From the Desk of the Gorilla:
Being Coachable
I hear Coach Kauffman—one of my high school coaches—in my head quite often. He’d go on a tirade about being “coachable.” I didn’t even know what it meant at the time. He’d bark, “Dammit son, are you coachable? I put you in a position to make a play, that’s all I can do! Are you coachable?” It was just one of those funny things that stuck in my mind, along with a thousand others.
Well, last week I had one of those moments that stops you in your tracks. I watched Gordon Duran test his pull-up max and bang out 19 solid reps. While watching, I flashed back to his very first day of fundamentals—several years ago now. Gordo had all the energy and willingness to work, but exactly zero pull-ups. I remember telling him something along the lines of, “We build pull-ups here. If you keep showing up, we’re going to build a lot of them.”
And that’s exactly what he did. From that start, he’s fought through setbacks, challenges, and a thousand obstacles that could have derailed him. But here’s the key—he stayed coachable. He listened, adjusted, learned, and kept showing up. Because of that, he’s not just fitter. He’s healthier, stronger, and living proof of what happens when you commit.
I can say this without a shred of doubt: there’s no one besides your own family who cares more about your health and well-being than the staff at CFI. We care immensely, and there’s nothing more rewarding than working with athletes who are coachable.
Being coachable is a skill. It means being open to feedback, willing to change habits, and trusting the process even when it’s uncomfortable. It’s what separates athletes who make steady progress from those who stall out. And it translates to every other walk of life. It’s no accident that people who are coachable make gains not just in the gym, but outside of it as well.
Just like double unders or muscle-ups, we all need to work on the skill of being coachable. Flex that muscle in the gym under controlled conditions, so that when life gives you the chance to make a play, you’ll be ready to execute—and get the win.
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Upcoming Changes
I’m excited to announce that I will be stepping into the role of programming for CrossFit Impulse. This is an important transition for our gym, and I am committed to carrying us into the next chapter of training with focus and intentionality. A heartfelt thank you goes to Jeff for the past year of effort in this endeavor. He has guided our programming with excellence and consistency, and it’s because of his work and that of the programmers of the past that we are so well-positioned for the future. Standing on the shoulders of giants, I’ll be carrying the water for us into year 17 and beyond. I’ve got our course laid in for the remainder of this year, and a template put together for the first half of next year or so. You’ll see familiar favorites, some sprinkling of Steve Magik, and mixing in suggestions and outside sourcing from fam faves to .com programming. There’s a wealth of resources available, and I’ll be using every one of them to keep the fun in fit, and the functional in Conjunction Junction.
No one gets my jokes, I’m totally unappreciated in my time.
—Gorilla
The Iron Pen
Fam,
After one year of carefully crafting the CrossFit Impulse workouts week after week, I’m stepping back to turn over the reins to Steve. I have cherished this role. Much like parenting, it is incredibly demanding but also incredibly rewarding work. But over the past few months my career has also become more demanding, and I’m absolutely excited for growth there. But whenever my week piles up, I feel like the gym programming doesn’t get my full and complete effort, and that’s painful. Because I desperately believe that it deserves that full effort.
So I asked Steve if we could work a transition plan to turn it over to someone who cares just as much as I do, and that guy is him. As of September 1st, the workouts are his. I have complete faith in him to keep us getting stronger and fitter and doing it the way Impulse has done since 2009. Steve recently achieved his Level 3 Certification from CrossFit, so apparently CrossFit believes in him just as much as I do. I’ll still be clanging and banging the weights at the gym as always. I’m not going anywhere.
To everyone along the way who ever mentioned, “Hey, that was a fun one.” or “I really liked that one.”…Thank you. Your words meant a great deal to me, even though you might not have realized it.
Please stop wearing those effin’ gymnastic grips every time you touch the pullup bar,
Jeff