's value in that. But, um, to your point, like I, in the last four or five months it just became less and less and less. To where it's. Like my wife likes to have a drink when we're out fishing and stuff you know whatnot. But that's about it. It's no longer the casual drink here and there, you know, a couple times a week and it has paid dividends. It has paid dividends.
Speaker 2:Yeah, totally I find myself thinking about we may be doing something socially and I'm like, oh man, a beer sounds really good right now, or Jack and Coke or something like that. And then I'm like okay, well, what, what are the outcomes going to be? Here, I can order a drink and I can enjoy it, and then I'm probably going to want another one, and I can enjoy it, and then I'm probably going to want another one, and then you know another one after that, or whatever it may be.
Speaker 2:or I can just order something else that I like. That doesn't have to be alcohol related. I can just have a water, yeah, and you know we're only going to be at this function for two hours. So am I going to order one drink just because I want to have the one, and then I'm going to want another one? So like do I go down that path? Or like even like tempt it, or like we're going to be leaving soon anyway, and then that like craving or the feeling is going to be gone that it's not that big of a deal.
Speaker 2:So then I'll go the other direction. Sometimes I'll choose that that direction. But then you know I will embrace it and know I will be paying for it later or whatever it may be. So the easier it's kind of funny the path of least resistance is actually the the better choice in that, in that one is just pick the easy or the the boring one or whatever it may be, but your body and your mind and everything's going to be thankful for it later, 100%, 100%, you know.
Speaker 1:And for me, having a drink, if we're going to have an alcoholic beverage, you know I like to have a good whiskey or good tequila. You know, something that's you know is meaningful to me, my friend, like we've shared some good whiskeys together and like I enjoy that. But just to go and order a drink at the bar, like it's non-alcoholic these days and I'm telling you the non-alcoholic beer, they have non-alcoholic white claws now. Do you know that?
Speaker 2:I didn't.
Speaker 1:yep, we're in the na section at rayleigh's. Yeah, it tastes just like a white claw non-alcoholic. I can't remember last time I had a white claw with the intention of getting drunk, right, it's just like it's something refreshing on a warm day. Yeah and uh, cause I? There are so many. The non-alcoholic beers are tasting much and much better. I think Sam Adams has an IPA that's pretty darn good. Non-alcoholic, like I'll get home in the evenings, you know, do some yard work or whatever, hang out with the kids and you have an na beer and it still fills that. You know what do you want to say? Habitual habit of like just having something refreshing in the evenings non-alcoholic yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 2:And generally like, at least I don't know if that's for everybody or for you, but like when I, when I drink something like a beer, I I do like the taste of beer, but generally like the goal to be having at least a drink is probably to get a little bit of a buzz, yep, but one beer isn't going to get me buzzed. I don't know if two will, maybe three, but like I don't envision myself drinking three Coors Lights or whatever just to catch that buzz. So it's like, well, I'll have a beer or I'll have the non-alcoholic version to get the, the taste, and probably not going to drink three because well, that gets rid of the whole purpose anyway. Or like the, the buzz chase, yeah, and I don't need to drink three to have the taste. So one's going to be fine. And why not just choose the non-alcoholic version because I'm not going to get buzzed off one either way. So why not go with the option? That's healthier for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, less abrasive and like. My purpose of having drinks is usually the knockoff, the anxiety or the stress of the day or whatever, right it's like. That is the reason most people, I think, throw on a buzz. It's to loosen up, it's to relax, it's to chill out and going down that road the next day my anxiety is higher, slept like shit, anxiety increases and then you repeat, do it again, sleep like shit, anxiety increases and it's just like this snowball effect towards, honestly, alcoholism.
Speaker 1:And yeah, that's I mean mean just a couple drinks a day technically alcoholism and um, putting that in its bucket and replacing it with things that I enjoy, still refreshing and optimize my health, doesn't fuck up my sleep exactly. And uh, yeah, we're on the same page there, pal, on the same page. So since, since all this change and everything, what kind of what do you want to say? Habits, lessons from your life and fitness the last, you know six years has translated into your new job, into being a dad. You know, self-discipline aspects, consistency, uh, lack of immediate gratification. I mean, I think fitness in general teaches, uh, your ability for patience in a society that is driven by immediate gratification in all things. I mean people don't even engage on social media for longer than five seconds. Like everything's like we need it right now, and fitness is the complete opposite of that. What lessons have you think rolled over into all these new chapters of your life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think a good one is that you know the work has to be done, no matter what, and no one's going to do it for you. There's nobody going to come save the day and whatever that means to you, if you're feeling like you're stuck in some regard fitness, financially, mentally, relationships, whatever it may be there's not someone that's going to come and save the day. You have control of whatever issue you are dealing with. And I think a big lesson there is like I need to go to the gym because no one's going to go to the gym for me and I'm not going to just randomly keep everything that I've worked six years for I've already lived the shitty life of woe is me.
Speaker 2:I got here because the path the you know this was the, the cards I was dealt, whatever it may be, not taking responsibility for all my actions up until that point, realizing that I'm not going to go back to that because I know where I am now and compare that to where I was will never happen again. So I think a big lesson is that no one's going to do the work for you. You have to earn it. It's going to take time, right, just like you said, fitness is one of those things that you need the reps in order to get to where you want to be.
Speaker 2:And you know this is six years in the making and, granted, it's not six years to get necessarily to get to a certain spot. You know, I, I would argue I'm probably the fittest I am have ever been now because I'm more well-rounded. I may not be fittest in the sense of, like you know, back when I was coaching I'm here for all day, obviously, but, uh, working out for two to three hours a day, that type of fitness, but I can do things that I couldn't do back then because of the time put in yeah, I mean you built, yeah, exactly exactly building the foundation, right, and so, in summary, knowing that things are going to take time, whatever it may be, if it's not fitness, you know you don't just wake up and things happen.
Speaker 2:You're going to have to build it up to that point fitness, your relationships, a business, your family, whatever it may be. You're gonna have to put some time into it and the more time you put into something generally, the better the outcome is going to have to put some time into it, and the more time you put into something generally, the better the outcome is going to be, or the stronger that foundation is going to be. Yep, so I put six years of building a foundation of health and fitness. I tried to then transfer that over to anything else that I do, right, so I have a marriage now. I have a son now. You know that didn't happen over a day, it happened over me and Lindsey dated for, started dating in 2021.
Speaker 2:We got married in 2023, so a year and a half or whatever it may be, but you know we took the steps necessary to get to that point. It takes time. We have a son now. He's going to be around for my whole life. Right, that's going to take time I work for the company I work for. I plan on being there for however long, long time till the ship goes down or whatever it may be. That's going to take time. Obviously, I'm getting repetitive here, but basically the whole summary I'm trying to say is like good shit takes time and in order to build something successful, have something successful, have something good that you want in your life, it's not just going to happen randomly or tomorrow Right, everything was laid up to this point. Here I am today, here you are today.
Speaker 2:This took, you know, double-edged has been around for 11 years now 11 years now, and that didn't just happen because of groundwork before that. Right, exactly.
Speaker 1:Lots of setbacks, lots of punch in the face and you got to wake up.
Speaker 2:Get the reps in do it all over again get the reps in.
Speaker 1:get the reps in. You know, fitness just translates to so many things in life outside of fitness. It's just because of the monotony, because of the effort, as I saw this meme or quote this guy put out a couple weeks ago. It was like the flex nowadays, in your 40s and 50s, is your health, if you're fit, healthy, capable 40 or 50 year old person like that's the flex, not the big house, not the expensive car, not. You know this, that it's like if you have your health at this age and cause. That takes work, that takes consistency, it takes saying no to a lot of things. That is very socially acceptable.
Speaker 1:Now you know, in our society it is very socially acceptable to be unhealthy. Saw this other statistic that the average man in our country can't run a mile without stopping. Wow, yeah, a mile Can't do 10 pushups. The average man in our country can't do 10 pushups. Like that just blows my mind. But we do unfortunately live in a culture where that is socially acceptable. So to break away from that, you know we are the outcast now and um the work ethic that is required to maintain your health in the gym.
Speaker 1:I've never seen a person take care of their health and not excel in other areas, if not every single area, of their life. Now, yes, if you're spending four or five hours a day in the gym training and you're neglecting your job because of training and neglecting your spouse and your kids, like hey, I'm not going to your soccer game because I got to work out, like obviously these plays have their bucket, but even me, being a gym rat, I work out an hour to an hour 20 minutes a day. I mean, you work out what an hour Hour a day? Just group class every day. Yeah, so it's like to be a extraordinarily fit human being. It takes a daily, consistent dose of self-discipline for a long period of time and those habits built in that it just. I, like I said, I haven't seen anybody who takes care of their health and fitness. They're not. They're typically striving very well in all aspects of their life, professionally, personally, and I see it just translates yeah, well, and it's a good thing to always reference back to.
Speaker 2:You know we say the word reps. You need the reps. Repetition, right? Is you know that's short for reps are short for repetition. Generally, that means you're doing like the same thing over and over again. Well, we talk about it in sales industry all the time, like but it applies to everything, but it's a big thing. Like you're going to suck at something until you get the reps in and you just have to do it over and over and over again. When you first walk into a gym, you're probably going to suck at whatever lift you're doing, whatever movement you're doing, until you do it. When you start a new job, you're probably going to suck at it. When you start podcasting, you're probably going to suck at it, whatever it may be, until you get the reps in.
Speaker 1:And nobody goes into the first time of doing anything and do it well.
Speaker 2:And if they did do it well, well, their well sucks compared to what their potential Exactly. Because if they can do it well, they're just natural at it. But that means their ceiling is so much more higher than somebody who didn't necessarily do it well the first time, because they're just going to be great at it and they have a higher ceiling to reach.
Speaker 1:And traditionally, looking at successful people, the people that weren't gifted, that had to put in the reps, end up being more successful. You know, because you know the people that are gifted, the second it gets hard, typically give up, you know, and they hit a personal what do you want to say ceiling whereas the people that weren't gifted and have to keep coming back, putting their nose to the grindstone, nose to the grindstone certain point they break through, and Alex Ramosi talks about that a lot. It's like putting in the reps, keep doing it. So that's awesome, man, love it. So obviously you're still in the CrossFit, but you're slaying something that I'm not very good at, nor do I like. You're slaying running.
Speaker 2:Define slaying.
Speaker 1:What was your two-mile time?
Speaker 2:12.50 something or the other, you're 6 630 miles.
Speaker 1:This is just somebody that does group class. Now you're added in running because you have a new running goal to accomplish. You just did pretty damn good in your first half marathon and talk to us. Tell me a little bit about where this goal came from, why you're taking up running right now as um, I guess just a focus for a moment.
Speaker 2:Sure, yeah. So I well I'll say, I haven't taken up running or made it a new goal per se.
Speaker 1:Um, they didn't quit crossfit to run. Yeah, not at all.
Speaker 2:And in in that same regard. I didn't start running more to get better at running or to do the half marathon thing. It all just kind of happened randomly. Um, I've always enjoyed running, and I don't I don't know if enjoyed is even the right term, but I've like.
Speaker 1:I've known.
Speaker 2:I've known that I true, when I run I feel like kind of comfortable. I guess is what I'm saying. I'm not like this fucking sucks. I hate this. Until I did the half marathon or until I did the two mile for time. That's the first two times I felt that way yeah, but those were maximal efforts.
Speaker 1:I don't care what you're doing, even if you enjoy it. I'm really good at biking and I enjoy it but let me tell you that five minute time, that five minute test, was awful and I I have zero desire. I don't even know if I'm going to do it in three months.
Speaker 2:It was awful for me, you did 40 more calories than I did, but anyhow, backing up to that was so, yeah, like, uh, honestly, it was just cause we started running a more, a little bit more in group class and I've always, like I said I was, I'm pretty comfortable when we run or when I run, whatever it may be, and I just I mean you, you know me, whenever something comes along that sounds like a fun challenge or a cool challenge or somebody asked me to do it, it doesn't even have to be like you don't really have to sell me on it, you just asked me to do this and if it's like a sure, you know, I send it. Um, go full, full, send all in. And we started running more in class and I don't remember the first. I think the first thing was the two mile run, but it was kind of like a hand in hand thing. So rachel lindsey's mom was doing the 10k, okay, for the reno's biggest little half they were 5k, 10k or a half marathon, her and travis.
Speaker 2:So lindsey's parents were going to. She Rachel was going to do the 10 K, travis wouldn't do the five K. We went over there one night and they were talking about doing it and I was like, oh, what else do they have in there? I've already done a five K to the Turkey trot two or three times. Also that was on a whim Talk about that in a sec and so I've already done a five K and so I've already done a 5K.
Speaker 2:Don't want to do another 5K. I don't care about that 10K. My mind's like it's just a little bit longer If I can do a 5K at this pace. Like I wanted to go full send, but not like complete full send, because I'm not that stupid. If there was a marathon, like it would have been tempting, but I know that I shouldn't do that and I've ran like 10 to 11 miles, maybe once or twice, actually during COVID, um. So I was like I have the capacity now to run 13.1 for a half marathon. She said, yeah, there's a half marathon.
Speaker 2:I was like, well, why don't we all do it as a family, like I'm in? Lindsay hates running. But I was like, well, we're all doing something. You got to do this. So she did the five, got her into the five K. We have travis and lindsey doing the 5k, rachel doing the 10k, me sign up for the half. It was like this whole family like affair. It was really cool. So we signed up. This is like back in february. 5k was in april. Sorry, a half marathon was in april. So I like two months to train. Well, little, not little. I mean, I talked about it but when I'm on my post I didn't train for it. I ran maybe five times up to this, up to up to it. I didn't have proper running shoes. I'm running in fronings. My, my name.
Speaker 1:You're running in nanos, yeah oh, running in nanos.
Speaker 2:Longest run I did was an eight, was eight mile. I did an eight miler in my nanos, just around the neighborhood, and it was one of these things like I was like I should probably start running a little bit more. Like I've got a good foundation with crossfit. I could probably just do the half marathon on a whim. But is my goal, where's my goal going to be? And if I, if I just hopped into it, I knew I'd let myself down because I have certain metrics that I wanted to hit. Yeah, so anyhow, ran eight miles in fronings. My, I shit you not. I barely could walk the next two days. My knees were all messed up, ankles were very swollen, blisters on my heels, so I don't have proper running shoes. Lindsay, um, lindsay's parents saved the day. They bought me a pair of a Hoka Mach twos. Those changed my life with running. But anyhow, the whole point of what I'm getting at is and fast forwarding is I didn't really train running While that's happening, I ran that eight miles. I did five miles on the Assault Runner right here.
Speaker 1:That's a grind in itself. Yeah, a grind.
Speaker 2:And I was like so in my mind, I was basically trying to see where my capacity was going to be. I was like, if I can do eight miles and not running shoes, if I can do five miles on the assault runner, I could probably do 13.1 miles and be like fine. So I ran a couple of times here and there and then, while that's happening, we did like the two mile test within the next couple of weeks. I was like well, I'm signed up for the half marathon. Yeah, this is a two mile for time, so it's a full out send, but I'm all about full out sending it. A two mile for time, so it's a full out send, but I'm I'm all about full out sending it. And I knew that I had run a one mile for time at 6, 35 or something back in when I first started crossfit, actually in 2019. So I was like let's just see what happens, let's see if I can mirror that for a second mile. So nervous as shit.
Speaker 2:There was like four of us in class that day and I chose to do laps, which was a mistake in hindsight because it was so bad. And I was in class that day and I chose to do laps, which was a mistake in hindsight because it was so bad and I was in such pain. I think I did my first uh, first mile, like 620 or something like that, and chase is out there tracking. I have it on my watch. But, um, obviously not everybody had a watch. But he's like watching my time and giving me pace updates. He's like all right, 125, good job, first lap, whatever, you know, 250, whatever it is, I think I. So I got three laps in. I'm like this fucking sucks, I'm gonna quit. But then that happens to me all the time in workouts. I'm like why am I here? This is terrible I don't want to do this anymore.
Speaker 2:I'm not coming back on three laps in, but I'm like I'm done, I'm just gonna do a mile and I'm gonna tell chase I'm done. But then I'm like if I do that, he knows that I just gave up and I quit. And he's going to be like why I have to come up with some excuse or just like, well, I failed, I'm not going to tell him that. And he's like cheering me on. And then so I do my mile and he's like you know 630 or whatever. It was terrible. So there's the, there's that. And then so I was like well, I did that, goal accomplished. I didn't. My goal was to be under 13 because I could do a 630 miles. Let's see if I can keep 630 twice or a little bit faster.
Speaker 2:Half marathon comes around. Didn't run anymore up until that point. So I think I ran five times here and there, the two mile being one of the runs, the eight mile, the five mile on the assault runner. I did another two miles on the assault runner at south, maybe four, four or five, and I knew that an eight mile pace is like easy for me. I don't know about it for 13.1 miles, because I never ran that long for in that pace.
Speaker 2:But, like when we do murph, like I'm somewhere in the 830s with a vest after doing 100, 200, 300, I'm like I could probably hold an eight. But I'm somewhere in the eight, eight, thirties with a vest after doing a hundred, 200, 300. I'm like I could probably hold an eight, but I'm like also, that's too. I think that's too slow for me. I feel like I could, I could. If I did that, I like might let myself down. So my goal in my head was under an hour 45, which is let's see if I can push a little bit. So half marathon comes up. Two Saturdays ago weather was terrible. You know you did the tactical games in it. I'm sure I was ten times more awful for you and Wes because you guys are in the mud and shit.
Speaker 1:At least it was just rain, but you know snowing and obviously you know there's like sideways ice coming in awful but I'm like well, I'm not quitting or I'm not going to not do it.
Speaker 2:We're here and I'm not going to also use the excuse like oh well, if it was sunny, I'm going to use it Like if I don't run my pace it's because it was raining or because it was wet. I was like no, that's not who I am. So I just sent it and 3, 2, 1,.
Speaker 2:Go, put my, put my headphones in start running, get through like the whole pack, because I mean that thing was sold out which I guess was kind of unheard of, at least for that half marathon, because there were people that like were trying to get last minute tickets and it's like, oh, we're sold out. There was like 700 people signed up for just the half alone and then a couple hundred here and there for the 5k, 10k. So I get through the pack. I look down on my watch it's like 8 30. I'm like okay, well, it's got to catch up a little bit, because I started off slow. And then I'm like hovering around a 7, 45, 750. I'm like all right, well, this feels pretty good. So let's just see what happens mile two, mile three, mile four, mile five, still around that same pace. And then I hit mile halfway. So we went through, went down aisle all the way to mayberry park, yep, and then like the like patagonia building and everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right there the uh warehouses is the word I was looking for. That's like the halfway turned around. I'm like, well, I'm halfway, I kept this pace. That's when it set in. I was like this sucks. This is hard now and I'm like I have to do this again or I have to, you know, mirror my efforts up until this point.
Speaker 2:But you just one foot in front of the other and there's, like this, something monotonous and mental grind that I've learned about running through. That is that it's just like. You know, the first couple of miles aren't so bad, like, well, the first mile or two suck because your heart rate's going basically from, you know, zero to 100. Like, and what I mean by that is 80 to 180. Right, then you settle in first and then, uh, so mile two through six is like pretty comfortable because, like, you're kind of accustomed to it and you're settled in. But then miles like six through nine suck because that's like the effort, the pain, because then you're almost done, like, and there's some leeway here and there. But basically I was like suck, not too bad, suck, you're done almost like you know, like a three-round workout first round, you're fresh.
Speaker 2:Second round's terrible. Third round, you're almost done. Same type of deal. So, anywho, I just kept on running and I'm like, well, if I'm running a 745 pace, like, at least that means the next mile is only going to be seven minutes and 45 seconds long. That's pretty quick, like that's three songs or whatever it is. And so if you can like just trick yourself and trick your mind into things like that, or catch yourself being distracted looking at something and you're like, oh, 40 seconds went by Cause I was looking at that tree, or like you're watching someone in front of you, whatever it may be, you just trick your mind and you're like, this sucks, but we're going to get it done.
Speaker 2:And before I knew it, I was like at mile 11 and I'm like, oh, and my watch died too, so I lost my pace. But there was this lady in front of me and we were like pretty much the same. And I was like, well, as long as I just keep her within this same distance, like I don't think she's gonna slow up, watch died. So I was like, well, I just gotta send it now. So then I like, oh, I'm almost done so I sent it. I passed her um and then I think I my last mile. Mile and a half was like a 720 but finished and then I beat my goal so I crossed the line it's like hour 41 and I was like awesome. So I didn't know my pace up until that point. I know it was like around the 750, 745, 750, but I was like, as long as there's keep it here, we're're good. And then I was like well, I did better than the eight-minute pace and I felt accomplished.
Speaker 1:Oh, you crushed it.
Speaker 2:I'm just curious what was your fueling like in the morning. So a couple years ago code would say nothing or like a C4. I'm a little bit smarter than that now. I still like my C4s, but it wasn't anything crazy. I had an English muffin with peanut butter, some grapes and a protein bar.
Speaker 1:So in that first hour you probably went through close to 100 grams of carbohydrate.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:So different day, different topic I actually got to meet with Alyssa about this but proper fueling and training your body for fueling for these over one hour events it actually does matter. So like when you brought up around six, seven, eight, where you start, kind of it gets punched in the face.
Speaker 1:It gets shitty. But that's where some of like the glues and the honey things, quick-absorbing carbohydrates, kind of like 30 minutes, and you obviously do this in training first. You don't want the first day you consume these things quick absorbing carbohydrates, kind of like 30 minutes, and you obviously do this in training first. You don't want the first day you consume these things you shit your pants while you're running. But really in these endurance events that are going an hour and beyond, we're going to burn through our stored glycogen and if we're not replenishing that proactively, you get punched in the face. So basically, your last four miles was just pure willpower, the fact that you're able to pick up pace in such a caloric deficit. At that point your liver's not converting glucose fast enough, so you're like literally living off lactate and willpower.
Speaker 1:Yeah that was built here, that badass I mean it is. It's not. It's not the the healthiest way to necessarily compete and train, but it builds the mental muscle and it. It exposes what your body and mind are truly capable of, because a lot of times you know most people, society, like they have no clue what their body is physically capable of, because, yeah, your couple of grapes and English muffin you don't have. You just, you don't have enough stored glycogen and your liver's not going to convert fatty acids into glucose fast enough. That was pure willpower.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I didn't want to overdo it, so I didn't eat too much.
Speaker 1:but I also was like I can't have nothing now, that's something, and that's like that's where carb loading strategically up to an event and this is all stuff. Like I said, you do not do this your first event. You need to do this in training. You know, on your eight mile runs you start playing with carbohydrate intake and every a hundred is a generic number but it could be anywhere from 60 grams, 200 grams, depending on body size and this and that, and then what your training threshold is up to that point. You know, some people are running seven minute miles at a 140 heart rate. That's a hell of a lot different than me at a seven minute mile, which is a 185 heart rate.
Speaker 1:Uh, different training capacities, your ability, your metabolic flexibility, if you will, when it comes to metabolizing free fatty acids and all these things. But, uh, if you have the inclination to grow in these ultra endurance events, we can sit down and chat about the fueling side of these and cause you you're good at it, like you said, running it it's not, it feels it's not a burden to you if you will and you're good at it. Like you said, running it it's not, it feels it's not a burden to you if you will and you're good at it, like, obviously. Yeah, you pulled this out with minimal training and just basic crossfit foundation fitness right, and it's awesome. So if you do get the itch, uh, there are things there that we could tinker with when it comes to fueling, that would. Are things there that we could tinker with when it comes to fueling, that would probably shave more time off that. But on the flip side of that uh, doing it properly, it makes the next day not as awful for sure um yeah, that's badass, thank you.
Speaker 2:Part of me says like I'm a one and done, like I did something hard, but the other part of me is like, well, I have tasted a 13.1.
Speaker 1:What's a 26 taste like you know, and then, what's a 50 right and what's a goggins hundreds like?
Speaker 2:fuck. Do I want to go down that path?
Speaker 2:I don't know, because I was pretty miserable, granted, like I didn't train, like we're saying so it's cool to see what you're capable of with just an hour a day of fitness yeah, exactly, and that's what I was going to get to is just, you know, that just speaks to what a testament a crossfit program is, and double edge fitness is the one I go off of, because here I am and I'm here for an hour a day doing the same stuff every normal member does. Now I may have a different foundation built up because of the previous training and I've been here for a good amount of time, but there's people who've been here longer than me, people who train here longer than me, whatever it is, and I didn't do anything extra other than those couple of runs.
Speaker 1:I mean that's what appeals to me about this lifestyle of training is it makes you generally physically prepared to do a lot of things. Pick up heavy things, move somewhere fast, like sign up for half marathon with minimal training and not just complete it right, there's a lot of people that go out to these events and just complete it. Check the box you performed, um, and that's what you know. I tell people like my fitness identity is being slightly above average at a lot of things. You want to go on a hike? Cool. You want to suffer for 24 hours? Cool. You need, you know, you need to pick up this heavy thing and move it from there to there to wake up with a work capacity, to be able to go and enjoy all these other things.
Speaker 1:I think, outside of obviously great metabolic health and you're, you know preventing cancer and you know type two diabetes and all these other things that come with you know great fitness, it is that ability to do things. You know playing with your kids, like playing soccer at Jackson's um, little soccer practices. Like a lot of people my age and younger struggle doing that stuff. It's very sad and I mean it's just cool to see your general physical preparedness translated. I mean, it took your natural ability of running you do have some natural ability there, no question and crushed that, that's freaking awesome. So I just got some running shoes too. God Nice, they're so ugly now yeah.
Speaker 2:They're all thick, really bouncy.
Speaker 1:I used AI because every time I go in I haven't been in one in a minute, but last time I went and kind of looked for running shoes. So my cousin I come from a family of runners I don't know if you knew that diehard runners my aunts they grew up running very competitively nationally and my mom. So I come from a household culture of like, if you don't run, it's impossible for you to be fit that's ironic, knowing jacob I mean, and me to a degree.
Speaker 1:I mean I'm not a huge fan of it. I get its purpose. I think it is natural for the human body. I'm not a huge fan of it. I get its purpose. I think it is natural for the human body. I'm not one of those like running's unhealthy. You know running wrong is unhealthy, but it's not something like I.
Speaker 1:Running was a tool for me to condition for wrestling, but prior to me finding wrestling like my family, it was like they tried to get me to cross country track and this and that, and I fucking hated it, did not. And this and that and I fucking hated it, did not enjoy it at all. Um, I can't remember one single time in my life where I went running and was like that was that was great, that's a great run. Today I really enjoyed that. No, like I like it being a part of a physical fitness program. But in my mind it's like, okay, this is helping me do better at these other things. But because I'm doing the RTO and whatnot, I haven't really been in the running shoe market. I run in CrossFit shoes when we do our running like you do. I haven't done eight miles in a really long time. Last time I got a hair up my ass to train for a marathon because it's I don't know, one of those checkbox things. Maybe it doesn't appeal to my heart a whole lot, outside of the fact that I hate running so much. I feel like I need to face that. But anyway, started trying to look around at all the new running shoes. People are wearing this and that.
Speaker 1:So I used AI. I put in my weight, my muscle, my body fat percentage, how much I train. I put in my you know my weight, my muscle, my body fat percentage, how much I train. I put in my strength metrics. I described how I don't like running. What's uncomfortable when I run? Like my back it's. It lights me up just as much as like. Honestly, running lights up my back more than long endurance, rowing, and it's probably also has to do with I row more than that. But those of you guys don't know, I have disc problems at l5, s1, l4, l5, and I've had those for quite a few years. So when I do run it's something that's like even that two mile test. It's like two days later like I still was feeling my spine. I'm running with the weight vest smokes me and um, so I put all this stuff into ai and all right. What running shoes should I get? And it uh suggested the ultra um odyssey twos.
Speaker 1:Pull these things up, man yeah, they're like they look massive, they get delivered today oh shit, you know how, yeah, okay so it's gonna be interesting because you got the hokas and you said it was completely obviously different than running in nanos, which I have to imagine. So I'm hoping I have kind of that euphoric moment to where, when I do my 15 minute jog this afternoon, it's like oh, this is much better I think it will, because I never really like believed in them I was like I mean like, yeah, they make them, they're lighter, they're more comfortable, whatever it is, but it's like, how much different can it be?
Speaker 2:And then I did. I did a 5k when I first got those. Oh, that'd been my fifth run, so, or sorry, I did a. Yeah, I did a 5k when I first got the shoes, just to try them out, and I I increased my. I did a a casual 5k around the neighborhood at like seven, 30. Wow, I was like oh, wow.
Speaker 1:Well, like I'm sure I had the capacity and the fitness to do this, but this wouldn't have been possible with the shoes I was in, just because of the pain going through yeah, and I think because, yeah, my knees, my hips, back, starts bothering me and like I've done the pose running, so I'm a I'm actually to some people's surprise, I'm actually a certified pose running coach. Like I get the mechanics and no, granted, I can't sit here and say I put in the work on the drills and the mechanics, but in my mind, like I can, I feel like I'm I'm not reaching and heel striking and doing these traditional running errors that would cause these pains. I mean to me one. I think it's because I don't run very often. My joints just aren't used to it and I think there is an element to that. You need to put in miles to get your joints acclimated. My joints are very acclimated to what we do in class. But don't run a lot. You've got to put in the reps. I'm going to be giving these a try today, right on.
Speaker 2:I think they'll change your running life.
Speaker 1:I don't think it'll make me fall in love with running, but, um, I do get what do you want to say? Discouraged or frustrated with myself is running and wall walks, handstand walking are the three biggest holes in my general physical preparedness identity of being slightly above average at everything, of being slightly above average at everything. Those are three lagging holes that you know out of my fun for fitness, do want to improve upon.
Speaker 2:Well, this will knock out one of those holes, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah we'll give it a whirl. We'll give it a whirl. Yeah, so bud, gone over a lot here. What do you think what time you got to get back to work real quick? No, I'm good, I've got over a lot here. What do you think? What time do you got?
Speaker 2:to get back to work real quick. No, I'm good, I've got time.
Speaker 1:I was just looking at what time it was. I know I appreciate you coming in midday, though, because I do know you have a job.
Speaker 2:You work right behind us.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I got time though, what do you think of CrossFit these?
Speaker 2:days. As far as the sport of CrossFit, like the, like the competitive part, yeah, I think it's gone a lot of different directions. Well, I know it's gone a lot of different directions. I'm a little bit torn on it. I mean, I'll still always, I'll always back it and I will always believe in it. I love it. You know it's changed my life, yeah, but as far as like the CrossFit games and like the competitive aspect of it, it's's like, it's just I think it's just weird the different directions. And now you have, like the wfp, world fitness project it's like coming in to like try to like take some of the crowd share type deal.
Speaker 2:And so now we have like two competing aspects, which I think is good. Right, like you don't have like necessarily a monopoly of crossfit or whatever it is. Now you kind of have another avenue. I guess high rocks would be like another thing that people could argue like, oh, you have this, take in the market, share whatever, but like nothing will ever replace crossfit, right, crossfit was or is successful because of the results of that it produces within the community and we are all walking embodiments of that. And so while you have high rocks, you have the WFP. Well, what do those all have in common with CrossFit? Well, they're stealing or borrowing CrossFit-based movements. You're doing a high rocks with a lot of it's like CrossFit with a lot of running, but you're doing wall balls it's a CrossFit movement.
Speaker 1:I mean CrossFit isfit is all encompassing in work capacity, right, right, it's. It's just crossfit is the name that, greg glassman, you know we want to say trademark to describe um, work capacity about broad, broad, broad, broad domains of fitness, being a well-rounded, healthy, capable human being. So, in theory, right, whether it be High Rocks, world Fitness Project, these are all just tests of fitness, if you will. But CrossFit, at its core, started to get rid of metabolic disease, to get rid of metabolic disease and in that process of testing and having benchmarks and tracking growth, by nature it became competitive, which turned into a bunch of CrossFitters thrown down at a random ranch in California where it first started for fun and then it grew into a more competitive, I guess sport-like element where a lot of people in society they don't get this.
Speaker 1:But there's two identities to the same word. There's CrossFit and health, physical preparedness, being healthy, being fit and just feeling good as a human being. And then there's what had become, come now is the sport of competing at fitness, and it's two completely different things, although there's overlap in movements, but it's and I let you finish but that's why I feel that there's the big divides coming right now and it needs CrossFit needs an identity. That is not sport, that is health.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think a lot of it you know stems back to just like all the different changes with CrossFit, like Glassman stepping down or you know he's basically not there anymore. And then you have all the different ceos or whatever they are, of the games the committee. Castro gets fired, gets rehired, like they don't even. I don't think they even know what their identity is. If you ask them what they, what their aim is, they're gonna say well, we're gonna crown the fittest man and the fittest woman. But other than that, it's like okay, what does that mean for affiliates or general everyday users? They probably don't have a straight answer. They might come up with something. But, that being said, I think the sport part of it is a good thing and I think it's necessary to have at least some component of it, because without that, at least speaking for myself, without some sort of competitive aspect, I wouldn't be as fit as I am now.
Speaker 2:Leaderboard creates intensity, we all know that, and intensity is good. More times than not it's probably good. But without the intensity, am I going to be trying as hard as I am to beat you yesterday, like one rep, if I didn't know your score, if, like we didn't have scores really easy to just go into that workout. Yeah, it's still push, still create intensity, but you don't have a goal to shoot for or whatever it may be, and then you don't have to, you don't have anywhere to log it to. Then you know and logging it is there's two different ways to or you're getting two things from logging at one. You're logging it for your own good or whatever it is to reference, but also like kind of showing everybody where you were. Yeah, and I take pride in logging it to see where I was, but also to show how well I did for that day or how bad I did for that day.
Speaker 2:And that's a rule that I have is you have to post your score no matter what, like even if it was shitty or really good, but so anyway, without like the leaderboard and not showing that it's really easy to come in and sandbag it a bit more. So I think you do need some competitive edge to a competitive aspect and have the sport. But you know that also depends on the user. Not everybody cares about snatching this heavy weight. Not everybody cares about running two miles for time. Then that's totally fine, but without sort of and you don't even have to log your score. Maybe you just don't care, but, like you should like, have a little bit of care in your own regard. That way you are getting your max intensity.
Speaker 1:That your, you know your potential is like allowing you to get what you're capable of. At the end of the day, results aren't going to happen without progressive overload. So if you're not progressing, that's where CrossFit has the benchmarks, has the metrics. That's why we do track and log scores and test workouts and be on one rep maxes. One rep max has been a part of training forever and periodization principles are built off of, you know, percentage training and stuff built off of what's your best effort back off, build up training and capacity, retest, improve back off, and it's just like this undulating scale that keeps building over time. And you know CrossFit took that and applied it to metabolic conditioning. You know we're going to time these workouts, this work capacity, and we're going to retest it and you get fitter and you get fitter and you get fitter and in doing that you get fitter right, if you don't test it, you don't have a benchmark to test against. Well, progress is then driven by, basically, I guess, emotion, which subjective feelings. You're not always going to progress off of feelings. You need hard data and that's where CrossFit excels at, because intensity drives results and oftentimes, you know, there's people.
Speaker 1:I mean I value a lot of what Marcus Philly says in the fitness space? I do. But he also goes hard on CrossFit, breaking your body, and I will. I get where it resonates from. But the wrong person, not understanding the lens of where he speaks from being a games athlete, can misconstrue everyday training as it different from the competitive athlete side.
Speaker 1:And I will say that too much intensity is a bad thing. If, every single day in the gym, you're flopping around on the ground not recovering into the next workout, that is a recipe for disaster. And but if you're never doing that, if you're never pushing intensities, you're never pushing your efforts. You're, you're never doing that. If you're never pushing intensities, you're never pushing your efforts, you're. You're never gonna really improve.
Speaker 1:And I can tell you right now there's no way I would be as fit as I am without the community around me, because I feed off all you guys and one of my big drivers to get the score score in at the first time of the day is to set a standard for it to be beat. Um that, not just set a low. Like I give it a good effort every single. I don't. I've told you this. I don't full send every single day anymore because I simply don't recover from it. I could do in my 20s. Life's a little different now, but I give it a good effort every day and I think you guys know when I do full send it um my test was one of them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, uh, but that took me two days to feel normal from again. So yeah.
Speaker 1:I think CrossFit as a whole is still the best. And, as always, you know, through the lens of the gym owner, the guy that owns a CrossFit gym. And blah, blah, blah, blah, through the lens of the gym owner, the guy that owns a CrossFit gym, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Take it for what you will, believe me or don't believe me, audience. But if I truly in my heart didn't believe it was the best way to achieve health, wellness and optimal performance because all those things go hand in hand I would train differently, like. My purpose in training now isn't to compete at fitness anymore, it's to compete, being the best version of myself and the healthiest version of myself. So I find that still to be the best way. And getting out there, getting after it with people, it works?
Speaker 2:Yeah for sure. And you know we follow a well-rounded CrossFit program. You're going to get a well-balanced person, well-rounded person. Yeah, they're going to maybe be better at something and worse at some things, but just like you said and just like what CrossFit believes in, you know, we're not going to be exceptional at one thing, we're going to be pretty good, decent at everything. At least that's the goal.
Speaker 1:And I think you brought up high rocks and these other events. Like you't, a High Rocks athlete only isn't going to go and win or compete at the CrossFit Games, Right, but it seems that the top CrossFit Games athletes are doing pretty damn good at the High Rocks and the Spartan races and various other those domains.
Speaker 2:Well, we're seeing the data that you know Glassman and all the OG crossfit founders talked about. When you know you have a hopper and you spin the hopper, ball pops out. You know it's all the different workouts ball pops out, fran for time. You have three athletes you have a power lifter, you have a marathon runner and you have a crossfitter fran pops out. Okay, well, let's rank who's gonna win that? Crossfitter wins for sure.
Speaker 2:Toss up between the power lifter and the marathon runner. We'll say power lifter gets second because the barbell is too heavy for the the marathon runner. Okay, do that once. Next, one back squat max. Well, we know the marathon runner is not back squatting anything heavier than the power lifter and the crossfitter kind of power lifter probably wins that. But like, maybe you have an insane crossfit strength but probably not. So we'll say power lifter gets first, crossfitter gets second. Marathon runner gets third out. Pops out 5k for time.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, we know the power lifter is not winning that. And again, maybe it's a toss-up between the crossfitter and the Marathon Runner on who gets first. We'll give it to the Marathon Runner because that's what they do. They get first, crossfitter gets second, powerlifter gets third. Insert X workout here Power cleans and toes to bar. Crossfitter wins that Toss-up between the Powerlifter and Marathon Runner. You keep on doing this and you see CrossFitter first and second, first and second. First and second, consistently. Probably never a third, and even if there was, it's like a far and few between, I don't even, but you're always going to see second and or sorry, first, third, first, third, first, third or second, third, second, third, second, third between the marathon runner and the power lifter. And we're seeing that just like you bring up with high rocks, right, none of those high rocks athletes. Hunter mcintyre went to the crossfit games in shoot I don't know.
Speaker 2:He's gone first day yep, first day he's gone super fit basically I don't even think he qualified.
Speaker 1:He's like invited.
Speaker 2:It was an invite, yeah it was an invite thing to like promote it. And then he lost in or got you know, wasn't in the cut line, super fit human in his domain and nothing to take away from him. Obviously dominates high rocks world. But then you throw him in the crossfit setting, not so much or the elite, crossfit you know he'd come in and smoke us, I'm sure, or whatever it may be in some things right.
Speaker 2:So we're seeing that data now happen where maybe we never saw it before because these things didn't exist. So it's really cool to look back and if you know, you know the story of the hopper, like I'm saying like oh, wow, this was like very profound, and now we're seeing it here 15, 20 years later and like it makes sense on paper, but now we like have true evidence and true data.
Speaker 1:That's like it's true yep, no, and I still believe it's one of the best foundations for just general fitness for so many things. Sports, I mean, I'm still. I'm in the camp that cross. It doesn't necessarily make you more athletic. It gives you the foundation to go, participate in sports, to become more athletic. Right, you know it is a general strength and conditioning fitness program. At this juncture in my life, being 40, it's purely my tool for optimal physical health and wellness, my long-term longevity, if you will, and with that, having great strength, great aerobic and anaerobic capacity is going to lend its way towards being a badass 80 year old, provided I don't slip in, break my neck in the shower or something like that.
Speaker 2:You know that was inevitable. If that's going to happen anyway, Can't live that way. Exactly If that was going to happen.
Speaker 1:That was going to happen, so yeah, I just me seeing CrossFit as a business, being an affiliate owner and so forth. I do like the trajectory of CrossFit being very focused on society's health and fitness and I still like seeing all the different sporting events and you know CrossFit games, world Fitness Project and High Rocks and whatever else is going to pop up and what you're going to see. Anything else that pops up is CrossFit athletes. You know they're going to go and participate in these things very well and I still believe it builds one of the best foundations of fitness to go and do awesome other things 100%.
Speaker 2:I mean, we talked about the half marathon that I did. Right, like, flip those roles. You have a marathon runner. These guys are running 5, 30s. They're lapping me on the way, not laughing me, but they're coming back already past halfway, like when I'm at the mile four. Right, you tell them to sign up for a crossfit competition, they're like what, why would I do that? That's not something I know how to do because they don't train that. But we run a little bit, we do all these other things. We can go do a half marathon. You can sign up for the RTO, you can do the tactical games, whatever it may be, you can go do that thing. Yeah, you may not win or dominate, but you're going to do fairly well for yourself and compete and have a good time because you trained all encompassing Yep and it's just fun, like not only the to be able to enter and do those things, but to come in and every day be unique have variety to it.
Speaker 2:We're not doing a back and buys four by four blah, blah, blah, blah type of thing. Totally fine to do that, but I don't know. You just get. I got bored of it.
Speaker 1:I think that's, that's yeah. Like I said earlier, when we're talking, it's the, the lack of boredom and always being able to improve some area of my fitness. It keeps it from getting bored, and the most successful fitness program for anybody is the one they stick to, Right? So if there's not consistency, it doesn't matter what fitness program you take, it's not going to be successful, no matter what. And that's where I find the training style, the community, the coaching, all those things coming together. How we do it in the gym and many other affiliates do it breeds success because it's fun to keep consistent. It's cliche, but it becomes the best hour of your day and people just keep. I mean mean 11 years of double edge. I just see people that have been here 11 years still getting fitter, still doing cool things like it's pretty freaking awesome yeah, and they show up every day.
Speaker 2:You know, the fittest people here are the ones that show up every day. Yeah, they may complain about the workout, or like moan and complain, but they still do it.
Speaker 1:And what's funny is the people that have been here the longest honestly, at this juncture, complain about programming the least, because they're walking testaments to it working Right. It just well. I keep getting fitter, I keep getting healthier.
Speaker 2:Something's happening here.
Speaker 1:I'm 10 years older and I'm doing I mean more cool stuff now than I was, you know, 10 years ago. And, um, because they're consistent, you know, and we tried to evolve the programming and various coaches like with Chase and my brother, even myself at times, you know, influencing programming in different directions that keep variety and, you know, keep it fun, but at the end of the day, sticking to it. It's the people that have been here the longest, I will say, give me the least feedback on the programming, because it's like they've learned, they've seen it all. They just love it, they just do the work, I guess.
Speaker 2:Right, that's how you show up and do it and I think that I've I mean, I've always known that or seen that.
Speaker 2:But you know, coming from the coaching side of it and being here all day and training for the more competitive aspect of it training two, three hours a day, going through these killer mat cons, two, three lifting sessions, mobility, accessory all well and and good, but now that I just don't pursue that anymore, if I can still show up from nine to five, work day have a hectic life, you know, whatever it may be, just like normal people do, I can show up and I can work out for an hour and arguably be the fittest, more most well-rounded athlete and human that I've ever been, even though I used to train that way. Yep, like what does that? You know? What does that say? It just shows me like something's working here and I just show up and do the work, I do class and just like, you know, everybody else that does. And it's kind of funny like I stopped when I stopped caring about chasing certain numbers or goals or things like that.
Speaker 2:I like started achieving them more yeah because I wasn't destroying my body in order to get to it, like doing these crazy back squat sessions or something to lift a certain back squat way.
Speaker 1:You just fall five by five and you'll get there well, I think you know bringing up your earlier days in the training volume. I think that that hits every CrossFit early CrossFit coach I mean me, I'm an example of it. I can't think of a coach in the gym that's not an example of it. But once you get into it all of a sudden, more is better, right, you have time, more volume is better. You start doing these extra training sessions. I mean I remember a period in my 30s when we first opened the gym we were all training three hours a day. I'm way fitter now than I was back then. Yeah, and I think it has its place. It can for a period of time, for a training block, but at the end of the day, optimal volume and intensity that you can recover from and do another day, recover from and do another day, recover from and do another day is over time is going to lead to much more profound results and I think that's what you're feeling right now.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:You know you're recovering, you're able to put in a high quality workout every single day. You've gotten rid of junk training and I think that's where the volume whores, if you will, out there people that just and I'm super guilty of all I like volume training but at the end of the day, at a certain point, it becomes junk training and extremely counterproductive. This is the first year I've prepped for Murph without doing massive amounts of volume and I don't know if I'm going to PR or not. Like I have this goal in my mind. I'm going to tell you it's not probably going to happen, but 40 minute murph at age 40 and my best is 45 minutes. Uh, I'd have to put more work on running to probably shave four minutes out of that. But this will be the first year that I've intentionally trained volume with rest versus just tons of reps and and I'm curious to see how it's going to play out Like two, three times a week I'll do max sets of push-ups.
Speaker 1:But that one year when I PR'd my Murph, I did 10,000 push-ups, like two months before Murph, in a month. So that's 333 push-ups every single day. You know what happened I smoked my shoulder. I got to Murph, I did the push-ups every single day. You know what happened I smoked my shoulder. I got to murph. I was able to do the. I did the push-ups better than I ever did, but it took me four or five months for my shoulder to feel normal again yeah, but at what price?
Speaker 1:right exactly, and at my age now, with my kids and my life, like I don't want to feel that kind of joint pain anymore. I don't to, but I don't want to take a step. I don't want to give up my fitness, if you will. So it comes down to getting rid of junk volume, junk, intensity, training smart and honestly. What they came down to is you know, I do group class, I'm intentional with it and the little accessory and extra stuff I sprinkle in it's just very, very intentional. And if I need to rest, I need to rest.
Speaker 2:Right, and that's just smart training. It's just different. It's kind of funny. We all have the different lens. Now we're all you know, maybe not all, but you start to adapt into the lens that you're talking about and having just a smarter outlook, better outlook, no more pointless junk training. Just to think that you're doing an extra hour means that you're going to get fitter and that's probably going to put you backwards.
Speaker 1:No, because when I hit that one after murph that year in my shoulder like I had to back off so much just to not be in pain, and then you start going through this kind of depressive state where you're only training two, three times a week, I'll say in the last two and a half three years the big difference is becoming a master of consistency, being able to train and do productive work more days of the week than not. You know, sometimes like Saturday I think it was Saturday I took full rest day but at the end of the day I'm able to put in quality work. You know, five to seven days per week that I'm actually recovering from, but I'm not spending a whole lot more than an hour per day training, whereas back in the days, like you said, three-hour sessions and this and that it's like fuck all that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that those two to three hours. You're probably just as productive in that hour because you're being smart with it and being intense, being intentional about it and having the intensity then as a two to three hour like half ass session, and it's probably about the same productivity in terms of fitness or gain. But at what price? With the two to three hours, are you putting yourself back, yep, or hurting yourself?
Speaker 1:or whatever.
Speaker 2:Maybe like I, you know, you bring up murph. I did murph strict last year for the first time on a whim, and it was just because like never done that before and I'm tired of doing butterfly pull-ups with the vest, and then my shoulder like I can't sleep. I sleep like this and my arm is killing me. So then I have to find a different arm or like way to put my arm, or it's like switch sides, like oh well, this shoulder did the same thing. So I was like well, let's just eliminate that completely, let's go strict, do singles and see what happens. And it was just, it was cool because I've never done it before and it was a different type of hard, another challenge. You know shit that I just like to full send and try and so, anyhow, the whole point of what I'm getting at is just being smart about it, but also like we did that.
Speaker 2:Uh, we did cindy last week. Yep and um, I sent the first mile gold. So my goal for this, since we're talking about about, is to run a fast mile one and mile two. So I did a 630 um with a, with a with a vest on for cindy last week. Wait, do we have the vest on that, optional okay. So yeah, I had one on that, I didn't I don't remember if I put it on after yeah.
Speaker 2:So I put it on. I was like okay, I'm gonna run a mile six as fast as I, and then the goal is to see how fast I can get to work.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Maybe that wasn't.
Speaker 1:I feel like you were talking to me about this. I know.
Speaker 2:I know I'm messing up two different workouts. The 630 mile was no vest. Cindy was 10 minutes of running, 10 minutes of running. That's what I'm messing it up. So I did still run with the vest the best. But anywho, whole point of what I'm getting at is that I am my goal for uh murph this year is to still do it strict. But I'm gonna run mile one and mile two very, very fast or as fast I can see how fast I can get to work. And I did butterfly pull-ups. That's where I was going with this. I did butterfly pull-ups on cindy last week for the first two or three rounds and I'm like like this just isn't fun went. So I'm I'm just going strict because I could already feel my shoulder not liking it. I'm like it's just not worth it for me. Three years ago, code would have been like don't be a bitch, like this is what we're doing today and I would push through and then I'd pay for it, trying to sleep the next two, three days and my shoulder would just be achy as hell.
Speaker 1:Yeah, not to mention potential causing long-term issues, right, right. So I mean, it's funny, your goal of like slaying the run. So when we did the 10 minutes, cindy, my goal was to complete the mile in 10 minutes. First mile got it. I did on the air runner with the vest.
Speaker 2:Well, that's awful.
Speaker 1:My goal was to EMOM the whole thing with the weight vest, which you did I did. That was gross. Yeah, that's gross. Second 10 minutes barely got over half mile.
Speaker 2:They say the air run is like 20% harder.
Speaker 1:That's why I've been training on it more Right, just so when I do hit the road it feels a lot easier, or in my brain it does at least. That's why I've been doing all the air bike workouts on big bertha, on the echo bike versus the assault bike. So let me do, if I do, the retest again, hopefully there's a deviation there.
Speaker 2:So yeah, every air bike workout lately I've been doing on the echo bike I this is just a anecdotal or personal opinion, but I, I think I know how most people say that the echo bike is harder than the assault bike. I think it's. It can be. I think doing long distances on the assault bike is harder, um, but sprinting on the echo bike is harder like yeah, a longer.
Speaker 2:Controlled effort on the echo bike is easier than on the assault bike, and then controlled effort on the echo bike is easier than on the assault bike. And then sprinting on the assault bike versus sprinting on the echo bike is those.
Speaker 1:That's my own personal like thought no, it's because I've been using it more these last month. I mean, for every single fan bike workout we do, my times and calories are pretty darn close to the same. It's that 27 to 30 mile an hour range that it's different there. And yeah, I feel a little more fatigue in that particular deal. And then at the top end, like I can barely get the Echo bike over 40 miles an hour, whereas I can get the Salt bike 43, 44 miles an hour. Who knows if that's a computer algorithm thing, sure, or whatnot, but um, it just feels more cumbersome to move right because it's bigger, like you just, yeah, there's just more mass there to move and not, and because people hate it, so by default I'm doing it and then hopefully come back to the Assault bike and it's just this little bike it's just like this little thing, I know, yeah, like the Echo bike is like the Rolls Royce nice comfy seat smooth
Speaker 2:the Echo bike's a little bit like, just like kind of feels rickety.
Speaker 1:so that's my thought with the Air Runner, because I've been running on that more and I run on the one that has no monitor, just so I don't sit there and get pissed off how slow I'm going. But um, we'll see if strategy pays off. I was happy with my two mile time. I wanted to get under 14 minutes, but also at the end of the day I don't put very much effort into running training, so to get just over 14 minutes, but again I was. I like I hurt for the next couple of days, but again I was I like I hurt for the next couple days.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so not for long, though extra miles and we'll get these fat shoes on dude, they're gonna change your life and they might change your life.
Speaker 2:They're gonna change your running, running game, running life I'm curious.
Speaker 1:I am curious because I've heard that from a lot of people and I haven't bought an actual pair of running shoes probably since the last RTO I did, which was sometime shortly after we opened the gym, because when Claire was born I stopped sleep. Going for a 24-hour event just did not appeal to me very, very much, yeah for sure. So this year it conned me into it and it's been in my back pocket to call you up, but then I was just like I can't bitch out because I don't want to run. So we'll get after it.
Speaker 2:we'll see what happens you've done the rto once five five times my fifth one, oh shit okay yeah, I'll never do van two again.
Speaker 1:It just sucks. Yeah, virginia city, you're trying to sleep that van's finishing having a bloody mary and you gotta just start grinding up that hill out of virginia city again. So I've done van two twice. I've done van one twice, so this will be my van one three times yeah nice.
Speaker 1:Yep, I've done it in small cars. I'll never do that again. I've done it with people I don't know. Never do that again. The fun part is you know being with cool people and cool vibes and energy, and you know just having fun with your friends essentially for basically 36 hours straight. Yeah, exactly. So yeah, team talked me into getting back in it this year.
Speaker 2:That was like my first dose of double edge. Actually, now that we're talking about it, I started in January when I first signed up and then, next thing I know, I'm on the RTO team with Lindsey Boston and Ryan Hamill.
Speaker 1:That's right. That wasn't the year we did the weight vest, was it?
Speaker 2:You guys did, we didn't. That was because we weren't the double-edge team.
Speaker 1:Gosh, we were just on a team, yeah but you guys all did the weight vest.
Speaker 2:There was two double-edged teams that did weight vests that year, I think. So, yeah, and I didn't. I was all in. You know, I just buy into the shit I believe in. So I changed my name CrossFit Code and I was doing CrossFit for three months but bought a bunch of double-edged gear, had a double-ed everybody to know that I was coming from double edge. So I wore a double edge shirt while I was running and everyone's like oh, are you guys like, are you the weighted vest team? Or I was like no, no, no, no, like I don't know, I don't know who they are, I've just heard stories about them, because I, but I, um, I just thought it was funny because they were all like oh, double edge, you guys are wearing vests. Huh, you guys are crazy. I'm like not me, that's like the two other teams.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that doesn't running the RTO. The weight vest does not appeal to me at all. Yeah, me neither this juncture. I did get fabric plates for my vest for the tactical games.
Speaker 2:Bro, it's so much more comfortable, really, yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh God, like you're doing pull-ups and it's not smacking you in the face, Like it is so much more comfortable. That's nice. That was like matt chan brought that up like one of his feedbacks from his first tactical games was like getting rid of the steel plates and just using these metal sand filled ones, or these, uh, fabric sand filled ones so much more comfortable to breathe in nice, that's comfortable.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we were talking about the machines. I saw about this. You see, on I think it's the Generation 1 Concept 2 rower. There was like a hack that you could. You're just like cheating the computer. But there's something wrong with the computer that basically, if you do one pull, you wait like six or seven seconds and then you do another pull, it confuses the computer. Your stroke rate goes up to like 99, and it kicks over like two or three calories. Have goes up to like 99 and it kicks over like two or three calories. You've seen that. Yeah, I just saw like a video about it a couple weeks ago and I was like it was so interesting there was one open that it was a big hoopla oh well, it happened again.
Speaker 2:Some guy that was in the open for this year had some insane score on the last workout and, uh, you know, rowan, insane calories, and it was just. I just thought it was ironic and just thought it was funny. I was like wow, these people are like doing anything to just cheat.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, like the year, a handful of members or not members here, but people in CrossFit Open. They put like a whole bunch of two-and-a-half-pound plates on the barbell to get it to weight. So the bar facing burpees, youpees. You have to jump as high. Oh wow, the weight was the same, but now it's only a half inch off the ground, you know. Uh, just just do the damn standards, all the different angles. Yeah, I mean it's like we got murph coming up and it's a meaningful event for the crossfit community as a whole. It's one of the very original hero workouts and you know I'm a big supporter of military first responders Come from a family of those and so forth, and it's always. You know it's a big deal, but every single year there's so much hoopla over quality of reps and every single year I get anxious about it, because what do you do?
Speaker 1:I was just going to say I was just going to ask you that you have both perspectives of coach and member, like telling people to squat the lower over and over and over. Push up, you know, chest and thighs to the floor, lock out, blah, blah, blah, blah. It's like it's exhausting. But who was it? Somebody posted in the group chat. We should have a dedicated gold patch or T-shirt for those who video their MRSA and subject it to scrutiny for legitimacy of completing it correctly. What's your thoughts?
Speaker 2:on that. I think that that would be solid, but also I don't know how many people would take up on it.
Speaker 1:I know Setting up your tripod for a 35, 40-minute video of your reps. And it's the push-ups and air squats Right. Pull-ups. Everybody follows the rules there. They're running. Obviously you just have to do the work, but it's those push-ups and air squats.
Speaker 2:I just think there's. There's so much uh, what's the word? Like interpretation on if it was a good push-up or a good air squat or not. Obviously we know chest hits the floor full. Lock out of the elbow, hip crease below the top of the knee, stand all the way up at the top, hips extend Like that's the right way to do it. But it's like in people's minds they think that they are hitting that.
Speaker 2:And it's like okay, well, how much of their chest do they need to touch? Or how much of their chest do they need to touch, or how much of a lockout? Well, there's only one lockout. You can't like extra lockout, you can't extra touch your chest. You can like go further?
Speaker 1:Well then, the people have to loosen up their vests and, like, the vest touches the ground. Yeah, because it's just hanging off. Yeah, it's hanging off two inches.
Speaker 2:So I think that that's where, like, the interpretation comes in for the people that are riding the line, like riding the line like if you're just doing good reps, there's no line to ride. You just know it. But that's where it becomes uncomfortable as a coach is because we know that you are capable of doing the reps good. And you know you're capable of doing the reps good because you just showed me that you could touch your chest to the floor and full lockout at the top. Or because you squatted all the way hip crease below the top of knee and you stood all the way up. You just showed me that because I made you demo it.
Speaker 2:You know I coached a Saturday, two, three weeks ago. We were doing some Murph prep and I was like all right, everyone, we are all going to sit in the bottom of an air squat for 15 seconds. I'm going to look around, this is, and so we, you know we do it. Okay, guys, here's your squat that you are showing me you're capable of doing. Okay, now we're all going to hold a plank push-up. You're going to touch your chest. We're going to hold it there for a couple seconds. Okay, guys, here is where your push-up lies. Now, if you're on your knees doesn't matter, same thing. You just showed me these good reps in this, in this demo, in this warm-up. This is what I expect and I, in my mind, I'm like, I'm killing it Like three, two, one, go cool. I did a good demo, we're going to do this and it goes out the window and it's all three, two, one goes to shit man, it's so true, but that that so that that's where it gets uncomfortable is because you just showed me that.
Speaker 2:Why are you now going to put your, your coach, in that weird position to tell you to go lower or stand all the way up, whatever it is. It's not fun for the coach to do that over and over again or whatever. Sure, we're here for that, but it's just like it's not a fun spot to be in.
Speaker 1:No, I mean after many years of coaching people. It's like I think Chase has a three-strike rule, like after three. He's just like you're going to do you and it's useless to keep beating a dead horse. You know, for me, when it comes to expression of full range of motion, it's a lot more than just get the rep, it's movement quality, maintaining mobility, stability through full range of motion for your long-term health. Like if you don't squat below parallel and practice below parallel, what happens if you slip and you catch yourself below parallel and you don't have the strength and stability, for instance, or you like skiing, you go skiing but you don't train below parallel. You hit a mogul a little sideways, you go into full flexion and boom, there goes your ACL. You never train below parallel boom there goes your ACL. You never train below parallel. It's like training the full range.
Speaker 1:Strength, health, mobility, stability of your joint is long-term health. And if we're constantly training half ranges and not exploring strength and stability in full ranges, you're leaving so much of your fitness potential on the table and potential quality of life. That is how I think of it. Like these and strength potential, like building strength, like training full range of motion, the joint is going to stretch the muscle, to build strength. Like, if you don't stretch a muscle, you can't grow a muscle. It's that simple. So, um, like, why wouldn't we strive for full range on all these things? Because, one, it's gonna be great for your mobility, it's gonna build strength in a much higher capacity than doing half reps and then, like, it's just doing it right. You know, and I do know, folks in class who have a hip issue or knee issue or various shoulder things can't get full range and this, and that I'm very much okay. But I also know a bulk of people that don't. Like I said they can do it and then three, two, one, it goes to shit. I don't know why I mean neither.
Speaker 1:Like I don't know why, and it's just something that I want to say give up but you kind of give up on harping the same folks over and over and over again on quality versus time of day or whatever's driving you to not do quality because at the end of the day, to be honest, it's affecting me zero, right, but it's affecting you a lot. Anyways, like one, if you're a known cheater in the gym and you expect me to ever do business with you in any capacity, like I'm not, like I'm not going to refer something to you, like it's just, it becomes a core value issue. Like if I know you're cheating intentionally, there's a couple, there's not many, there's a couple and events like Murph always expose that you know, but I don't know it's. It's a frustrating thing that exists in the space that I don't know how to get through I don't think there is a way.
Speaker 2:I think it's. You know, we're not the only gym that suffers from people not doing full reps. No, not at all.
Speaker 1:I've talked to many gym owners and it's across the board. Been to many gyms, dropped into many places. It is across the board and you're either going to hold yourself to a higher standard and, if that standard doesn't exist like if you can't achieve said standard working with your coach to achieve standard I have nothing but respect for that, and that's our job as coaches or working with your coach to achieve standard. I have nothing but respect for that. That's our job as coaches. What's going on here? Why can't we do this? Is there dysfunction? Do we need to strengthen something, stretch something, whatever it might be? Diagnose that and then help you be better to explore the capability of your body. That is the ultimate beauty in full range of motion. It's not counting the rep from IRF or whatever event we're doing or whatever workout it is. It's about you exploring the capacity that you have as an individual and achieving the best results for that. At the end of the day, that's. That is what it's about.
Speaker 2:But, um, and there's just something about moving. Well, that's one. If there was one thing that I have learned or taken away from this fitness you know, six years that I've gone through here is I just want to move well all the time and I like to move well and I want to be able to continue to move well. Whatever that means. I want somebody to look over and no question about my rep being a good, good rep or whatever it is.
Speaker 1:It looked good, it was beautiful and not to mention like when you move well, like you feel it, like you feel methodical, like when you string together muscle ups and everything's tight, like you feel it. And there's something about that feeling for me personally that it's like that's awesome that I'm capable of doing this. You know, in things as simple as an air squat, like feeling your hips, feeling everything get tight perfectly in the bottom of a squat and flex out of that, feeling that your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps all work together, like having that body and muscle awareness is a really good feeling. Like I've been focusing in this last year more on my uh, on deadlifts Enjoy deadlifts. I think it's one of the best ways to put mass on.
Speaker 1:And like the deadlifts we did yesterday, um, like I'm really, really starting to feel like my whole legs working in the deadlift, not just my back at meaningful weights, so at the 75%, it's like really feeling all the muscles working together at the same time. And for me I mean that's years of training and neurological adaptations and putting a lot of effort into not just ripping the bar off the ground but like, okay, as I start pulling this, pressing into the ground, pulling, engaging my glutes, hip extension, using my hamstrings as levers, like there's a lot going on here. But when you start feeling that good movement and the body working, it's a little bit magical. I it is. I don't know if that sounds lame, but to me in training it's like even after this many years of training it is there, is I don't know, it's just awesome.
Speaker 2:We're kind of like this is what it's supposed to feel like type thing, yep. And that can apply to any movement, the basic one.
Speaker 1:Yep, I mean back to not doing junk training and everything and all this stuff. It's like deadlifts gotten better. I've never done 23 strict pull-ups remotely one time in my life and when we just tested it, max strict pull-ups got 23. That's cool, something's working. So it's just consistency, no junk training, and we just keep grinding and seeing your growth and continued growth. I'm still quote-unquote gym rat. Now it's I mean, that's your fitness program is not living in the gym, it's as what do you want to say a normal person out there and you're making it, not just making it work, but you're thriving and I think that makes it even more important for me is because I only have an hour here and I need to make that hour count and I could stay a little bit longer or something.
Speaker 2:But that means I'm sacrificing time at home hanging out with Lindsay, hanging out with Wyatt, whatever it may be, and I don't want to do that. So when I'm here, make it count, full send, whatever the intention calls for that day, but Full send, yep, whatever the intention calls for that day. But I'm going to make it count for that hour that I'm here, yep, because I know that it's just an hour.
Speaker 1:Yep, and you managed to find that hour pretty much five, six days a week. Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you, and I, yeah, I plan on that for the rest of my life.
Speaker 1:I mean, that is the way you know, statistically, fitness is the best thing you can do for your long-term health. And when people tell me they can't find the time to train, you know you don't prioritize it. It's that simple. You prioritize hours, netflix or whatever else, because I guarantee you the time exists in your day, you prioritize it and you're reaping the benefits. Bro, and it's been really cool to see you and, um, I want to keep taking your time. I really appreciate you coming down here, but I appreciate you having me on.
Speaker 2:It's good to be, it's good to be, good to catch up gonna be here, good to catch up, good to see you, as always, good to be talking to the double community and just like. One last thing is like you know, we all have the same 24 hours. I know everybody says that, but like it just shows you when people say they don't have time for something, and if that's you saying that, like you just need to look inner and realize that that's not true. But if you're hearing that, it just shows you like your competition is. It's so right now.
Speaker 2:It's so easy to be great because you just show up and do the work. You put in the time that nobody else wants to do because everybody else thinks they don't have the time for it. But if you so, if you just show up and put in the time may not happen overnight. It's going to take you some time, a big grind, but everybody else is I don't have the time. I don't have the time for that. Like, yeah, you do, you just got gotta do it. And people you know when I, when lindsey was pregnant, or when wyatt was born, like oh, you're gonna get a dad bod now. Like bro, I've already lived that life. The fuck is a dad bod. I'm not going backwards, no so. And they may have been jokingly saying it just says like poking fun or whatever, because they're friends and whatnot, but also like I'm sure there's some truth to it and maybe like a little bit of projection I was going to say projection, because a lot of people want to see you fail, because it helps them feel more comfortable in their life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so and I'm like unfortunately, that's why my circle each year keeps getting smaller and smaller. Yeah, for sure, my, my friendship circle pretty much solely exists inside the gym. Now, like, if you're in, like this is where, in my mind, greatness festers. I mean, these are people putting in the work, they want to be better, they're striving to be better in all aspects of their life and that's people I want to surround myself with because that makes me better and it makes me want to be better for them and in turn, you know it's a win-win relationship. So, like, honestly, I can't and this might sound lame, I guess, but I can't think of a single person that's in my life. Really, that's not a part of this gym. Yeah, in any aspect that's important, that's the strong.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's a testament to what you built here, though, too, so yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I used to kind of get depressed when your friendship circle shrinks, but now it's like, oh, see you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you just go different ways. It's like that's the journey they want to take. Cool, this is my lane. If you don't want to be in this lane, no hard feelings but I don't want to be in your lane.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yep, and unfortunately the lanes that I want to participate in keep getting narrower and narrower and narrower, because it keeps getting harder, harder and harder. You know, striving to be the best version of yourself every single day, to be a little bit better than you were yesterday. Yeah, you know, it's a grind, it's a grind but it's very rewarding.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's something you know, the foundation led up to this point and it's not a lot of time at once or every day, it's just a lot of time over a longer time. You know, an hour a day is an hour.
Speaker 1:It's an hour, but you stack that up over 20 years. It's profound Right.
Speaker 2:And you apply that to anything fitness business, Anything. 20 years, it's profound right. And you apply that to anything fitness business anything.
Speaker 1:That's all it is. Yeah, I mean, it's just in a simple or funny terms. I had no freaking idea about what to do on a podcast, didn't know how to turn on a camera, didn't know about this equipment, didn't know anything. But a good friend of mine uh, somebody that helps with marketing he's like you need to do this, figure it out, figure it out, figure it out. And now I got the whole system, routine and everything. It took a month or so, but put in the reps, do the work and it starts getting better.
Speaker 1:Like you said, it goes for anything in life. You're just starting a new fitness journey. Don't expect to be great at it at first, don't expect it to feel comfortable at first, but just get started and keep showing up. Then you'll get better and you'll get better and you'll get better and then you'll look back on yourself 10 years from now and be extremely proud of yourself. The problem is, when you get to 40, 50, 60 years old and you look back, it's oftentimes filled with regret. It's usually the doctor telling you oh, you got type 2 diabetes, you got cancer, you got heart disease. You need to change your lifestyle now, whereas 20 years ago that could have all been prevented With that little one hour a day, making a little better food choice. Yeah, simple, simple. It's like it's simple and complex in the sense of it's so simple it makes it feel complex because it's just consistency.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're like there's got to be something harder, right? Or like what am I missing here? Nothing, Just doing. It is the hard part Doing something consistently for a long time.
Speaker 1:Yep, yep, right on homie. It's been good. Appreciate you, I appreciate you and thanks for coming on, and I didn't bring you in with the intro music but we got to take you out with the outro music. There it is.
Speaker 2:Nice, that's classic. I know you want to get a custom thing, but this is OG now.
Speaker 1:Thanks, code. Thank you being in here on the podcast. All right, everybody, thanks for tuning in. I'm going to throw this out there real quick. But if you do get value out of the stuff we do here sometimes I don't even know if people listen to the stuff I put out, whatever, but I know there's a few people that do you know you share it with friends, family, community. If there's anything on these or any of the stuff we create, we appreciate it. We appreciate it. You know it takes time out of like Cody's day to come down here and do this and share these stories and hopefully there's some inspiration found in these to help you along. That's kind of the goal here is to share education, knowledge, inspiration, maybe make you laugh a little bit. So that is the goal and we love you guys and see you in the next one. Peace, peace.