MFP Education Center

We talk about balance in different contexts every day. There is work-life balance, nutritional balance, and family balance, the list is seemingly never-ending. When it comes to fitness and health, what does balance really mean? Additionally, what does balance have to do with CrossFit? The answer is – everything.

Let’s take a step back and evaluate my fundamental approach to life and of course, fitness. At a human level, I am someone who tries his best to be open-minded, fiercely curious, and eager to understand different perspectives and viewpoints outside of my own. I believe that at its core, a balanced life is one of constant growth – you are always seeking new ways to expand your mental, physical, and spiritual horizons. This of course, is what led me to CrossFit.

CrossFit, more than anything, is a program defined by balance. Fundamentally, its methodology unleashes human potential by quantifying what it truly means to achieve balanced fitness through measurable performance.

Specialization is incompatible with CrossFit.

Specialization is both the enemy of curiosity and is incompatible with CrossFit. From the very beginning, this compelled me to dive headfirst into the fitness regime and make it a big part of my life.

You can singularly be a terrific runner, an explosive athlete, a skilled gymnast, or even an impressive Olympic weightlifter. Being a high performer in a specialized area is a worthy feat, but it will not take you far in CrossFit. CrossFit teaches you to value and train the 10 components of fitness: cardiovascular endurance, stamina, strength, mobility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. Now, getting into the specifics of these is an important topic for another day. The point is that CrossFit is an inclusive, diverse approach to achieve the optimal form of physical competence.

This is both how and why CrossFit sets itself apart from other fitness ideologies. Not only does it reflect a methodology of balance, but it also gives meaning to this balance by standardizing movement. Achieving true CrossFit mastery demands inquisitiveness and commitment to learning the full scope of human movement and potential. In practice, an example looks like someone being able to swiftly run a sub 5:00 mile, deadlift 500/400 (male/female) pounds with perfect form, complete 50 perfect gymnastic based arch to hollow (kipping) pull-ups, all within 24 hours. This is a tremendous feat and if you think it sounds crazy, I invite you to step foot into a CrossFit gym, because magic like this happens there every day.

Naturally through my years training and coaching CrossFit (currently, I hold a Level III CrossFit Certification) I’ve been constantly motivated to try new things. This is why I’m always seeking a balance of  strength, speed, and skill. I still find myself fascinated by well-structured programs that CrossFit can provide, due to the wholistic physical opportunity. It has changed my life – and continues to change my life as I understand that growth is a constant state. For that reason, I am committed to providing a well-structured CrossFit program to the members of CrossFit MFP and other athletes in the Haverford Township community.

As a professional in the fitness industry, I’ve noticed a troubling amount of stubbornness among the human performance community. There are elitist mindsets that stand by dogmatic approaches – rejecting both curiosity and experimentation. I believe that if you are unwilling to branch out and try new things, you not only lack balance, but you also fail to truly achieve human potential. I’m committed to achieving that potential and it resonates through the way I program for my athletes and community. It requires a wholistic approach of body, mind, movement, and spirit.

The magic is in the details.

My programming at CrossFit MFP utilizes the CrossFit methodology – and implements it with both diversity and purpose. In other words, there is a reason for every little detail in the prescribed movements. Many of the movement patterns that I program are not even commonplace in CrossFit gyms across the country because frankly, I’m not afraid to try new things. If you are genuinely committed to constant knowledge of the elements, stimuli, and skills that are vital to peak human fitness, then you cannot be afraid to be different from others.

By this point, I hope you understand how CrossFit sets itself apart and additionally, how CrossFit MFP sets itself apart from other gyms in the community. Since I was 19 years old, I’ve been engrossed in learning how to achieve a well-rounded, balanced life. Over the years, I’ve learned that it demands an endless pursuit of knowledge and a passion to try new things that others are not willing to do.

I’m still amazed by what human beings can achieve. Coming to balance requires a fully wholistic approach to fitness and health. CrossFit may have sparked my curiosity to explore human physical potential, but it is just one layer to a complex structure that also includes mindfulness, meditation, breathwork, and more. No one can master it all in one day, a month, or even years, but that is the beauty in it – achieving balance is a lifelong journey that excites me. It has provided me with clarity, purpose, and the skillset to create life-changing programs for people of all ages in my community.