It’s inevitable. Now that you are on your journey and seeing amazing results and conquering the known universe…friends, family, co workers are going to be inspired, and curious—and you’ll probably hear, “I wanna be just like you!” In a perfect world, I would say bring them all to our Fire for Effect family (and if they are local do that!). However, in the age of social media, most of us are in regular correspondence with people nationwide, if not globally. Naturally, we want the best for them too so I am going to give you some helpful hints on how to direct your loved ones across the map to the right place for them. Keep them from stumbling into a place that does not have their best interests, goals, and safety at the forefront.
First, help compile a list of places that are a reasonable distance from home and/or work. Too many people fall into the trap of settling for what’s quick/local/convenient. Is this the best course of action in anything? That’s a solid “NO”. If you’re hungry and want to be healthy, then are you going to settle for fast food because it’s right next-door? No—you are going to travel a few miles to the grocery store.
Second, visit the gyms social media pages, as well as the social media pages of their coaches. If the vast majority of the content is videos and pictures of coaches performing (especially the same movements over and over and over), … don’t walk, but RUN away. This is a warning sign that they are in the industry for the wrong reasons because they want to be the “cool guy/girl who owns a gym.” Likewise, if their pages are filled with their members doing great things along with lots of words of encouragement and praise for progress, that is a glaring good sign. A caveat to that, when I say “members”, I mean everyone. Day 1 and day 1001. If the “members” they are posting about/praising are constantly their show ponies, then move on to the next place.
Third, and this kind of goes hand in hand with above, go to their website. Action shots of the staff are common and totally fine and often pretty cool…in fact expected. But, there are a few “red flags” to watch out for. For example, while shirtless WODing is a norm in our world and totally fine (y'all know that I partake, for sure), if overproduced, pseudo-sexualized pictures are the route they’ve chosen to be their online brand, then it’s not a good sign.
So, there’s just a few tips to help your friends find their way do the correct path! You know how to find me for any questions or guidance you may have. Now lets get sweaty!
-Coach James