We have a culture of accountability in our box. I know that because as I was sitting on the side recently evaluating one of our coaches and I realized that everyone was keeping everyone accountable. I’m not talking about athletes doing the coaches job. I’m talking about people knowing the standard and holding their friends to it.

The standard is the standard. It is just that simple. You know what the standard is even if you don’t want to admit it. Everyone knows what a good squat looks like. The coach was keeping the athletes honest “Lower, hip crease below the knee!!” because they demanded better. The athletes were keeping each other honest “Lock that bar out over head!” because they knew their friends could give better effort. The folks waiting for the next class were keeping people honest “stand all the way up on your burpees!”, because they knew everyone was better than what they were showing. It…..was……AWESOME!!! As a box owner it was a very gratifying moment. I smiled inside (not outwardly, there is no happiness in our box!! Jk) I don’t want this to come across as a gym full of a$$holes, because it is anything but that. We have a culture of people who want to get better and they want others to get better. The standard is the standard and either you meet it, or you do your best to meet it. Effort to meet the standard is the only prerequisite.

Having a community of people who aren’t afraid to call a spade a spade is not the norm. If you don’t get depth on a 1RM squat nobody at our box is going to lie to you. Why? Because you can do better and we know it. We’ve seen it. You will get a pat on the butt and a “good try” or “you’ll get it next time, push those knees out”, but you are going to earn the weight plain and simple. The only way to success is hard work. I actually love it when somebody gets called out for sloppy movement. It’s not because people are mean, it isn’t because you are a bad person for not locking out overhead. It’s because the standard is the standard and there is no discussion about it. We are all moving in an upward direction and we want you to come with us. This is a team and we do things together. Accountability is something that society lacks today and we engrain it every day in our box. That carries over to being accountable in life.

“Be strong, Be Accountable, never complain”

We aren’t A$$holes, you are just better than that!!

Keep training hard and hit your weaknesses,

Fern