Via Allyson:
So, my friend says to me today, "I told my personal trainer about your
205 lift and they said that they would never, ever have me lift a
weight like that, and that people shouldn't be lifting that heavy,
unless they are training for Olympic lifting. In all my 8-9 years of
being certified every year, I would never do that. Catalyst is sketchy
and I don't trust them."
I just shrugged my shoulders, I didn't want to get into it with her.
(above, right: the picture that started it all?)
But
after, I wondered how she has my friend train, and how the hell does
she know that I am not training for the Olympics? This is also the
trainer she told me smokes cigarettes with her after working out, so
she is questionable anyways.
I wonder if Watson thinks that he is
wrong for getting me started on dead lifts, or if you feel badly for
having congratulating me on scoring that 205?
By the way, I lifted 220 yesterday….
Thanks for being sketchy, Chris.
Above: more Catalyst family sketchiness. First HSPUs for Lori and Palma!
I wrote about the pitfalls of competence last September. Some folks, after receiving training in one area, spend the rest of their careers defending that one point. Unfortunately, progress – in life, in work, in fitness – means frequent exposure to situations at which you aren't efficient. Yes, it's uncomfortable. That's the point.This is why we choose achievement first, and aesthetic second. This is why our coaches have their own coaches. This is why we put our daily workouts online – free – every single day. This is why, instead of dangling the juicy worm, we show you the pointy hook. Right off the bat. Above: after running her first full mile, Carolle works her way up to 265 on the Deadlift Ladder. Definitely sketchy.
We have to start from a position of honesty, because we're asking a lot of you. Honesty means exposing weakness – our own, your own. Things get REALLY honest around rep #52 of a 75-rep snatch workout. If you don't trust your coach absolutely, it's over. It's bedrock, or it's nothing.
"How much can you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?" – Tyler Durden, Fight Club
We're building habits. This is why we track performances. This is why we make appointments. This is why OnRamp is 21 days long. This is why we make it fun. Most members call it 'addiction.' We call it lifestyle.Is there a good way, a better way, and a best way? Yes, we think so. Is there a 'right way' and a 'wrong way?' No. However, a 'personal trainer' who smokes is pretty close to one of those.