My Big Lie

To be completely transparent, I’ve had an agenda as a coach. Behind the scenes, I’ve been trying to be excellent at disarming CrossFit and strength training. I needed to be well versed in more than just that, of course. I do extensive work to develop my public speaking skills, my understanding of movement, and ability to create meaningful training for people. The thing that I secretly tried to specialize in, however, was removing fear and misperception about a very misunderstood wellness practice.

For much of my coaching career, I’ve tried to change people’s minds towards thinking, “Maybe this is normal.” In my view, lifting weights, basing fitness merit on one’s measurable work capacity, and wanting to improve one’s movement skillset is very normal.

Today I’m quitting this pursuit. I was wrong. This stuff isn’t normal. In fact, there’s nothing normal about women deadlifting twice their bodyweight. Men pressing kegs overhead is abnormal.

Do you know what’s normal? Normal is death. Unfortunately, it’s not even a quick one. Normal is mild chronic pain until you die. Never being able to do the things you could do when you were twenty years old ever again is normal. If you went to the grocery store and closed your eyes and picked your dinner items at random every night, based on what normal food options we have today, you’d need medical intervention and drugs to keep you alive. That’s normal.

I have to be more authentic as a coach, because as a coach you are an example. So, no.. this isn’t normal. I guess I’m OK with that, though, because in 2016 the most normal existence is to be an incapable man or woman who’s in pain, overweight, and on drugs.

I’ll pass.

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach