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TOMMY HOLMES
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I grew up in New York City with a lack of urgency concerning life in general. When I was sent to military school due to my steady D average, I encountered the rest of the rejects of the New York City school system. Many of them, unlike me, were rough kids. I, on the other hand, was a buck 60, fifty percent body fat and straight out of private school. So at some point I started “working out” in the school weight room to “get big” so I could hold my own.
Later, in college, I bought into the traditional body building routine, which is not really challenging, but makes you look great. You’ve seen the guys in the gym trying to motivate each other. “You’re a monster... It’s all you bro, all you...” I was one of those guys. Chest day, back day, lots of curls and chest flies - training that may improve physical appearance, but has nothing to do with genuine fitness. It is possible to look great, but still suck.
At a certain point, I discovered the importance of functional movements. Gymnastics movements, such as squats, push ups, lunges, and burpees seemed to develop in me a kind of fitness that had integrity. I didn’t just experience a change in the way I looked, but in my athletic performance. These movements were hard to master, difficult to practice and generally required a lot of me.
I began working out like this regularly and achieved a level of fitness not possible otherwise. I realized I was actually passionate about this stuff, went and got my CrossFit certification, and began training my friends.
A general rule of thumb I like to go by in addition to training only functional movements is as follows - if I’m always looking forward to my workout and don’t experience at least some degree of nervousness before hand, it probably isn’t hard enough. We aren’t all Olympians, but there is no reason we shouldn’t train as such.
TOMMY HOLMES
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