Coach Profile: Byron Nash

Imagine discovering how a self-taught musician mastered the ropes of CrossFit coaching and brought his unique flair to the gym. We kick off our Coaches Profile series by featuring Byron Nash, who's been a pillar of the CrossFit Pittsburgh community for 12 years. Byron’s journey from playing the National Anthem Jimi Hendrix-style to coaching fitness enthusiasts is inspiring. You'll hear firsthand how his musical background and diverse experiences have enriched our coaching staff, making our community stronger and more versatile.

Byron shares his approach to mastering new skills, emphasizing the perseverance that transforms initial struggles into rewarding accomplishments. We delve into the adaptability of the CrossFit community, particularly as we navigate the physical changes that come with aging, and underscore the importance of finding a fitness routine that genuinely resonates with you.

Throughout the episode, we reminisce about the early days of CrossFit certifications and the exhilarating atmosphere of the CrossFit Games, celebrating the camaraderie and shared triumphs within our community. From Byron’s musical anecdotes to personal stories of training and fitness evolution, this episode is a rich tapestry of insights and heartfelt reflections. We also touch on the challenges faced by successful individuals and the enduring significance of character and meaningful relationships. Join us for a captivating conversation that encapsulates the true spirit of CrossFit and personal growth.

Chapters

• 0:01 Coaches Profile
• 10:18 Reflections on American Values and Learning
• 16:01 Passion for CrossFit and Music
• 28:11 Journey From Bodybuilding to Crossfit
• 32:40 Military Training and CrossFit Transition
• 41:41 Evolving Fitness Programming Methods
• 47:31 Evolution of CrossFit Training Levels
• 57:49 CrossFit Level 2 Evaluation Process
• 1:01:48 CrossFit Training and Coaching Evolution
• 1:15:12 Benefits of Training in a Community
• 1:18:12 Evolution of CrossFit Games Tradition
• 1:22:53 CrossFit Training and Competition Experiences
• 1:26:00 Evolution of CrossFit Community
• 1:37:43 Trend of Discrediting Successful Individuals
• 1:46:48 Future Reflections on Aging

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

All right, this is long in the making, getting our schedules together. But with me today is Byron Nash. This is actually going to be the first in our coaches profile Every one of our coaches. We're pretty proud of the fact that, like every one of our coaches was homegrown. You know, we've not ever, like you know, monstercom and hired a coach. We brought our coaches from our own population, our own CrossFit Pittsburgh tribe, and all we've ever looked for is someone who shows the interest and the aptitude and has been an energetic part of our community. I think would be the best way to say it, and I was thinking about this today or yesterday, maybe. I'm thinking man, how long have you been with us?

Speaker 1: 0:57

I think this is my 12th year 12 years, yeah, and the only thing I could think and it's the way I described it to myself I was like, all right, I can't remember when you weren't yeah, and I kind of the only thing I could think and it's the way I described it to myself I was like, all right, I can't remember when you weren't yeah. So you know, I mean back to the Washington Boulevard days and you know, prior to that, our original location, we were there for only two or three years, I think in the first spot. So really, yeah, the majority of our time you've been here, you've been with us, so you know, that's awesome. I mean, that's awesome and I think one of the things that's kind of interesting because of the way our coaches come to us.

Speaker 1: 1:39

We don't have what we would consider like anyone, except for Jennifer and I, any like real, like full-time coaches. So everybody comes from a like a different background and I think yours has always, you know, fascinated me, like, you know, professional musician, yeah, writer, and what I, what I didn't know, and this was this is one of my favorite Byron stories right, had, and it wasn't out of, certainly not out of disrespect, I just had no understanding or comprehension of it we had? Was it the Festivus Games? Maybe?

Speaker 2: 2:12

Yeah, something like that.

Speaker 1: 2:13

Yeah, and I said, hey, you know, would you, would you mind playing the National Anthem? Well, one, I'm not a musician, so, two, I have no idea, on a scale of hard to easy, where the national anthem would fall right. And then I had to drop the bombshell on you, I think, and I was like man, if you could do it like my all-time favorite version, if you could do it like Jimi Hendrix, that would be cool.

Speaker 2: 2:37

Yeah, that's a tall order.

Speaker 1: 2:40

And you're like when is this? Two days later.

Speaker 2: 2:43

And you're like when is this? And I don't know how. It's like two days later.

Speaker 1: 2:46

And you're like yeah, let me rehearse which. I completely understood that, because, no matter how comfortable I am with something, I'm not doing it cold.

Speaker 2: 2:54

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 2:55

You know, and I was like okay, great, you know, and I think it was only after you did it, after you performed it. Then you were like whew, you're like I, I gotta tell you that's hard. Like then you let me know, like how hard it was. And I'm like oh, then I felt bad, you know, then I felt bad, but I was like man that was, it was a good challenge it was awesome it really was awesome.

Speaker 1: 3:15

I know somewhere in our in our archives we still have that video. So that was. That was very, very cool. But also I was fascinated when I you told me that, um, you don't read music no, I don't like that. That for me, tell me about that a little bit, like I mean, what drew you to it? Obviously your love for it, but to me that's absolutely fascinating that you have that kind of you can hear it or picture it and then make it happen um, I grew up around a lot of music.

Speaker 2: 3:46

My mom had a really diverse music collection. I was obsessed like really young it's really vivid five years old looking at p-funk records and old soul records and just being fascinated with all of that stuff. There was no sense of genre to me. Like I was listening to what was it? Rhinestone cowboy?

Speaker 2: 4:05

oh yeah, you know sure like that song was great to me, but so was barry manila and so was funk music and that just continued. And then I didn't really get into guitar until in my like kind of mid-late teens. I was a late bloomer and then in my 20s I'm like all right, I'm gonna play guitar the rest of my life, whether I play in front of anyone or not.

Speaker 1: 4:24

It just became like a life obsession yeah, and I just listened to a lot of things, so that kind of as you memorize a song right just kind of tinker around and try to figure it out, and that's just how I taught myself yeah, no, I mean, that's again like well, you know me long enough and I think well enough to know that, and I try to keep myself in check because I can go on tangents, but I will finally circle back around. I don't want to do that. But one of the things that I've noticed and I think this is what you know I'm kind of hearing now and I get it you draw inspiration from everywhere. There's no one this type or this genre. No, right, this type or this genre. What's interesting to me is how you take something like that but then make it something your own, and then it's a different work.

Speaker 2: 5:14

It was almost a shortcoming of not being able to read. I would hear something and I'd maybe play along with it and try to figure it out, but also put my own spin on it and it was just a way that it made it fun right and then over time. You know, I remember my grandmother. I was in albuquerque and I would learn all these like snippets of a metallica riff or whatever, but never the whole song.

Speaker 2: 5:36

I couldn't get the whole thing together right and uh she's like play me a song and like I didn't know how to play a whole song, and that was sort of the starting point of okay, I want to, I have to get better yeah whatever that takes, you know, and so it's just a lot of playing just sitting there grinding it out until I'm like, okay, this sounds okay you know yeah, and over time getting better and putting myself in really uncomfortable situations where I'm terrified, kind of like that one um and that helps you level up yeah you kind of dial in.

Speaker 2: 6:06

So and I still do that now you know right play like nursing homes. Those are nerve-wracking. Gigs are great, but I'm so nervous because it's like 10 people yeah versus like 2 000 people. I'm not really nervous isn't that?

Speaker 1: 6:19

you know what, god and full disclaimer. My memory is not what it used to be, it's not. You get blown up a few times in a career and you tend to forget things, but that to me is fascinating because, oh, tara, we did Murph this past Memorial Day and I'm like man, I didn't ask you early enough. I'm like I'm not going to drop it on him again.

Speaker 1: 6:44

And I know Tara had offered once. She was like hey, I didn't ask you early enough, I'm like I'm not going to drop it on him again. And I know Tara had offered once. She was like, hey, I'll do it, I'll sing it. And I was like awesome, you know awesome. So this year I was like hey, you know, could you do it for us? And she was like okay, and she did.

Speaker 2: 6:59

Oh nice.

Speaker 1: 7:00

Have you ever heard her sing?

Speaker 2: 7:01

No, but I know she comes from a musical family.

Speaker 1: 7:03

Oh my God. So, first of all, that song. You know what I mean. Like, maybe it's just in my blood, but I can't hear that and not get emotional. Your version of it. Nothing against Jimi Hendrix. He's probably like the Jedi of guitar musicians, like the Mace Windu, you know, like old school your version. I was like, oh my god, this is this. Is it like? This is what I had up here, this is how I knew it would be. She gets up there and sings no accompaniment, and for a second it was one of those like people are getting ready to go, we're getting queued up, it's getting ready to start. And I was about to say I had been distracted for a moment and I was about to say, hey, I've got a um, what do you call it when there's no lyrics?

Speaker 1: 7:45

like, oh, like instrumental yeah, I said, you know, I've got the instrumental ready to go. You know, would you like that? Before I could say a word, jen's already like all right, gentlemen, take off your headgear, your hats, whatever. You know, face the phone. Boom, she starts, no accompaniment, silent, as as anything, and nothing for nothing. You know how tiny she is. I don't know why. It surprised me, but all of a sudden it starts out like easy and level and then all of a sudden it just starts to build and the next thing, you know, I'm like, oh my God, like amazing. I didn't know that, absolutely amazing. So you know that to me.

Speaker 1: 8:23

And she said exactly what you just said, a little bit, you know, paraphrasing. But I was like tara, that was awesome. I was like I, I knew you could sing. I said, but I never like wow, you know. And a little bit later she shared that same thought. She was like you know what she's like when she sang at a ball game, national anthem at a ball game, how many, I don't know thousands of people. She's like that. When she sang at a ball game, national anthem at a ball game, how many, I don't know thousands of people. She's like that was nothing compared to this and it's, wouldn't you think, I mean, I guess, to the novice. I think it's reversed.

Speaker 2: 8:54

Part of it, too, is that it's out of context. So you're singing in front of the people you train and work out with and you know in this completely different space, and then all of a sudden know they don't know you. That way it's kind of like singing in front of strangers that you know right it's like a little terrifying and I felt the same thing. I played a gig. I know the audience. I know what it's like to be on stage.

Speaker 2: 9:17

When I had to play in the gym, whoa yeah, super nervous was just a different thing um, yeah but the first time I was asked to do it was when my brother got his pins in the Air Force, and that was probably the most I was scared because I'm like, I'm not adding any flavor to this.

Speaker 2: 9:33

I'm playing it as straight as possible out of respect and I just right at the end put a little bit of like funk on it, you know, and they were like, you know, they thanked me and it went well, and they were like we never we always hear everything so straight and like it was so nice to actually hear some, some vibe and emotion to it. I'm like, okay, and that's that helped me for when I did it for you guys.

Speaker 1: 9:52

Yeah, and you have to admit, I mean, if there's and I don't, you know what you and I are roughly the same age yeah, and I swear to God I have no more potentially controversial piece of music that one way or other is about to piss somebody off, and it's a shame. It's an absolute shame because I tie that all back into this. Past Memorial Day, I was asked to give the speech to our local community. There's a parade through Verona and Oakmont and then it culminates with a ceremony at the Veterans Cemetery in Oakmont. So I was asked to give the speech and I'm sitting there and I'm thinking about it and a whole lot of the thought process that went into it.

Speaker 1: 10:39

I'm like and I know I'm not the only one, I know I'm not I'm like, is anyone else actually choking on the irony nowadays that people are at each other's throats arguing about but whatever their point is counterpoint point? You're able to do so because of the country we live in and if you don't, I think no matter what side you're on, you've got to appreciate that. Yeah, because anywhere else in the world, almost anywhere else in the world, the things that you're able to do here while you're spewing hatred to the very tenants and institution that allows you to do it. Try that anywhere else. It would not go the way you think it would go. You know, and we're certainly not far from perfect. You know far from perfect and uh, you and I've talked about this before in all kinds of different contexts, you know, but you know we're far from perfect. But you don't like the ideals in my mind. I'll go to my grave. I don't think the idea. Ideals don't die.

Speaker 1: 11:44

You know, ideals die if everybody just turns their back on them. You want to get back on track. You got to make that happen, you know. But yeah, I mean it's you know. Similarly like and it's just my little two cents, when I was practicing and I learned this, you know, I know you do this. My wife put me onto it. She was like are you practicing your speech? And I'm like honey, I'm not going to embarrass you, you know, yeah, I'm practicing it. And she was like and again, out of the mouths of babes, right, she goes are you doing it out loud? And the first time she said that to me I was like well, I'm doing it out loud. I'm in a room by myself. Why would I do it out loud? She was like there's a difference. There's a big difference. If you read it, it sounds the way it sounds in your head.

Speaker 2: 12:29

Yeah, but the energy changes once you're on stage and there's a mic and there's a crowd and you're trying to remember what you saw versus what you said. It's just a different style of learning.

Speaker 1: 12:41

Yeah for sure. So learning, you know? Yeah, yeah for sure. So I I thought that was kind of an interesting you know, put it out there, make it loud, do it even if you're by yourself. Yeah, even if you're by yourself, you know, especially if you are, put it out loud and clear, you know. But that is this just always to me.

Speaker 1: 12:55

I think, too, as a and I, yeah, I know I told you this a couple years ago on a whim, because I do a lot of things like impulsive, right, I'm driving home through blonox and I get the urge. I'm like I am going to teach myself to play the guitar, right, and I, I pull over there's a little little um guitar shop there. I go in and I tell the guy right off, I'm like, listen, I know nothing about guitars, but I'd like an acoustic guitar, something you know, that I could develop with and learn how to play. Yeah, great. So I bought a Yamaha and, uh, you know, cool, right, and I YouTubed it and I'm like, all right, I'm going to learn some basics and I'm going to learn. And I know I told you this I was like man, I had no idea how much this would hurt.

Speaker 2: 13:40

It takes a while.

Speaker 1: 13:41

Like it's painful. That's the hump you got to get over that. I'm like it's painful, but um, no, again. I mean, I think that's the thing about music. You know, you don't? Um, I'll never have to be stage ready.

Speaker 2: 13:53

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 13:54

I don't ever have to be able to open for you.

Speaker 2: 13:57

Right.

Speaker 1: 13:58

But I think that's you know it's a, it's a, it's a personal thing and I'm sure you know it's your journey, it's your you know profession, right, I mean, at some point if you didn't love it you wouldn't have kept doing it.

Speaker 2: 14:11

Oh no. I mean, I think I would still be playing guitar, whether I played another show. You know the show is like a byproduct of it. But you know, if you were to walk into my house you'd be like it's either someone who's obsessed or a small music store. I started that long ago. You know a lot of my friends would come over like how did you get all this stuff? Like I've been building for years.

Speaker 2: 14:34

So, I knew that was sort of the path I was going to go, just because I loved it that much. Yeah, and I think too you don't have to have the same interest to understand it.

Speaker 1: 14:40

Yeah, and I think too, you don't have to have the same interest to understand it.

Speaker 2: 14:45

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 14:46

Right, like a different modality but similar. And you know it's funny too because, again, you know potential controversy, not even sure if we can say it on YouTube, but there are times when someone comes to me and they say, hey, like I did. I'm like hey, byron, I'm trying to learn guitar, you got any tips? You got any? You know, when I was telling him like my fingers are killing me, and you're like you just have to keep doing it, you have to keep doing it and you build a wars. Yeah, you'll get used to it. It's an adaptive process. You know. Similarly, when everybody, whenever someone is interested in like firearm safety, something like that, you know they'll ask me and I'm like, no, I get you, I get you. But I'm also kind of I don't know maybe a little bit more leery than I would be if it was asking me about CrossFit or asking me about something else, because I'm like, listen, I don't know, maybe this guy is somebody I know. Different story.

Speaker 2: 15:35

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 15:49

If it's somebody I casually know or a friend of I mean, I don't know what their intent is, I don't know what their. I don't want to give advice on that, I don't know what their mindset is, you know. But, um, that aside, you know just as, like a little disclaimer again, that aside, I think when you get to that point where you're like well, can you take me out, can you work with me? Absolutely yeah, that's the first question I get. Man, where'd you get all this stuff? Yeah, I'm. You think I went out like one day and bought it all. This is like years and years of accumulation of tools, like if you were a musician or a carpenter or a painter. They're just tools, that's it. I tell people that all the time, like carpenter doesn't have one hammer.

Speaker 1: 16:20

Exactly, you know like.

Speaker 2: 16:24

you need these different things for different reasons, and the more you get into it and the more professional you become, the more you kind of need in a way I wish that stopped a little bit. Financially it's like I need this mic for this thing, but yeah if you love it, it doesn't really matter yeah, exactly exactly.

Speaker 1: 16:38

You almost uh, not like in an irresponsible way, but you almost lose track yeah, you.

Speaker 1: 16:44

You know, like I don't know, maybe like they're like I don't know, like favorite girlfriends or something like that. You know you always remember. You know that one was my. I bought that one in this time or did that in this time, but I think it almost like it's, it's all part of the process and you wouldn't trade it for anything. You know, it's kind of kind of neat, but I think too and you probably get this all the time um me personally. I'm a I love music big fan of music. I I've always believed nothing can evoke memory, uh, excitement, yeah, passion, uh emotion, like music can I? I and I think and I think I read this somewhere where, like, psychologically speaking, the way we're wired, sounds being music and smells yeah, two of the things that, like something hits you and you're like that's like my grandmother's kitchen, you know I remember my whole lifeline based off of what music I was listening to at the time and what was out.

Speaker 1: 17:42

Right Like.

Speaker 2: 17:43

Okay, I remember that Like 83 sounded like this and 89 sounded like that.

Speaker 1: 17:47

Yeah, isn't that wild I mean almost to the note um, prince. I cannot hear a prince song and not associate it with awesome memories yeah you know like what purple rain when that album came out.

Speaker 1: 18:02

I remember exactly where I was, who I was hanging with at the time when my wife and I met honey, you'll remember this. Diamonds and Pearls yeah, I mean, that was the hot Prince album at the time and fantastic. But it's great too because I think sometimes what it does without even thinking about it, it cues you and it's like you want to talk about, like endorphins firing. Yeah, you know, sometimes a song can elicit some of the most pleasant memories, like that. You know it comes on the radio or you hear it on a playlist, then you're boom, it takes you right back, right back there. Yeah, that is so cool, so, so cool. But um, so so you came to us, uh, as a member yeah as a member, started training and you started training hard.

Speaker 1: 18:56

I mean, I as I remember you were pretty much all in yeah, uh, you know what's funny?

Speaker 2: 19:01

because I had hand surgeries right at the beginning. So I was kind of at a deficit right out the gate, like there's certain things I just couldn't do. And then, once, like my hands healed probably a year, year and a half in then I was able to really start pushing myself and, you know, getting the things that come along with it.

Speaker 1: 19:22

Right, one of the things that I recall and it's interesting, I didn't forget about the hand surgery, but one of the things I recall now that you bring it up and I thought this was cool. You didn't quit and I don't mean this as a criticism to anyone else, I certainly don't but I think that's one of the things I love most about the CrossFit community is it is highly adaptive. It's not a sales pitch, that's not the purpose of this, but you've been around long, you know, you're a trainer, you're a coach, it's adaptive. Before we started to record, you're talking about two clients and you're like no, I mean, I, I specify, I get to the point where I design their workouts based on their lifestyle. What do they need to be better at? What do they need to be more capable of sustaining and endurance? Wise in this.

Speaker 1: 20:14

And I think sometimes and this is the difference, this is the difference between I need to use this as a tool to make myself better as a musician, as a baker, as a contractor, whatever you know as opposed to hey, man, do you hear about crossfit? I'm gonna try that. There's nothing wrong with trying it. Yeah, I get it. But I think sometimes too, it's like hey, do you hear about that peloton? I'm gonna try that super, but what Does it work for you? Do you stick with it? Because I mean, you know, like I keep saying, we're roughly the same age. You're still like a little bit of a kid compared to me, but we're in the same bracket. But I think you know it's inevitable the older we get and I don't want to get all like dark and philosophical, but the older we get, the more you have to give up.

Speaker 2: 21:10

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 21:11

I mean, that's just how it is, that's part of life, and what I mean by that is like okay, so you know, you never say never. But I'll tell you this when we jumped in that next bracket and I don't remember what the numbers were, but when we jumped in the next bracket, according to the crossfit, open yeah, and the 50 pound dumbbells went away and they were replaced by the 35s yeah I didn't mind yeah, I did.

Speaker 2: 21:35

I did not mind that. You know what 50 is going to feel, like you know once you've gone through all these workouts you're kind of like you just know what, what it's going to be, no matter what shape you're in right whether you're a fire breather or you're brand new. But you know that 50 pounds over the head, it's going to be rough right where are you in your space, in your your training of how do I get through that?

Speaker 1: 21:56

yeah, yeah and and I think that's one of the things too that I was impressed by, you know, 12, 11, 10 years ago, when you for you, yeah, I've got to get some wrist surgery, a carpal tunnel, and I'm like, well, no, kidding, right. I mean like, if you have a career, that's going to lead to that music surfing.

Speaker 2: 22:15

It was really bartending. Oh, is that really? That's really where it came from. Okay, yeah, you don't think about it. But the repetitive motion. Let's say I work a 10 hour shift, I'm shaking, I'm washing glasses, I'm grabbing bottles off of a shelf that are full, and that's just an unnatural way, and then you're turning. So like yeah, if you held up I don't know a two pound bottle like this, your wrist starts to hurt in like three seconds. But you don't think about that when you're cranking out drinks.

Speaker 2: 22:45

I'd make a thousand plus drinks a night. Right, I worked six days a week and I was training five days a week so it kind of helped keep me in shape, you know, like keep my hands in shape, but it really came from that wow, you know, I wouldn't see, that's that. I would have never thought of that but it started when I started crossfit and I was like, oh no, I really like this.

Speaker 2: 22:58

I thought it was because of crossfit yeah they were like, no, this was going to happen eventually, anyway, but it was really from bartending yeah.

Speaker 1: 23:05

And see, like I said, that's the thing I mean, I've always done this, you know always, and you may very well get this too I've always considered myself a regular guy, yeah, literally. So what amazes me is you know, you and I compared notes quite a bit. I do remember back to the old days at Harris' Grill. You would close, then you would roll in and train at 5.30.

Speaker 2: 23:30

I would come to the 9. The 9, okay, I was getting out at like 4.30. Even that was rough because you're wired.

Speaker 1: 23:39

The last part of your night.

Speaker 2: 23:39

You're cleaning for an hour, so it's all physical. Then maybe have a beer or two to come down off of that, sleep like crap and then I'd roll into the gym. But that was, honestly, the only thing that was keeping me. I don't think I could have just bartended. I would have fallen apart by now if it weren't for CrossFit. Simultaneously, everyone thought I was crazy. They're like I don't understand how you're going there doing that crazy stuff. I'm like because I'm getting something else out of it more than just getting in shape right and, and I think that's it right, I think that's it.

Speaker 1: 24:04

And again, like I've had the same dynamic thrown at me and I'm like maybe you all ought to raise your bar a little bit more, because if I can do it, there's nothing about I wasn't born on krypton. Yeah, you know there's. There's not like the earth's atmosphere works for me the way it does for you. There's nothing magic about it. It's the other side of it that I was not willing to accept. Right, I wasn't. I mean, I remember years ago I was director of security for the Allegheny Health Network and I went to visit a contractor in Vancouver, british Columbia, like a little tour, you know, see how they do it. And I was like, okay, you know, absolutely. I mean, aside from the fact that our healthcare models are totally different, it was a very similar network. You know multiple facilities, multiple. You know different geographic locations all around Vancouver, british Columbia. So I was like, okay, great, so I get to my hotel, um time difference and all that get a big, long, long delay in Chicago O'Hare the night before.

Speaker 1: 25:11

So I wake up the next morning and the first thing I do, I mean I'm feeling like crap and I'm thinking to myself and all I want to do, and I'm hungry because everything's thrown off yeah, everything.

Speaker 1: 25:23

And I'm like, okay, the regular, the a side of me is going don't train today, go downstairs, get a big breakfast and you know, wait for your pickup and then do your thing. While I'm doing that, I'm lacing up my shoes and I'm like, all right, hit the gym, do some kind of workout. I don't even know what they have something, but you know, you've been there, okay, what's the workout of the day? Great, what do I have available to me? Yeah, great, now I take this, I model it to that and I get a workout in. You know, and I think sometimes too, like that leads to a point of frustration. I mean, we've been doing this for 19 years, yeah, right, and sometimes that does lead to a point of frustration, and I know you know, well, I would have done it, but, but the stars didn't all align yeah and it wasn't a workout that was like it, like your strong suit.

Speaker 1: 26:15

You know, if it was up to me, the a side versus b side, if it were up to me, I'd only pick workouts I'm good at, I'd only pick movements that I'm good at. But you do that. You don't get the results. You should, you just don't. And how easy would it have been you close down, clean up, get out 4, 4.30. How easy would it have been to sleep until you woke up?

Speaker 2: 26:38

and then do it all again. 95% of the people in the business kind of did. I had a lot of friends, no judgment on them, but I was like I can't do that.

Speaker 1: 26:47

Like.

Speaker 2: 26:47

I'm booking gigs, I'm working all day until I go to work again, so I kind of need that energy. But it was really also to myself, like it was building self-confidence, that. I did what I said I was going to do and I didn't start CrossFit or working out until 40.

Speaker 1: 27:03

Get out of here.

Speaker 2: 27:04

Yeah, I didn't work out before that. All I did was like ride a bike. I was active. I was right here back in the day and I was sort of like naturally physically inclined, you know like had like a gymnast component.

Speaker 1: 27:14

I could jump things and stuff, but I didn't start until 40 when I started here, I did not that, I did not know, I didn't work out.

Speaker 2: 27:21

I didn't do barbell. I didn't do. I used to walk with dumbbells in like North Park yeah you know, keep my arms shape, but I didn't do anything outside of biking. Wow, so that was my first, like for the first year, I didn't know the difference between a clean, a snatch, like I'm like, what is all this terminology I mean when I say I was right, I had no idea.

Speaker 1: 27:42

I did not know that that's cool. Yeah, that is very cool and it just as a little. Uh fyi got a couple people downstairs about to start training, so if we start to hear like bangs and booms, the building is not coming down around us, they're putting in work.

Speaker 1: 27:58

They're exactly, they're, they're putting in work. But that's and you know, that's very interesting, because I guess I was on the other side of that equation. You know, I started training as god. I was in my early teens and I was, and I mean this is and I keep saying this, probably because I don't want to be dinged later I mean no disrespect to anyone else. I was the proverbial fat kid in junior high, started off. You know my, my early years, skinny as can be, you know, skinny as can be my mom, my grandmother, they're like oh honey, you know, eat.

Speaker 1: 28:33

Grow up in an italian house like eat, eat, and I was skinny. And then I remember my, my favorite aunt, uh, telling my mom one day she's like maxine, don't worry about him, he's not, you watch, I raised three boys. She's like he's not always going to be skinny. Then I went the complete other route and, you know, got just like a you know the chubby kid, you know, and all part of adolescence and whatnot. But what I remembered vividly was I couldn't wait to train because I had older cousins who were, um, my gosh, my oldest cousins, you know, rugby players, athletes, uh, uh, you know, in my, in my line, my oldest cousins were 17 years, 16 years, 13 years older than me.

Speaker 1: 29:13

So I was like the baby of that generation and you know these guys, like I looked up to them. Uh, one of my cousins was a fantastic athlete, uh, linebacker for penthills high school. And this was one of those stories, honest to god, like western pennsylvania, this kid, going into his senior year, had his pick of d1 schools, I mean, they were lined up for him and one of the last games of his senior year takes a hit, you know, knee, turned around the wrong way and just wasn't, uh, you know, just just missed his window, you know. But I remember as a little boy like, look at, these guys were like you know my heroes.

Speaker 1: 29:52

And my dad. My dad was a presence, you know, I don't know that he ever exercised a day in his life, but you know, through contracting and construction and all that he was just always fit and strong and healthy, you know. So that's something that I like, that's what I want to be, that's what I want to be.

Speaker 1: 30:15

That's what I want to do, and largely through trial and error. You know, I bought my first weight set with lawn mowing money. You know, set it up in my parents basement, you know that type of thing. But um, you know, looking back time is the one thing you never get back. Definitely don't get, ever so at that. I mean, think about when we came up right. There was no internet. You wanted to learn something. It was largely magazines.

Speaker 2: 30:32

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 30:33

You know. So, joe Weider, muscle Magazine, originally back in the day, muscle Magazine, joe Weider, and that's where, like the legends of bodybuilding, you know, and they'd write articles. Well, it took me years and years to realize, you know, conventional bodybuilding, that type of training, there's only so much. The rest of it's variation. It's like hey, byron, you know, byron Nash tells you how to blast your biceps. Well, guess what? Six to eight months later, hey, mike's bicep explosion, which, if you hold them both together, mine's probably a variation of yours. But as a kid I'm like yeah, that's it, that's it. Well, one, I had no clue as to what I was doing. Two, I didn't know why. I mean why? Well, because I want to be fit, I want to be in shape. But not realizing bodybuilding is a thing unto itself. That is what it is. There's so many. Is it for sports performance?

Speaker 2: 31:30

Is it?

Speaker 1: 31:30

for overall wellness? Is it for appearance as a teenage kid?

Speaker 2: 31:33

it's for appearance you know, it makes sense yeah.

Speaker 1: 31:36

And then, I guess you know, you kind of evolve into that as I get to high school, start playing sports. Well, now you're like, okay, well, I'm not necessarily lifting per se, it's conditioning and sports specific. But, um, I, you know, I. So I trained at an earlier age, but I didn't find crossfit until my 40th birthday. Coincidentally, 40th birthday, um, I had been um stationed at the embassy in tel aviv two years prior. All right, so, 38, 39, I had my 40th birthday in in tel aviv.

Speaker 1: 32:09

And then that was september the following, july 20, 2004, I was in baghdad, in baghdad, and I'm still doing the same workouts, right, and not realizing that the workouts that I was doing were all bodybuilding oriented. You know, okay, well, today I'm working. You know, back and biceps. You well, today I'm working back and biceps, tomorrow I'm working chest and triceps, never realizing that I'm like, okay, I'm doing it, but am I making gains? And what's my goal? What gains am I making?

Speaker 1: 32:40

And the one thing that I noticed my entire time in the military you have your physical readiness tests that pop up on the calendar and for the life of me, I don't remember if we did them on six months window or or 12 months, but you could set your clock by this. You had your guys in the squadron, you had your cardio guys like, these guys are the runners or the bikers, that's what they do. And then you had your weight guys and they're the ones that are in the gym, you know, hitting the curls and the triceps, exactly as you're getting closer and closer to the PFT, what you would start to see is the guys who are runners and bikers yeah, runners and bikers are getting more PT in. And the guys who are the lifters, the weight guys they're getting more road work in because they have to take the test. Then you take the test, you pass and you're like okay, woohoo, I'm good for another. You know, six to 12 months, whatever the window, your regimen yeah, exactly the very next day, the weight guys are back in the gym, the other guys are out on the trails.

Speaker 1: 33:46

You know, and what I realized in fact, this was kind of funny when we inquired about becoming a CrossFit affiliate back then and how the sport, how the community, has evolved, right, when we did it, you did not even have to have your certification yet. What they asked of you and I thought this was very interesting, very cool what they asked was write us an essay, tell us what CrossFit means to you, how you found it and what your goal is, like that kind of thing. So I sat down and my essay I wrote that very thing I just told you. I was like was like. You know, my time in the military was like this boom.

Speaker 1: 34:30

What occurred to me was we're not training to be better, we're training to pass a test, right? So real world operations. You don't know what's coming. Yeah, I mean, you have a mission profile, you know, you have your, your, your package, but I don't know what's around the next corner. No plan ever works, not the way it's written. So if I'm that guy that's just want to get strong, want to get strong, well that's great, right until the point that your ingress or egress plan goes to shit. And then you're like but I'm not the guy that's supposed to go over land, I'm the guy that's I'm the strong guy, or vice versa. Hey, now this happened. Hey, man Byron just broke an ankle.

Speaker 1: 35:13

You know we've got to get him out of here, but I'm the fast guy, I can't lift him. So you're kind of too bad. You fix it right and I didn't put it like that. But I mean, we're training to pass a test, we're not training to be the best version that we can be operationally and every other way right. So, um, I sent that out and I was actually on my way to um I was on my way back to baghdad at the time, so we did a layover.

Speaker 1: 35:40

We just for point of uh reference we'd fly from conus when we at that time, when we were going into Iraq, we'd fly into Kuwait. If we were going to Afghanistan, we'd fly into I think it was Jordan and then we'd lay over there. Then we'd get transported to a military base. Okay, disclaimer this version of the software that we're using on the cameras when I throw a thumbs up which I do sometimes a little cartoon bubble of a thumbs up comes using on the cameras. When I throw a thumbs up which I do sometimes a little cartoon bubble of a thumbs up comes up on the screen. That's kind of funny.

Speaker 1: 36:14

Whatever I did now, it released balloons and like sparklers, if people were happy, exactly lighthearted talk, I'm like not sure what that means, but we didn't do it on purpose, but, um, what was what was funny about the whole thing, though, was so I wrote it in kuwait. We're at this, you know, waiting a couple days until our flight would would connect us. Uh, in country, we get transport to an airfield military airfield and fly in on a transport, so send it out, time differences being what they are. Wake up the next morning, I get a reply from headquarters, and, and they're like hey, congratulations, you are our newest affiliate. You know, yada, yada.

Speaker 1: 36:53

The only thing we ask of you and I thought this was wild, of course, there's an annual affiliate fee, and the only the only thing that you had to do, the only requirement other than, you know, paying your fee, the only requirement was that like and I don't remember how it was worded, I'm paraphrasing again, but it was like, don't ever put the community in a bad light. Like, don't, don't embarrass the team. Interesting, I'm, like. That is a broad parameter, but we know how, how awesome you're. Like, okay, represent the community. Like, what does it mean to you? That's the standard you take forward. I'm not surprised Not surprised now to hear that we both started that at 40. You're training at 40 and so forth, but one anybody who thinks it's not for them. If it's just not for you, so be it. But if you think you're too old or you're too out of shape, hell, you know what? Think you're too old or you're too out of shape, hell, you know what?

Speaker 2: 37:51

if you're old, deconditioned, a body type that you don't think you're wrong, you're probably the perfect candidate for it I mean and you know as a throwback to you what there was I think you maybe just turned 50 and, um, we were at the old spot and you were back squatting like three plus somewhere around 300. To me that just looked like 900 pounds and it just looked really easy and I was like I want to be able to do that, maybe not that weight like as heavy, but I want to be in my 50s and able to move weight and have my body working that strong. And that was sort of like a turning point.

Speaker 1: 38:26

Wow.

Speaker 2: 38:27

Because I wasn't lifting that heavy, because I still couldn't do all the stuff yet right but I was like doing the workouts and I didn't really get to the weight part till we got to this place where I was starting to move numbers and yeah dead lifting and really squatting heavy and stuff, but I remember that being like, if he can do that and it wasn't that you were doing, it was that you were doing it and it was how old you were yeah that was like just kind of opened up my eyes to the possibility of what I could do with my body moving forward, you know and then I started like really I really got into it, I really right like my times and my numbers were really important to me for myself, right even to beat other people was just like did I give my best?

Speaker 2: 39:04

today, you know like I know I'm exhausted and some of my worst days when I was like super tired, I would do the best yeah but then other days when I felt kind of fresh, I maybe did okay, or you know, or maybe I was over training for a few months and then I'm like why am I still in these burpees? Everyone's done, you know. But you start to learn a lot about yourself when you're in that space, especially being a certain age too right because you can always get better. You know, and I train differently now than I did before oh yeah but it's a little bit more mature almost it's not so like, let's just go for it you know, it's like I'm gonna be very strategic about this.

Speaker 2: 39:40

I know where my body is but, I'm gonna push, I'm not gonna cut corners, I'm not gonna phone it in, and that has really translated into how I coach right too, because you know we know our, we know our people.

Speaker 2: 39:52

You know you have everyone from the full spectrum and I just want everyone to be their best for the hour yeah, exactly important to me and they know, like, if they're, if you take my class at 5 30, they already know, like we knew you were going to make us do that. Then what I mean. Yeah, do we get up this early to just come in here and kind of do it? Like 5 30 was always sort of like a different beast.

Speaker 2: 40:16

I'm like those cats are crazy you know, now I'm like an early head because of it right but if you're waking up that early, whether it's because of your schedule or because that's the time that works best for you, you have to make the most of it. I just feel like, why kind of do it?

Speaker 1: 40:30

It's already hard. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 40:32

So why are we kind of doing it? Do the best that you can, and I don't care if you're scaling, but we're going to scale accordingly, so that you're still getting that stimulus.

Speaker 1: 40:39

That's so important to me. You know, exactly right, I love it. I love it, and you know what too is like you're talking and it's sending off all these. Like I remember this, I remember this, I remember this last friday, the first of the three uh service cup workouts, daniel, that mean one yeah, now I'm up here that time of day, you know, uh, and I'm, you know, doing my thing and I can hear you.

Speaker 1: 41:02

It's not like, obviously I'm not eavesdropping, you know, but I'm up here working, and I don't remember how you said it, but I'll tell you what. It choked me up a little bit. It was probably going to again too, when I had to say it again, something about the description of the workout, and I don't know how you put it exactly, but you were like okay, it's a hero WOD, so we're going to do this, and I'm like right on, right on, and it's impactful.

Speaker 1: 41:32

It really, really impactful, it really really is, and the way you put it out was so genuine. It wasn't like that's all you're gonna do, it was so matter of fact. It was like there is no other way. And this is and remember, this is a hero workout, you know. So I, I really I I'd love that. I dug that part of it. I thought that's very cool.

Speaker 2: 41:42

That's important to me, you know, and I think, I think, even if the people complain, you know you have your people are like I'm like, I'm like you already know, I'm still going to. Yeah, I'm going to support you.

Speaker 1: 41:52

Duly noted. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 41:54

Like you know that's what it, is Right you come to my class and that's sort of the style yeah, but you're going to walk away feeling so much better, knowing that you gave your all. And if we're asking, we're not asking you to push 275, that's you know not everybody can do that, but what is your version of 275?

Speaker 1: 42:15

yeah, you know well, and and a couple other little offshoots, like when you referenced the um. You know bringing the best out of the people, out of our athletes and adhering to the intended stimulus. All right, so that brings up an interesting point, um, a while back. Well, for forever, forever and I can't say forever because forever is a mighty long time and I'm here to tell you right prince came back, prince anyway, love the guy.

Speaker 1: 42:44

you know he's like prince, but anyhow, um, over the years we followed the um, the original crossfit matrix that they that they put out at the l1, yeah you know, and we were like diehards on it. That's it. You know, the only, the only caveat was because of our model. Uh, we're closed on sundays, always have been, so three on one off, three on one off doesn't really work, so that quickly adapted to, a lot of our members would go three on one off, two on one off, which and you've been with us for most of this Thursdays were always the wild card. From time to time we would make Thursday maintaining the scheduled class times, but it was an open gym, so if you missed something that you want to make up, you can do that If you want to work a skill if you want to work a power lift, an Olympic lift, whatever it's your time, and the coach will be here to help you out.

Speaker 1: 43:41

Then I thought sometimes it got a little bit chaotic, not in a bad way, but almost we had some people come in and, like you know, new members.

Speaker 2: 43:53

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 43:53

New members and they're like what's happening you know well it's. You know, as we said, it's your time, you can choose. Then all of a sudden you realize that you know, at least from a business model. Our opinion was we're giving people too much choice. You know, maybe our senior veteran athletes get it and they understand it, but someone who's new, they're more like I don't get what's happening right now, you know. So we changed that up a bit and I don't believe there was anything wrong with that matrix at all. I mean, it wouldn't have been so successful a model if there was. But I think we started when Jennifer and Blake and Emily Obie, when they all took a hand in programming when they all took a hand in programming one of the things that was really when we evolved into the.

Speaker 1: 44:41

Okay, you know, we're going to hit a warmup, then we're going to do a strength component and then we're going to do a Metcon. I mean, unless the Metcon's long yeah and then you would eliminate the, the strength piece for that day. You know like maybe the filthy 50 comes to mind.

Speaker 1: 44:55

Yeah, you know, certainly you're not going to do a strength piece before you do you know, but, um, so we did all that and you know again, you, you learn as you go right. One of the things that I can look back on and say, um, the detractor from that tended to be the warm-up, because then you're like, okay, we're doing the programming, but we're not really programming. We just didn't go that extra step hey, program warm-ups were different, right right and I'll tell you this I was probably the most flagrant offender.

Speaker 1: 45:30

I would come in and I would look at the group and I'd be like, okay, everyone in here has been with us for a while, they know what they're doing.

Speaker 1: 45:39

And I believe they did and I'd be like okay, everyone, I'm giving the posture. I don't know what you did over the weekend. I don't know what you need to loosen up right now. All right, guys, let's take about 10 minutes, let's get loosened up. I mean, I might start them out with a run or a bike or a row. Hey guys, let's get loosened up and looking back.

Speaker 2: 46:01

I'm like that was one of the dumbest things I ever did, a lot of people need guidance in that space and I realized that when I first started coaching I was like researching, like if I knew what the workout was, which I you know, if I was coaching, I did. But it was like what moves are going to make sense for what that workout's going?

Speaker 2: 46:19

to be for them to warm up like are they jumping? We gotta get those hip flexors together, are they? You know? Is your heart rate going to be up? Well, I don't want the first time for you to experience that to be in the workout. So I was like testing it on myself. I'm up at night like researching things and then I would do a lot of the warmup with them, and that was before I had the L2, which seems to be how things are anyway. So the programming that we do now that we follow the app and everything that was when I did the L2.

Speaker 2: 46:50

It was like mind blown. I was super excited, right. I remember what. So that was? Um, the lady put a timeline zero to 60 and she's like from here to this minute. You should be saying this from this minute to the third minute. It should be here from three to seven. It should be that. And it was so condensed and it was tight and you know, there were probably 30 plus people in here and she had control over and we would. I mean, this warm-up was intense. I'm like what's this workout going to be if this is what the warm-ups? And she's keeping it everyone together and like she was back and you know.

Speaker 2: 47:19

So just having that sort of detailed, condensed way of going about it really helped me figure out how to warm people up right to get them ready so they could be the most successful.

Speaker 1: 47:28

Right, and I think too, that's such an incredible like. I think with the old meme it's like how do you know if somebody does CrossFit, because it's all they ever talk about. I don't mean it like this, but I think when you and I get together and we compare notes, right, what always fascinates me is the L1. There's a lot of knowledge very, very well put together and again, we go back far enough that the L1s were the same knowledge being passed, but the frequency was maybe once every few months somewhere in the country. So if you wanted your L1, you had to look what's on the horizon, is it close enough, can you travel to it? And then you go, jen and I, probably within the first six months that we were open, there was an L1 in Boston boston at crossfit boston yeah

Speaker 1: 48:30

so we register for that. I'm home. Between deployments we fly up, we get a hotel not too far you know, boom, we get there for the l1. Fantastic, fantastic, what they did at that time and this even carried over to like a year later when we hosted our first l1. What they would do is that, you know, put the pin in the map, like it's at crossfit boston. Then they would invite um other crossfitters who've been in the community from different areas. They would be your training cadre, right, and we had some really, really good instructors. Tj Cooper came up from CrossFit East Jacksonville, florida. Keith Whitstein he was with CrossFit, I want to say he was out of New York so he attended. These guys were some of the trainers, fantastic. The only potential downside was they could be different people every time, right.

Speaker 1: 49:32

So I guess from the back end, from the CrossFit headquarters end, it's like, okay, where are we going? And who's there? Greg Odmanson, yeah Right, crossfit legend. He was one of, I guess, what they would call now like one of the flow masters, right. So I remember like he took us through like an organized warm-up, and then he's like, okay, and I don't remember, I couldn't tell you this was saturday or sunday. But he was like okay, he's like so to continue. He's like we're gonna do the warm-up on the run. He's like everybody outside, so out we go and we start to run around the city of boston.

Speaker 1: 50:03

Now, think about all of this, right? One, we're excited to be there. Two, it's in, it's a variation. I think, at that point of like fear of the unknown, yeah, don't know where we are, don't know where we're going. Therefore, as we're passing these landmarks, I'm like how much further are we going, like you know? But every so often he'd pick a spot, like, let's say, a little park, yeah, and we'd pull over it. Not pull over, but I'd run into the park, all right, circle up, okay, bottom to bottom, to bada squats. And he's, you know, got us on his watch and we're, we're cranking out some squats. Get back on the road. We run a little bit further. Overall, it probably wasn't as far as I thought it was, but you're like oh man, this is, this is crazy. We did back. Then we did um at your l1. Did you do fram?

Speaker 1: 50:54

yeah, I think so yeah you probably did, because that's how far back, that's how far back you go um the teaching part was upstairs and all the workout was downstairs, right? Right and, and I'm this is you know. Again, there's always those guys, military or whatever, crossfit, you know well, what I went through you know and I don't mean it like that and I understand how things change.

Speaker 1: 51:17

I do Right, when we went through Fran, 21, 15 and nine, right Pull ups and thrusters. That was one of the workouts that we did. They've since changed that to um, I'll say it's burpees and thrusters. Now, right, it's, it's similar. Oh, yeah, yeah listen, don't get me wrong, I mean it's not, but I, I think too, every once in a while you'll hear somebody throw a dart at it and oh, they don't do fran anymore. I'm like okay, switch out with me. Yeah, I would rather.

Speaker 1: 51:50

I think I'd rather do fran, right, you know, 21, 15 and 9 or whatever. It might not even make sense like sets of reps, but it is burpees and thrusters and I'm like, oh god, you know, I. So I again. You know people have their favorite flavor and and you know they're going to stay on that channel, so to speak. But I remember it vividly, in a sense that and I don't mean by no means, I don't mean it was hit and miss you just didn't always have the same crew available to you based on where you were.

Speaker 1: 52:21

Well then this thing evolved when we hosted in the next year. So we got our L1s in Boston, then I was in Afghanistan, came back, got back on a Wednesday, we hosted an L1 at our original location. So I get back on Wednesday, they're like, hey, the crew from headquarters is coming in on Thursday, they want to do video, they want to do background, you know, so that they could use it on the site. Yeah, awesome. So you know, and you probably remember these days like I would come back from deployments and I'd have like long hair and a beard, you know. And first thing I did, thursday morning I went and got my hair cut and I shaved my beard, right. So we roll into the gym and it was the most fun. Tony Budding, was it? Tony Savon, I think they were the only two that showed up Thursday to start the process, so that Friday we met them at the gym bright and early and we're doing all this B-roll and some video and things like that for the background. And then Friday night, same protocol coaches started arriving and we had who came in that weekend? We had CrossFit Boston their whole crew showed up.

Speaker 1: 53:40

Crossfit New York City, keith Whitstein and his guys, CrossFit Reston. So Jeff and Maggie Tincture came up with some of their people from Virginia, I think I want to say Doug Chapman, yeah, yeah, doug, sure did. Doug Chapman was at Hyperfit out of Ann Arbor, michigan. So they just, like you know, came into Pittsburgh, had an incredible L1, incredible L1. And this was still kind of cool.

Speaker 1: 54:07

You know, from my perspective it's like little known and doesn't really matter in the big scheme of things. But what crossfit would do and they still do, but quite more back then because of the, I mean, let's face it, you know, 2007 like we hadn't even hit the the halftime in the global war on terror, right, okay, so what they would do was they would scholarship l1s to uh service members, a lot of them from the special operations community, and I do remember vividly where it was like no big deal, no fanfare. But as they would brief media, they would be like, okay, those guys over there they're not in any frames, you know, they're not in video, they're not in photographs. You're like, yeah, right on. You know that was kind of a side note, that that pretty much. No, you want water?

Speaker 2: 54:52

you have a water?

Speaker 1: 54:53

yeah, it's just like allergies I got you, but, um, it was awesome. You know it was awesome. It was something that, like the majority of people didn't have any idea that was going on because of so much electricity and energy, you know, in the room it was, it was wild, but, uh, you know, we just carried that through and and, interestingly enough, this was an l1 right. So just put it in perspective, jennifer and I were included as instructors because we already got our l1s in boston right the year before or however many months. That was from 2006 to 2007, but, um, so we're, we're part of the trainers, okay, so now what was happening was like you did at your L1, every group was. The class was broken up into groups.

Speaker 2: 55:38

Yep circles.

Speaker 1: 55:39

Exactly so. It's like okay, I'm with so many others in this group and Jen's with so many others coaching that, training that group, that group, that group, that group. Okay, there was another tier. Jeff Tinsher, for example, was in charge of my group. Okay, so we're in charge of the students getting their L1. Jeff is so, in other words, we're evaluating these attendees to get their L1.

Speaker 2: 56:10

He's evaluating you.

Speaker 1: 56:12

He's evaluating us to get our L2. Headquarters staff is evaluating him to get his L3. Oh, wow, all at the same time. That's a lot, right, all at the same time. And this was Greg Glassman, nicole Carroll, dave Castro, castro, tony Budding, savan I mean, yeah, like all the OGs and I don't remember who all else was, but again like so, keith Whitstein, neil Thompson from Boston, doug Chapman, and just so, so wild, so wild, jeff and Maggie Tinsher. You know, like I said, and as this thing evolved and what was funny too, just on a personal note, it was a grind, because, you know, flying back on Wednesday still just jet lagged. So Thursday we're running around getting you name it folding chairs, tables, getting everything ready, getting the space in order. What was very, very, very cool, though, was there were so many trainers set up, and, as you can imagine, when you're only doing these so many times every you know year or every few months on a calendar there were a lot of attendees, so they brought in a lot of trainers. Right, the the student to instructor ratio was was good. So at a local restaurant near our first location, we hosted a trainer's dinner. They came in, we had a briefing. Everybody goes off to the restaurant. We had a, you know big trainer's dinner at uh, you know, carnivores in oakmont it's, it's a neighborhood place, pretty cool, like we took over like half of it, you know, reserve that for the thing.

Speaker 1: 57:49

Roll in early saturday morning, um, one of my teammates and this is just how funny it is when you're like a little kid inside you know you're in your 40s but you're still a little kid, right? One of my dear friends and teammates was flying in from afghanistan the day after me, so he would be around no two days, he'd be arriving on friday. And I'm like hey man, um, and. And the day after me, so he would be no two days, he'd be arriving on Friday. And I'm like hey man, and the girlfriend of another teammate was flying in. So those two met at the airport. I was like listen, I'll come get you. And Ken's like aren't you going to have a lot to do? He's like we'll take a car. I was like no, no, no, no, I'm coming to get you. No, no, I'm coming to get you. I wouldn't have it any other way. We're so busy Friday. I'm like there's no way I'm going to get out of here, right? So I call the car service. And again, this is like no Uber, it's all before that. I call the car service, have them at the gate at the time, pick them up and bring them to the gym. And so we had house guests. He and I are both just rung out because we're still on Afghanistan time and we're at the gym zero dark 30 to open up because everybody's coming in to get this thing started. So we participate, we're being evaluated, we're teaching Sunday, same thing, you know, boom.

Speaker 1: 59:02

Well, now it comes time that, like the L2 candidates, us, we're being debriefed by the L3 candidates who observed us all weekend. And I'll never forget Jeff Tinch. I'm watching everybody get called, get called. Jeff's like Mike, come on over. So I go over and the first thing out of his mouth he goes okay, he's like.

Speaker 1: 59:24

So it has to be hard when you're being evaluated and you're hosting, and I don't know why. The first thought that crossed my mind was well, I'll get it next time. You know like, I'm thinking like. That's his way of saying like you just didn't do it, you know, and probably due to fatigue, I'm thinking like that, a little sluggish, and he's like but you did it. He's like really good job all the way around. You had some good talking points, you know, uh, things to work on, things you did well, things you need to, but he's like overall, good job. You know, good job got your l2, so hey, you're super like that's. You know, at that time that's like a big deal. You know it's at any time it's a big deal.

Speaker 1: 1:00:01

But the way they they did that I thought was very, very cool. You know, just an interesting part of the process. But looking back and I say this a lot like when you guys got yours, yeah, the difference between then and now is is wild, because I think what's happened is they have refined it to such a point, right, and it's no longer well, who's available, why I, you know what. I can't say that I'm not on the back, on the inside anymore like that, but it is a matter of who's available geographically. Yeah, but you're pulling, you're drawing from the same pool, the same cadre of instructors who are, like you remember, for quite a while, um god, denise used to come here quite a bit, quite a bit.

Speaker 1: 1:00:51

Now she's in a different capacity with hq, but those you know amy um from um, king of prussia. Amy lyons from crossroad, king of prussia. She, she comes here quite a bit and it's, it's really really neat, joe de gain, that he was on this rotation for quite a while and it's. So I, I don't know, I don't want to say comforting, it's not like a hot soup.

Speaker 1: 1:01:14

But, it's neat. It's just neat to have the familiar faces and that return engagement. But that curriculum is so, like you said, it's so tight, it's so well delivered, so well presented. It's a pleasure to watch it. You know, even even though, like if I'm not, if I don't have to take it because I'm current or whatever, you know you can't leave here without being energized, even after you host it yeah you know, it's palpable I remember my biggest fear about everything was like programming.

Speaker 2: 1:01:48

I'm like I don't understand quite yet, Like how do I program workouts and am I?

Speaker 2: 1:01:53

putting the right things in there this, that and the other but between like L1 and L2 and kind of having that condensed thing. And then I like had a job doing boot camp classes where it wasn't at a CrossFit gym and it was like climbers, like people who are used to climbing, wasn't at a crossfit gym and it was like climbers, like people who were used to climbing. One of the interview questions was like how are you going, how will you convince climbers to do these crossfit things? Because we didn't really have the same amount of equipment in the space and I had to improvise and like create.

Speaker 2: 1:02:23

You know so, from what I knew in the space, where I was comfortable, where I knew, you know, everyone kind of knows what we're doing to a certain degree and then taking it out of that and then trying to improvise when you have minimal equipment, how do you create something that everyone gets a benefit across the board? The L2 helped shape that and tighten it up, where I could think a little faster and even just like how do you adapt something if someone can't jump on a 30 inch box?

Speaker 2: 1:02:49

you know things like that. So I think that training really helped me think about timing and then a delivery of like how do you control a class and keep it on task, and all those things. So it's been really helpful, yeah yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 1:03:01

And I think too, the evolution of the, the courses, you know, the evolution of the l1, and again, like I keep, I'll drive this into the ground um, um, no means am I saying what's so much better now. I mean, like, if by better, like more efficient, more streamlined, like there is absolutely no doubt.

Speaker 1: 1:03:21

But even in the beginning, I think one of the things that fascinated me was um being able to hear greg deliver it himself yeah you know and again I mean that just you know due to just growth there comes a point where you're like, well, it's not possible anymore. Yeah, you know, it's just not possible. But to pass that knowledge, you know, from the flow masters to the, and again they'll send, depending on how big the class is usually for an L2, they on how big the class is Usually for an L2, they'll send two people because the L2s are smaller, more focused, more concentrated. But from the newest member, like an intern, that they'll send because they're being evaluated, or will they be part of the cadre, that curriculum. I say and I'm biased, I throw that out right up front, I am biased. I think our curriculum is second to none.

Speaker 1: 1:04:13

Absolutely, and it's funny too, because I do take things maybe too personally sometimes. But how many, if you think back, how many attacks have come directly to CrossFit by people in the fitness space? Oh, you know those moves, some of those moves. I love this part. Well, the thing I don't like about CrossFit is some of those movements are dangerous if you do them wrong. Dissect that. Yeah, I mean no kidding.

Speaker 2: 1:04:41

I mean.

Speaker 1: 1:04:42

If you do them wrong.

Speaker 2: 1:04:42

Yeah, I mean, anything you do wrong, you walk off. I mean I cracked my knuckles doing a 30 inch uh box jump demo, you know and it was. I knew I could clear the box and so I was so focused on like guys, if you want to go for 30, and it was just one of those things where I was like demoing how you know the momentum in the arms. I was a little close, cracked my knuckles, didn't even get to jump like and this was uh last week, so anything can happen right you know like I'm experienced and I can jump right box and I still hit my knuckles and you know, but now it's.

Speaker 1: 1:05:16

It's kind of funny, think about that. See, I told you crossfit's dangerous. Yeah, right, why was it? Um, I was on a training contract for the navy from 2010 to 2012 and I would travel. The curriculum was like, uh, the course, rather, was three weeks and each of two teams would do two to three weeks. So, like when I first started there I was, my team was second and third week. Uh, our sister team was first and third week, right, and then I switched out. Our team took first and third and whatever.

Speaker 1: 1:05:48

But the point being, we get down there, we move to a new part of of the base and they're like hey, you know, we've got this warehouse and we've got all this crossfit equipment coming in. Would you set it up for us? I was like, are you kidding me? Yeah, I'll set it up for you. So I did and, um, I didn't order it right, and again, it was good equipment. It was bumper plates and and kettlebell, what you would expect, and I don't remember the brand name, and this is not a criticism, but you remember, for a while someone had the idea to put out an adjustable box, metal frame, flat top. No, I never saw that.

Speaker 2: 1:06:24

Yeah, you didn't miss anything.

Speaker 1: 1:06:25

You did not miss anything. It was not really practical, I thought, because you know, obviously the top part is heavier than the bottom part, so to adjust it I would I have to make it easier, I'd flip it over, and then I don't remember if they were like the like, the push, like you have on, like, um, some of our, uh, portable squat racks you know you, you like unscrew it, then you pull it right, it was something like that, or like a pin, like a safety kind of thing, don't remember.

Speaker 1: 1:06:55

But the point being, it was a pain, unless it were like two of you. And then you go okay, now you got to get loosen all four, lift it to your height, pin them back. So I would like be in there by myself, I'd turn it upside down, I'd pin at our box on Saturday, so during the week, like once, like, let's say, they released it on Thursday, I'm like all right, I'm going to get to the gym early Friday morning, I'm going to practice, I do mini rounds just to get the flow. Yeah, right. So this particular workout was a barbell movement and box jumps. Couldn't tell you any more than I don't remember, like you said, cracked your knuckles on the box, right. So I'm doing the box jumps, and again it was higher.

Speaker 1: 1:07:40

So, as I'm loading, picture this, I launch. I mean I launch with everything I've got. I catch this pinky finger under the top of the box because it's an open frame underneath. I jump and I catch it as I'm going up. So it goes from here, touches my wrist here, I land on the box and I'm like I'm in. I mean, I'm in tears, right. So first thing I grab it, I pull it and I'm like, oh my God, lessons learned. Bad idea, you know. But what fascinated me after that and during the healing process, how weak my right side, my grip, was like. How much grip strength is in that? A lot finger it was. It was insane. I mean everything you could possibly do barbell work, pull-ups, kettlebells, you know yeah this might as well not have been there.

Speaker 1: 1:08:35

So I'm like, okay, do I do, I do, I do, I tape it what's most conducive, you know. But yeah, little little nuances, like well, let's not do that again. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:08:44

You know I wasn't. I wasn't being anything, I was in pain, I was like holy crap, but uh, I wasn't embarrassed because anything could happen.

Speaker 1: 1:08:51

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:08:52

And normally, if I were doing a 30-inch launch like that I mean I've never done that before Maybe I was just a little off and tired or whatever, but I was like, guys, let's say you are hitting this 30, and it's starting to look wonky, I'm going to ask you to take the box down out of safety. Yeah, and just little adjustments like that, where maybe it's five rounds Well, maybe the first three, you hit the 30. But if it starts to look a little suspect, let's clean it up, but then don't take as long of a break, just keep working.

Speaker 1: 1:09:24

Yeah, things like that, you know yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:09:25

Because some people will try to push through when it's like maybe you should like stop for a second, you know? Or some people will eat the clock up and get a water and walk around and I'm like no why don't you look at the clock and say I'm going to rest for 10 seconds and that's all you get? And you get back to work and like try to condense that for yourself so that you get the most out of it. You know for where you're at.

Speaker 2: 1:09:49

So that's been my like overarching goal as a coach of like what's your mindset today? Of like what's your mindset today? You know, what are you willing to do?

Speaker 1: 1:09:58

Something's hurting, we'll do it.

Speaker 2: 1:09:59

You know you can't do this thing today or you don't have that skill yet, then we're going to really work on that other thing. If it's can't do pull-ups and you're doing ring rows, you're going to do some really good ring rows today.

Speaker 1: 1:10:09

You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 1:10:10

Like don't waste your own time and walk away proud from what you gave to it.

Speaker 1: 1:10:16

Yeah, and I think that kind of circles right back around. And what's just fascinating to me is, it's always been out there just who recognizes it first, who capitalizes on it first, who rather utilizes it first, like you said, what's been put out at the L2, and now back to the reference of how we did our programming. Um, I loved what we put out because I thought emily did a fantastic job. Fantastic again. You know the warm-ups, we still left it up to the individual coach. Well, now you've got, at any given time, 12 to 14 coaches. You know you could have 12 to 14 different warm-ups during the course of a week. So when we went to um the first time it was offered up the crossfit affiliate programming. We took one look at it and we're like whoa, like this, this is our model it's modeled after the l2 exactly exactly to the point to the minute.

Speaker 1: 1:11:20

So now we're looking at it and it was a no-brainer for us, it was a no-brainer for jen and I. I was like, okay, look, let's give this a try, because now you not only have appetizer, main course and dessert right, you have that and you have your timetable to manage it, right from the l2. Yeah, well, why do they teach it at the l2? So we learn it, so we can utilize it? Now it's put out for you in a very user-friendly format. Yeah, and, like you said, you know when the programming comes out for the week, you can look at it, you can study it and you're ready to go. Yeah, you know.

Speaker 1: 1:11:58

And time management, yeah, absolute time management, even to the point that you referenced this earlier in the conversation about. I mean, not only do we scale right the potential from the prescribed to the intermediate to the beginner, but scale in conjunction with the intended stimulus. Bring those two together Now. And even if you added like a nuance of like a time cap right Now, all of a sudden there is no reason and the benefit, I think, is evident. Like, okay, no, no, no, I'm going to go RX, no matter what, super duper, because if the hour is over and the next class is rolling in and you're still on round four out of a five round, six round, wod.

Speaker 2: 1:12:46

You made the wrong choice.

Speaker 1: 1:12:47

You made the wrong choice. You didn't come anywhere near the intended stimulus. Now I'll never say it was a waste of time, yeah, but you didn't maximize that time. You didn't maximize that workout. Right, but you didn't maximize that time. You didn't maximize that workout right. Shoot for the intended stimulus. And I think there's always enough opportunity in the warmup to make sure that you realize like, all right, my volume is too high or that volume is too high. I've got to modify that, even if it's like. I made reference I think it was yesterday to one of the athletes. I was like, when you look at that board and you see RX, x, intermediate and beginner Because sometimes I think people are like Creatures of habit and you look at it and you go, okay, it's either column a, column B or column C, I'm like, yeah, but also look at it like a spreadsheet that you could move cells Right.

Speaker 2: 1:13:36

I'm like you all. No one's doing beginner today.

Speaker 1: 1:13:38

Sorry, but what you can do is you could take the volume of what they're asking for in rx, but maybe this is your weak spot with the run you know, so let's combine those so that you're still like operating at a high level right for where you're at today, exactly, exactly and, and I think too, um, you know you've done it and I didn't. Again, I don't mean like, well, you've done it and I've done it, anybody could do it. I don't mean like that necessarily, yeah, but I do mean at our. And then 40 is not, listen, now that I'm 60, I would love to be 40 again, but at that time time, I mean, I started CrossFit at 40. You started at 40. You can do it, you can absolutely do it.

Speaker 1: 1:14:25

And what's funny too, I appreciate this and I mean what I'm about to say sincerely. When you made reference to like you know, I was 50, and we're at the old gym and you're watching me, you know, move the weights I was moving. I got to tell you right back at you, because I've watched, you know, through social media from your posts being here, and I'm watching you moving these weights and I'm like right on, right on Now, if it was 20 year old Byron, I'd be like right on, yeah, but not for me. Yeah, you know, I think when you throw it out like that, though, that's, that's the essence of the community, you know, like you kind of feed off of one another's energy, you, you, that you get motivation.

Speaker 2: 1:15:04

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:15:05

You know even and I've said this a lot you remember old blast from the past. You remember. Chris Nolan. Yes, so you know. He and his wife came to train with us in early years, early years, and I'll never forget he was like OK, he said, you know, really going to give this a try. I've seen it online Very interested, and he was like look, I have a. I believe he was like IT at CMU and he's like I sit all day.

Speaker 1: 1:15:38

He's like I don't really, you know, I'm not active.

Speaker 1: 1:15:39

I need to get back at it. I need to. And watching him progress he and his wife both was a pleasure. It was an absolute pleasure. And he had shared this with me once. I thought was really neat. He said you know, my wife has tried several different programs over the years and he was like this is the only one she ever stuck with. And he's like it's because of your wife, it's because of Jennifer, the energy that she brings to the classes.

Speaker 1: 1:16:04

And I've always said this and again I don't want to get hate mail from Peloton or anything like that, but I think it's a great concept. I think anything is better than not training. I think they might have hit the market and there's a lot of similar. I think Lululemon even makes one like some kind of magic mirror, mirror on the wall or something and it's better than not training at all. But I think, as far as training overall and I'm the biggest gadget nerd I don't know if you are or not, but if something's electronic, if it's a gadget I got to see it that's great. But I also look at it like this. You know, unless you can actually give me feedback, and I don't mean come on, let's go.

Speaker 1: 1:16:45

That's not feedback, that's encouragement, right, and it's great, you know, it's wonderful. But you know, I look at something like that and I do believe that that brand hit a niche when it was most needed, niche when it was, uh, most needed, and it's like, okay, well, people can't go out. You know, now we're all at home and and that's that's super, but no one will ever convince me that it comes close to the energy you feel when you're in a space. Um, man, I don't think I can do another rep, come on, you got this almost there. I could record that myself, yeah, and I could listen to it on, uh, you know, like run to cadence, you know, whatever, it's not that, you know, it's the, it's the, it's the vibe, it's the feel, it's the sound. You know, I mean even doing the uh, the open, I mean how many times you, over the years, you and I are like, hey, what are we doing today? Yeah, we're going, we're looking at it like we're gonna, we're doing this, you know, but just to be able, even if we're not in the same heats, if we are in the same heats even just being able to look over at a glance and you're like, right, you know, like we're still moving, we're still in it, there is, there is something palpable there, you know. So, um, no, I mean, I, I taking all things the way they've evolved, because it is, it's a process. It's like been the evolution of crossfit, you know, and one of the things that I know, you know, within the community there's always, you know, like, who's on what side of of this or that.

Speaker 1: 1:18:12

But I, I do recall, not too long ago, I mean, look at the games, whoever thought the first year of the games was it 2007, maybe I think it was um, I was deployed and they're, they're announced like they're coming up, they're coming up right, and it was a literally man, it was a gathering at dave castro's family ranch, you know. And I remember looking at it on the calendar and I'm like, oh my god, that is so much fun because back then, a lot of those folks we knew because there weren't that many affiliates and I think maybe some of the ones we didn't know direct contact would be the west coast people yeah, you know, but I was like, oh my god, that'd be so much fun. And at the time, you know, the life was different.

Speaker 1: 1:18:59

Right, our kids were little Michael hell, he was like two years old, maybe you know, but at that time I was like okay, so we had here in Pittsburgh two sets of grandparents, a set of great grandparents, all still mobile, agile, ready to go take the kids. I mean, our plan was I'm going to register, maybe Jen's going to register, but at a minimum she'll fly out there and meet me, I'll fly directly there. We're going. And then I got extended so I didn't make it, and I say this with all humility. That would have been my only chance to make it to the games, right, because that's when you had to register, like you register on time, you just show up, you know once it.

Speaker 1: 1:19:45

and that first games, if you recall, was like the basics of CrossFit.

Speaker 2: 1:19:52

There was a trail run.

Speaker 1: 1:19:52

There was the total, the CrossFit total, and then the third event was a hopper workout where they you know pulled rep schemes.

Speaker 1: 1:19:58

The third event was a hopper workout where they, you know, pulled rep schemes and and movements out of a hopper boom and it was wild. Yeah you know, I mean that would have been like I don't know, like the invention of a light bulb sitting next to thomas edison when it happened, yeah you know. So that was very, very cool the way that came out, but then the way it evolved from the um, from from those days to uh the one and only year I think it was 2010 when we did the uh sectionals yeah right, fun, but you know again, kind of separate, you know.

Speaker 1: 1:20:34

and then 2011, I think the first year of the open, and then every year since then, and I do recall before greg, uh, before greg left, he had already kind of started uh, a movement back, for lack of a better way to say it and in his own words, and I remember this, he was like look, the games aren't going anywhere, we're not doing away with them, we are just really kind of re-energizing, re-emphasizing a return to why we started CrossFit in the first place. It is for everybody. You know, and I think you know have we gotten tremendous exposure from the games?

Speaker 2: 1:21:14

Absolutely yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:21:16

Absolutely One of my favorite CrossFit Pittsburghittsburgh stories is um, the panchecks, you know, uh, uh, dave, uh, dave, pancheck brought his uh, scott, shay, well, all of them at one point. But as I recall, the first visit scott was um, I want to say a freshman in college, the, his younger sister, and then the twins, and the twins were little boys, I mean, they were small, you know and um brings them in for a workout and we're like, hey, all right, you know, good group, great family. And then, a little bit, they brought the older brother at one time and this and that steve and um wild to see that evolution. And then scott gets to the games, like boom, boom, boom, year after year, world class athlete. Then you know spencer and saxon, you're like holy smokes, amazing, absolutely amazing, you know. So you know the games will always be uh, and this was this was funny too, I guess when you're that old, like you know, hey, grandpa, tell me whatever war it was you lived through, you know. But, um, we had gone the year we did uh, sectionals, we go to regionals, blake, and one of our coach number one, you know, is jen and I, and then blake was our first actual coach. That was a original member. Yeah, so we both competed at uh sectionals. He advanced to regionals and this was funny too, just as like nostalgia, right, I was supposed to go back on deployment.

Speaker 1: 1:22:53

I would not be able to compete, but I was training with him the weeks leading up to it and I was like, look, we'd come in between classes, just he and Jen and I and she's putting the programming together. And I really looked at it for his sake or his purposes. Rather, I looked at it like I was a sparring partner. I'm like, dude, I'm not competing, but I'm going to train right alongside you because I think that's going to give you a little bit more. You have a push. So, long story short. Um, you know my father had passed away in 2009. Uh, coming up on sectionals in 2010, my mom's health had taken a turn, so I extended my time off. Well, when I extended, the first thing I did was registered. So the next day we get into train. He's like, oh, he's like.

Speaker 2: 1:23:40

I saw you registered.

Speaker 1: 1:23:41

I said, yeah, change of plans, I am going to be here, and I think the disservice that I did was training with him. I was training with the mindset of a sparring partner, like it's not my fight, I just got to put out to get him to push harder. Uh, it's not my fight, I'm not competing. Yeah, I think they took the top 60 men and women. I was 61. I'm like that stung, that stung a little bit, you know, like one more rep, you know a little bit faster, but it was still. It was. It was incredible, you know, and um, so we get, we get to the regionals. It was at a farm. It was all outdoor Thank God for the weather right, all outdoor, logan, ohio, like we were Pennsylvania, delaware and Maryland and our section and whatever Virginia. So those sections came together for our region. We rented a place out in Logan Ohio for the weekend. We get there.

Speaker 1: 1:24:35

So as we're driving in, I can only imagine this must have been like um, um, like woodstock or something like that for fitness, you know, like we drive in and there's this huge field for parking, and then everybody kind of had their little villages set up, you know, with their folding chairs and tents and whatnot. So who do we walk by? But the crew from crossfit reston. Right, jeff, tincture, maggie, and as we're, they're like hey, yeah, we saw you guys pull up. You know good to see you. You know, blah, blah, blah. We're making small talk and, real matter of fact, jeff says hey, guys, I'd like to introduce you to someone. He was a kid, he was a kid, he goes, he just started training with us. He's in, you know, high school. I think this is ben smith and I'm like hey nice to meet.

Speaker 1: 1:25:20

I'm like nice to meet you, ben. Ben goes on to win the games. You know um that same competition. Doug chapman from hyperfit was the head judge. Jennifer was always one of the judges wherever you know we would go. So, uh, they do the coaches briefing, they do the athletes briefing, everything's great. There's a cross-country run where you could see that the course was laid out. So we're at the starting line, right?

Speaker 1: 1:25:49

and there's really no judges for a cross-country run. Yeah, it's like you, either. You start here, you end there. What one point. It was almost if, if not a perfect figure eight there was a crossover right. Then at one point the runners would be at the base of this pretty steep, muddy hill. They'd pick up sandbags you know men's weight on the left, women's on the right They'd pick them up, carry them to the top of the hill, drop them and continue to run right.

Speaker 1: 1:26:20

So at one point, doug Jenen and I and I wasn't judging, but I was hanging out with him during the cross country doug jen and I are standing there and he's like, hey, you know what he's like, if we head through these trees, we can get to the next phase and we could see them take the hill super. So we do. Then he's like, hey, if we continue this way, we'll see him as they come out of the tree line to the clearing, you knowada, yada. So we do. We get out there and we're standing together making small talk and Doug's a good, good dude, right.

Speaker 1: 1:26:45

All of a sudden, this attractive female athlete comes smoking by. Real matter of fact. Doug looks at us and he goes. Who knew my girl could run? And we're like, yeah, right on, it's someone from his gym, super, it's julie fouché. So you know what I mean. Like this is when who knew my girl could run? Like she is so new to the sport at the time.

Speaker 1: 1:27:08

Ben was so new to the sport he wasn't even old enough to compete at the time and and these athletes go on to literally sc, scott, his brothers, you know, become like you know CrossFit athletes, games, caliber, who are like. Everybody knows those names. If you're in the community you know who they are. So to have been a part of it long enough to see that evolve, I kind of put that on like one, like one cubby of the CrossFit, you know cubby unit, right. Like one cubby of the crossfit, you know cubby unit, right. Then the other one is like coaches, athletes that that developed here with us that have become coaches, you know. And I remember, like when we you know, it's not like um well, I don't know.

Speaker 1: 1:27:50

It's not that we're not selective, but you know we don't give the l1s and l2s the those scholarships. We don't give them out like their skittles either. You know, like we don't go man, we reallys. And L2s, those scholarships, we don't give them out like they're skittles either. We don't go man, we really need another coach. How about it? Was the energy that you brought Watching you train, watching the enthusiasm, and I'll tell you the impression you made on me again listening to your schedule. And you're like man. I closed at four, you're in here getting after it at 9, especially at that old location.

Speaker 2: 1:28:22

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:28:22

Holy smokes, listen. You know what we probably all deserve like a pat on the back for training in that building, you know.

Speaker 2: 1:28:28

Well, I just assumed that that's what it was. I was like it's just kind of gritty and you just work hard, know, like that kind of very aligned with me, and you know, I just I didn't know, you know I listen I. That was an accident that I showed up there. I was to put.

Speaker 2: 1:28:42

I bartended the night before you guys did the saturday morning right kind of like little tryout thing and made a pack with two other co-workers because some guy was walking around trying to like give discounts to people in the area, the businesses in the area. It was a different gym I was like you guys want to try this and I'm like I'll do it if you will you know, like it's tomorrow, we all close.

Speaker 2: 1:29:04

They're like, yeah, man, we can do this. I'm like, well, we're not going to stay after and have beers. We got to get out of here. I'm the only one who showed up and I walked in and you were coaching that. That group, like the regular class, was going on. There was a small one and you're like can I help you? I was like, yeah, I was looking for some friends here and I was like I don't see them, though. I'm literally about the back out of the garage. I'm like my bad man. You're like, no, come on in. I was like, no, here I am suffering through like workout and I'm like I thought I was in shape and then I realized I wasn't fit yeah like there was a difference, like I could still lift things and I was in

Speaker 2: 1:29:40

shape, but I wasn't fit. And then I came back the next week by myself and then I did one more week. I said this seems like something you would have to commit to. And there was a lady there was like pull-ups in there and I could do pull-ups but I couldn't. I had never done like 50 pull-ups, you know, or three rounds of however many pull-ups. And she was much older than me and she was banging these pull-ups out and I was so inspired by her that I'm like I got to try this, you know. And then that's when I signed up. It was just like I tried out the weekend the little trial thing, three weeks in a row, and then I just committed.

Speaker 1: 1:30:21

It is kind of wild too, because I do believe. And getting back to Chris, you know how that whole thing brought up One of the things he dropped on me and I was like man, I'm never thought about that, never thought about it. So it kind of made me feel good that I didn't think about it. But he goes. You know, one of the things I respect most about the way you guys do business or you do your thing. I was like what's that? And he said you know and and and, oh my God, the first website we ever had, ever, I want to say it was like a variation of of, uh, yahoo, something or other.

Speaker 1: 1:30:50

It was horrible, but it was industry at the time. Like you do it yourself, you know you. You know you. It was like, um, almost like a blog. Like you would have to change the entire page to elicit a change or eliminate this paste this. So very, very primitive. But once we started to get a little bit more on social media and this kind of surprised me. But then in hindsight it didn't. It's right out there all the time, but you know I didn't key on it. He was like you know what impresses me the most? He's like you guys show, you post pictures of everyone yeah, and I'm like, instead of just the upper tier you know, what was crazy, though, was I was like okay, and he goes.

Speaker 1: 1:31:28

No, I mean, he's like, if you check out some of the other spots, some of the other locations, even regular globo gyms, those aren't even their members. Those are stock photos. You know he's like they. You post the pictures of, like the pretty people he's like you don't, you post everybody. And I was like wow, and I tell you I was a little bit taken aback by it because I was like you know not sure what to do with that. I mean, like I guess I and I was, I was, I was pleased that I was like well, it didn't even occur, not to never, it was never a thing because like this is, these are our people, this is our crossfit pittsburgh community and I guess, had I thought about it long term, that would be kind of cool. And you know it happened anyway. Because what happens is, as you look back through the digital archives over and over and over, you see pictures of members when they're like, oh my god, look at that. You know that's when they first started. You know, look at them now, like that type of thing.

Speaker 1: 1:32:22

But I think you know, uh, one of my other favorite stories. You know. That's why, like, one of the things I really want to do with this, with this podcast, is bring the coaches in, like this one at a time, and hear their story. Yeah, you know, and how it, how like we affected. You know, uh, I don't know, symbiotically right, like, yeah, we feed off each other's energy.

Speaker 1: 1:32:43

You know, uh, rachel mitlow, I mean I will never forget her husband came in, talked to jen, and this was how clean, clear cut it was the intent. He's like, hey, my wife's got a high school reunion in two months. She wants to get in shape. I found this online, you know, crossfit found your gym. He's like, got to tell you, though, once that reunion's over, you'll probably never see her again. It was something like that, almost to the word. Jen's like, hey, that's fine, okay, fast forward. Not only did she achieve her short-term goals, you know, getting ready for the reunion, she became a member to do that. She stayed with us. Beyond that, she became one of our coaches, you know, attended her L1. Still here to this day. I mean, like, those are the stories that you're just like okay, so 12 years, 13, 14, 15, 19. It's, you know, that was the old. You know CrossFit, hey, drink the Kool-Aid.

Speaker 1: 1:33:48

I'm like well, if that's what it is so be it.

Speaker 2: 1:33:51

I think part of it too is like you get, it's not like a comfortable thing, that's like the wrong word, but like I've had other gyms try to pull me and they're like I'm like I'm not. I don't roll that way you know what I mean Like I have a loyalty to certain situations because, honestly, I wouldn't even been a coach if it weren't for you guys. I wasn't looking to coach. Mind of my own business a coach minding my own business?

Speaker 1: 1:34:20

yeah, I was, I remember how it happened.

Speaker 2: 1:34:22

I think you know I took jen's class the most and, um, it was one of those things where I was working a lot, so I wasn't sure what the schedule was, but I knew there was an l1 coming up on the weekend. I just didn't want to show up, if you know the gym's locked down for that I was like, hey, there's that l1 this weekend.

Speaker 2: 1:34:36

You guys are, we're closed, right. She's like why did you want to like, are you interested in coaching? I was like, oh, no, no, no, no, I just didn't want to show up looking stupid, you know. And she was like, oh, my god, you'd be a great coach. And I was like, yeah, no like I'm like almost backing up from her, like no, that is not what I was asking right and she's like let me text mike.

Speaker 2: 1:34:55

And I'm like, no, I don't know, not at all. And then that's how that came about. It was just me not making sure that I wasn't showing up when there was an l1 right and she like had a light bulb go on and then I took the l1.

Speaker 2: 1:35:08

You know I was really nervous about it and then I I got it and it was at that time a big confidence booster because my job had burned up. It's kind of going through money troubles and things were like really stressful. It was like the one little thing that I did.

Speaker 2: 1:35:22

It was way outside of my comfort zone, that like, all right, I did that and then I didn't even coach Cause I had people ask me to help them work out all the time. I'm like I'm not really qualified guys. I can come over my house and we can do some stuff, but stuff, but I'm not a coach. Then I got the l1 and just came to class like a regular you know um member and then I think jen asked me to cover a class one time I was super nervous because, again out of context, these are the people I'm used to working out with right I've never had to lead them in anything.

Speaker 2: 1:35:50

And then I'm like how do you lead a class if this person can do muscle ups? But you can't do that yet. You know what?

Speaker 1: 1:35:56

I mean like how do you?

Speaker 2: 1:35:57

find the sweet spot where you're coaching across the board. And then that's when I really started getting into the idea of it and I remember I didn't want to bartend anymore. I was like so super over it, just, you know, pushing through it. And there's this whole thing about like whatever you speak, you know, kind of becomes a reality and like how you view yourself. And I was always telling people like if I met someone, they'd be like oh, what's your name? By or no, what do you do? A lot of bartend.

Speaker 2: 1:36:24

I would always say that because I was getting all the results that come with being a bartender you know whether you're drinking too much or you're up too late, or you know all the things, the people you date. And then one time I was working and that they were like oh, you're really in good shape.

Speaker 2: 1:36:39

You know you're a trainer. I was like, yeah, I'm a personal trainer, said it, never trained anybody before, just kind of put that identity into the universe. Got my first client and then she was a hairdresser. She got in shape and they were like girl, what's up with your legs? Why did that happen? And they were like yeah, there's this guy Byron. I got the l2 after that, like I got the l2 in 2021 you know, yeah, it was like march of 2021.

Speaker 2: 1:37:03

By then I had like 15 clients and I would have never have gone that direction I've never seen it and now it's like one of the my favorite things that I do because, yeah, I didn't realize how much I liked helping people find out their greatness. That's sort of like my overarching thing, like, oh, you got more than you. There's only 40 seconds left Push.

Speaker 2: 1:37:22

And then they do it, and then they feel great and I would have never seen that had Jen not opened that it was a very small window for that to happen, and that's what has me here now.

Speaker 1: 1:37:33

Well, that's cool.

Speaker 1: 1:37:34

That's very cool because I do remember when Jen was like hey, and what's funny too, and this is the thing that I will always respect about CrossFit, and over the years too.

Speaker 1: 1:37:43

I think it's no secret, I mean, crossfit is no stranger to its own controversies and it's detractors, and it's disturbing and I know you and I have sometimes very sporadic impromptu like philosophical conversations, you know, and I think that is one thing that is disappointing, like it's a trend right now that I see a lot on YouTube, particularly, and maybe it's the fallout from the global war on terror, withdrawal from Afghanistan, whatever you want to call it. But there are former military service members who have all gone on as entrepreneurs and you know written books and done their own things. And man, kudos, you know, kudos to you because you know the, the. I think the saddest thing to do would be like I've at least me personally, man, you know I love old stories, you know, but I never want to be that guy who's still wearing like, let's say, like his practice jersey from his high school football team and he's standing on the sidelines at every football game yelling when I was here well, you're not anymore chief.

Speaker 1: 1:38:43

You know you want to. You know, reminisce over a coffee or a beer, right on, I'll do that with you, but you live there. Then it's bitter and it's angry and it's it's not going anywhere, you know. But um, what would? The disturbing trend I'm noticing is you know, you've got all of these folks who have served their country. You have gone on and opened their own businesses, or their own, uh, you know, taking on new endeavors. Great, here's my two cents. We get a hundred views on this. We get one view on this, so be it yeah right.

Speaker 1: 1:39:18

But what's amazing to me is some of these uh individuals who've gone on and done well if you don't like their content, don't click the play button right but now there's like a backlash and it's disturbing. There's a backlash where there are these little for lack of a better word these little fucking minions are coming out and they're discrediting, like systematically discrediting, these individuals and I'm like okay, chief, here's the deal. One I don't know who you are. I may not know, let's say, I may not know Jocko personally, but by first degree. But I'll tell you.

Speaker 1: 1:39:53

One of the things that I respect is as I listened to some of his work, his old work. They start talking and every once in a while they'll drop names usually first names, right, and they attended this memorial service. And I'm like, right on, man, that guy was a teammate of mine, I worked with him and what it does, you know, for me is I'm like okay, now you speak to a guy's character, you know, was he part of his command or did he know him personally? We knew him personally. How did he know him? In what context? Now we're on the same page. You know one of the guys that he referred to once and it kind of chokes me up, but I still have a fucking voicemail of his on my phone that I can't get rid of, because on the voicemail he's talking to me and he's like hey rock and he starts, he says something and he starts laughing.

Speaker 1: 1:40:41

And Scotty had this laugh. It didn't matter where you were or what was happening. He starts laughing. Everybody starts laughing because it was contagious, you know. So to me I'm like, okay, man, hang on, I'm not going to get all silly about this. But it's like you know, you don't talk shit about one of my friends you know, now again by proxy, but I guess I'm getting sidetracked.

Speaker 1: 1:41:01

But the whole point is what is it about? Human nature and some people? That's like man, you know, I like byron, but you know what, and he's getting a little too successful now I don't.

Speaker 2: 1:41:14

The hell is wrong with you that's just reflection of them not being successful. That's just mirroring. Usually we find something with somebody else that kind of irks us. It might actually naturally irk you but, there's probably something inside that's related. That's why we're seeking it out. We can see it. Plus, you know jealousy is just a natural kind of human thing. Yeah, well, I think that's it. I do it out, we can see it.

Speaker 1: 1:41:37

plus, you know, jealousy is just a natural kind of human thing yeah, well, I think that's it, I, I do, and again, it's almost winning, then that means it's just making you look at where you're losing, right?

Speaker 2: 1:41:43

you know what I mean like that I've dealt with that before where people like that guy's really arrogant, I'm like, I'm not arrogant, but like as a you know, I always I talk to my son about him. Like you know, when we're growing up, they tell us as kids we can do anything we want and we're spectacular, and you get a star and just do your best and all these things and you start believing in yourself. And then you become a teenager, into adulthood, and then you're feeling yourself and you're arrogant. You need to shrink it and be small. It's like wait, I thought I was supposed to feel good about myself and so it's like a weird thing.

Speaker 1: 1:42:18

You're like feel good good, but don't feel too good. Right, do well, don't do better than me, don't stand out, you'll draw attention. You know what I mean and so I think that's just like human nature and like an insecurity thing too, and attention right, and I think the crazy part of it is too, and this was, you know, again out of the mouths of babes, right when I had the you, you obviously, you know, you're one of the first people I went to and I was like hey man, let me run this by you.

Speaker 1: 1:42:38

In a way maybe, maybe subconsciously, I was hoping you'd say no, yeah, don't do it. You know you don't want to run with the pack, you know that type of thing, but you know you didn't. And I guess the conscious part of me realized like no man, this is the guy to talk to, because get after it. What, what? You got a story to tell. You have a story put it out there. Um, interestingly enough, you know, I told my wife and you know, you know jen very well. I told her and, as you can imagine, the first thing she said she was like oh my god, what are you going to say? I'm like, what am I going to say? I'm going to tell the most embarrassing stories I can think of.

Speaker 1: 1:43:11

I'm like, what it's about the community, as long as this thing focuses and doesn't stray from its, uh, intended path? I want to talk about CrossFit Pittsburgh as an entity, as a community, and I mean this in the best positive way, as a tribe, because I believe too, when you look at certain, you know, oftentimes a group is a tribe, you know, and if you don't have common interests, you don't gravitate towards it, you certainly don't stay with it. You know, and look at how diverse I mean my God you have, you know, older people, younger people, every size, shape, demographic, political leaning.

Speaker 2: 1:43:52

Level. You know Right, Physical level yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:43:55

And I mean some of the most interesting. We had a lady here don't know. Do you remember rafaela? In a million years I've never known any. She custom made like hand makes um custom dolls right and the first time I saw like on social media or was, I guess it was her um, what's it called? Like when you post to social media the picture that comes up.

Speaker 1: 1:44:22

Like that, you know of yeah, so whatever that is, like your, your avatar or lack of a better word. I first see a message from her and I can't tell what it is because I'm looking at it on my phone and it's smaller. Well, then I see it on my laptop and I'm like what in the world is that? I expand on the picture and it is this handmade, hand-painted, hand-crafted doll dressed in like a handmade outfit, and I'm like, and she'll do different lines like in the series, and these were, um, like almost like a fairy tale, like you know, it's like the pixie ears and the. You know the shapes and things like that. And I, you know, I said to jenna I was like hey, check, did you? She's like oh my god, you didn't know that. She's like yeah, evidently she is like quite famous, you know, that's her thing. Like she custom. She's like look at her website wild.

Speaker 1: 1:45:12

I mean, that to me is like fascinating because it's so different yeah you know, and I think sometimes too, um, you know whether it's like fascinating because it's so different. You know, and I think sometimes too, you know whether it's, you know, military government service, a workplace. Sometimes I think there's a tendency to keep the blinders on, and you know, I don't know anybody who doesn't do what I do. Yeah, you know, now, here we all do CrossFit, but the backgrounds, like the community that we have, is fascinating, yes, absolutely fascinating, and I do love the fact how, you know, no matter everybody's kind of. I don't know, it's cliche to say it's all welcoming, it's supportive, but if you think about that, I don't ever recall, you know, and I think the reason I'm kind of answering my own question, you know, and I think the reason I'm kind of answering my own question, I think the reason I don't recall it, is because the folks who are not inclusive, welcoming, and you know, have like that kind of heart. They don't last. You know, it's just for whatever reason, it's just not for me.

Speaker 1: 1:46:08

Great, you're probably right. Yeah, you know. So it's just been. I mean, you know, the last 19 years have been wild. The community has gone through a lot of change and, like I say right now, you know again, you know social media, right, I'm on YouTube, I'm doing my thing and I see this video. It's like CrossFit's for sale. I'm like okay, so I guess this is what happens, and it's why are we surprised? You know, now we'll see what happens. I mean, that's the unknown.

Speaker 2: 1:46:37

It's still business at the end of the day, so any of that's very possible. You know what I mean. Like it's just the evolution of things.

Speaker 1: 1:46:43

Exactly right. So you know again. I mean, we're still here, you know, let's see what happens. You know, 19 years from now, yeah, you know, maybe well, I'm not going to We'll be older. I mean you work out.

Speaker 2: 1:46:56

We'll be older and gray.

Speaker 1: 1:46:59

We'll be older and gray and we'll do this again and we'll reference it. But now, man, I mean we've been at this for a while. I'm sure you've been oh my gosh, yeah, coming up on two hours. But, brother, it's a pleasure talking with you. Thanks for being here, man, I appreciate. All right, guys, check it out. Video available on YouTube and audio available on Spotify and Apple. All right out?