This was IBM’s primary advertising tactic in the late 1990s: selling FUDD (Fear, Unknown, Discord and Doubt.) They were selling against the new faster, more powerful Mac. And since they couldn’t sell their computers based on performance, they had to sell them based on FUDD. People were scared of the unknown Macs. They were scared the Macs would break down and they’d be blamed, then fired. If an IBM broke down, they wouldn’t be blamed, because IBM was the norm.
When I took over No Excuses CrossFit there was already a firestorm of FUDD in the fitness world. I’d already been a coach for four years, and knew that nothing worked nearly as well as CrossFit does. But CrossFit was a Mac in an IBM world, and other gyms threw up a fog of FUDD:
“CrossFit injures people.”
“CrossFit is a high-risk activity.”
“CrossFit is only for athletes.”
“CrossFit causes rhabdo.”
Never mind that running and soccer are the most injurious exercises. Forget that none of us were athletes when we started CrossFit. Nah, FUDD CrossFit!
But I took the advice of CrossFit’s founder, Greg Glassman, who said:
“Talk to the smart kids. They’ll explain it to everyone else.”
And so, over the years, No Excuses grew. Because we’re a coaching gym, not an access gym, and coaching is the only thing that works. No Excuses gets results. And CrossFit is one of our greatest tools.
Now, CrossFit at No Excuses might not be the same CrossFit you see at other gyms. It’s definitely not the CrossFit you see on ESPN.
The broad definition of CrossFit is “Constantly-varied, functional movement performed at high intensity.”
At No Excuses, that means a new workout every day…but never a random workout. We build workouts around previous results. That means you can start anytime, but stay forever.
It also means a focus on exercises that give you the greatest result in the least amount of time. So we squat instead of doing leg curls, leg extensions, and that thigh-squeezy thing. We don’t use many machines, because we don’t like wasting time.
Finally, CrossFit at No Excuses means “exercise that feels like a game.” That’s the high-intensity part: we add a challenge to every single workout, every day, so you’ll enjoy working hard.”
We use CrossFit as one of the tools in our belt. Members of the No Excuses family are coached individually, or in groups. Your workouts are tailored to get them maximum results as quickly as possible. Some of the workouts prescribed are CrossFit workouts.
Members of our group CrossFit program do constantly varied, functional movement at high intensity every day. This is the best broad prescription for fitness in the world, and we optimize it for the No Excuses family.
We’ve been a CrossFit affiliate for 14 years. CrossFit isn’t all we do at No Excuses, but we use it when it will help most. It’s a powerful tool to have, and we combine it with a positive, friendly atmosphere of support–another tool in the No Excuses belt.