Glassman’s List

In the early 2000s, the founder of CrossFit, Greg Glassman, often could be caught telling prospective clients that they should make a list of all the things they wanted to improve in their life outside of the gym, place it in an envelope, and put it under their pillow for a year.

“Progress further at work.. Be more financially successful.. Feel more confident.. Be a better father.. Etc. And, you know there’s something funny about functional fitness,” he’d say. “A year after training constantly varied functional movement at high intensity, they’d see that somehow all these things they’d written down got better.”

We know this deep down. There’s a ripple effect with training. Sure, get stronger and improve your running times. But, it somehow affects everything else outside of the gym, too. 

Yesterday, I was on a Zoom call with some remarkable people, including the warden of Colorado’s largest penitentiary and I learned something new. In Utah, recidivism rates fall by 90% when a parolee and his/her parole officer complete more than three workouts together. 

How is that possible?

Fitness is an inquiry into the Self. Since it’s this (capital S) Self that we take with us into every corner of our lives, the things you inquire about, reflect on, and improve upon with the Self will pay dividends well beyond the walls of the gym. 

If you were to make Glassman’s list, what would go on yours?