I didn’t always love fitness but I do now.
In the fall of 2009 I pulled a calf muscle playing flag football. Yeah I know, that’s pretty lame (pardon the pun). Then I got fat. A gluttonous holiday season, a lack of inactivity because of the injury, and a soon-to-be diagnosed low testosterone condition all combined to create a perfect storm for an expanding waistline. The scary part is it only took about 4 months to go from a lifelong lean tennis player to a pudgy dad bod. Something needed to change.
The first time I did anything that could be called a CrossFit workout was March 10th, 2010. I hated working out. At least in any traditional form. I loved sports and games but hated the gym. So I did what any self respecting man did that needed to get ripped back in 2009… I tried P90X. That lasted about 3 minutes. Mostly because it sucked.
So I walked out my back door one day and decided I was just gonna make some shit up. I created what has to be the world’s most incredible workout/obstacle course and called my brother Mark over to race me. A race is fun. It’s a game, a challenge against someone else. It’s like a sport and I LOVED sports. All of them. Except NASCAR because that isn’t a sport even though ESPN and most Alabamians would have you believe otherwise.
Pictured is a screen shot of the first workout I created. 
Two things should be obvious…
- It was far from the world’s greatest obstacle course.
- I lost.
When Mark finished and collapsed on the ground I remember him rolling over and mumbling between breaths… “I’ve got three words for that workout… horr-i-ble.” We were both hooked.
10 years later and I’ve owned 3 gyms and coached what has to be well over a thousand athletes by now. So much has happened between that first backyard workout and today. If you’ll buy me lunch (or dinner, I’m not picky), I’ll tell you all my incredibly interesting stories.
One thing, however, has never changed. I still love it. I’ve grown as a coach, changed my views about a lot of stuff, made tons of mistakes, and had more self-inflicted ups and downs than I care to admit. But every single time I walk into the gym I get that little internal buzz of excitement that only comes when you are passionately in love with something. It has been my goal for the last 10 years to try and help other people love it too. It’s my mission.
Fitness can be fun. Actually no, fitness SHOULD be fun. If it isn’t fun for you then I humbly suggest you are doing it wrong. If that is the case, please come see us at Golden Ape.
We want to change your mind. I didn’t always love fitness but I do now. Do you?
-Coach Scott