People who love exercise usually have two things in common:

1. They have another human to exercise with.
2. They have a third human telling them what to do.

In short, people who love exercise usually have a training buddy and a coach.

Building a habit is hard to do alone. But if someone else is depending on you to show up on time, you’ll do it.

That person can be your spouse, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be a friend…or it can even be a stranger.

Imagine this scenario: it’s 6:14am. Your alarm rings for the third time.
It’s a Monday. You have a busy day ahead. You could just get another ten minutes of sleep, or scroll Instagram for a bit. Your bed is warm; it’s dark outside.
BUT…
Mary is waiting for you at the gym.
She’ll be there at 7, expecting to see you.
You promised each other you’d go to the workout today.
All you have to do is show up, and your coach will take care of the rest.
You’re dying to tell Mary about your weekend…
Do you go? Probably.
But imagine this scenario WITHOUT Mary in it.
Maybe you go to the gym; maybe you don’t. This is the power of the training buddy.

Now let me give you another scenario.

It’s 8pm. You’re tired and sitting on the couch, in that half-sleep posture: slouched down, phone in hand, staring blank-eyed at a screen.

Your wife picked up a dozen cookies from the bakery after work. You’re kinda tired, kinda bored, and looking for a little pick-me-up.

BUT…your coach is going to look at your food log in the morning.
They’re going to see the cookies in there.
In 90 days, you’re going to check your progress, and those cookies will hurt your goals.
Do you eat the cookies?
Probably not.
But imagine this scenario WITHOUT a clear goal and a coach to help you reach it.
Why would you NOT eat the cookies? I sure would.

No Excuses CrossFit is a coaching gym. We connect our clients to one another.

Sometimes our clients train 1:1 with a coach. Sometimes they train 2:1 with a friend or a spouse. And sometimes they train 10:1 in our group classes. But they’re still coached.

This trifecta (exerciser to exerciser to coach) creates a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Relationships help you get better results by creating accountability, camaraderie and sometimes a bit of competition. 🙂

Dr. John Ratey at Harvard talks about this effect, which he calls “Competitive Collaboration”. He explained it this way:
“We all want to climb the rope for the first time. Or to be the first up the rope. But we also want everyone else to be able to do it.” We want to see them succeed. We want to be part of their success. We want to help them get there!

This is the benefit of a training partner or group: someone else wants you to win.

Some days, they want it for you even more than you do!

Connection is the key to success. Surround yourself with the people you want to be. Seek help from those who have already achieved your goals and are now pursuing something else.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. African Proverb

The Connect-3 Strategy is simple:

Find a training partner (or we can find one for you)

Find a coach (we’ll pick the best for you)

Connect to each one every day.

Life is a long journey. Travel with a friend.