Lessons from 15 Years as a “Fitnesser”
Lessons from 15 Years as a “Fitnesser”
Fifteen years is a long time to do anything. It’s more than a decade of reps, sweat, and more than a few attempts at handstand push-ups that ended in failure (and occasionally, disaster). If you’ve been on a fitness journey for that long, like me, you know that the gym becomes a sort of classroom, and every year teaches you something new.
Some lessons hit you quick and hard, like that first time you underestimate a box jump and end up “kissing” the edge with your shins. But most of them? They take a while to sink in. Here’s what 15 years of pushing, pulling, and probably too much chalk has taught me about fitness—and maybe life.
1. You Will Get “Good” Mainly by Sticking Around Long Enough
Let’s start with a brutal truth: The people who get “good” at fitness, at CrossFit, at whatever their thing is, aren’t necessarily the most talented, coordinated, or naturally gifted. They’re just the people who kept showing up.
When I first walked into a gym, I thought being fit was something I could achieve after a few months of hard work. I figured, “If I push hard enough, I’ll hit [insert milestone], and then I’ll be good.” And for a while, it felt like that. Progress came quickly. My numbers went up, and I started to feel stronger, faster, and capable.
But here’s the kicker—that’s not the end of the story. Because progress slows down. You hit plateaus. You get injured. You lose momentum. And the people who keep showing up, who stick around through all of that, are the ones who eventually get good. One of my heroes when I started was a guy who was very similar to me, but 10 years older. He was good at everything, and now I realize a lot of that was because he’d been doing it for ten years longer than me, not any sort of magical inherent quality.
It’s less about winning the genetic lottery or having the perfect program and more about tenacity. Every year, I’ve seen people start strong, fade out, and then disappear. It’s the slow grind, the daily battle to put one foot in front of the other (sometimes literally), that makes all the difference. Fitness isn’t a race; it’s an endurance sport.
2. The Quick Results Eventually End—You Need to Learn to Love the Process
This is the flip side of the coin to my first point. It’s easy to love winning, making progress, checking new “can-do’s” off your list.
But what happens when the results slow down? When the weight on the bar doesn’t magically jump 10 pounds every few weeks? When your deadlift is stubbornly stuck and that muscle-up feels like an unreachable goal? That’s when people start to drift. They chase after quick fixes, shiny new programs, or even give up altogether.
Here’s the secret: You’ve got to fall in love with the process.
Once those quick results taper off, the ones who stick around are the people who find joy in the routine—the small wins, the tiny improvements, and the sheer satisfaction of moving your body. It stops being about “getting somewhere” and starts being about being there.
James Clear, in Atomic Habits, talks about the importance of loving the grind. He says, “You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.” The system, in this case, is the process of showing up, doing the work, and being patient.
If you’re in fitness for the long haul, the key is shifting your mindset. Celebrate the small stuff—the days when you PR by half a pound, the mornings when you show up even though you didn’t feel like it, and the times you improve a movement pattern even if your weight stayed the same. This mindset will keep you going long after the quick wins are a distant memory.
3. Dogma is for Cult Leaders—Embrace Learning and Keep an Open Mind
Fifteen years ago, I was convinced I had it all figured out. I followed one particular program, swore by a certain diet, and looked at anything that didn’t fit my worldview as “wrong.” I’d see someone doing some another training modality and think, “That’s not how it’s supposed to be done.” (There’s a term for this- I was an asshole.)
But here’s the thing: Fitness isn’t religion. There’s no one true way.
Over the years, I’ve seen—and tried—so many different approaches. I’ve done (mainly) CrossFit, I’ve followed bodybuilding splits, thrown in some running programs, and done tons of weird movements that make my coaches roll their eyes at me. I’ve learned at least one good thing from every single one of them. And the biggest lesson is this: You can’t cling to dogma. The moment you think you have all the answers is the moment you stop growing.
The fitness world is full of “gurus” who swear by their method as the method. THEY ARE SELLING YOU SOMETHING. Fitness, being a part of life, is as much an art as it is a science, and what works for one person might not work for another. We all have different bodies, different goals, and different paths.
Embrace learning. Keep an open mind. It doesn’t mean you need to try every new fad that comes along, but stay curious. If there’s a new movement, new approach, or different school of thought, don’t dismiss it out of hand. Experiment. Tweak. Find what works for you—and be willing to evolve as your fitness journey progresses.
Conclusion: Keep Going, Love the Grind, and Stay Curious
If there’s one takeaway from my 15 years of “fitnessing,” it’s this: Keep showing up. Stick around long enough, and you’ll get somewhere. The magic happens in the consistency.
Fall in love with the process, because the quick wins are fleeting, but the grind is forever. And most importantly, don’t become rigid. Fitness is an ever-evolving world, and the more you learn, the more you grow—not just as an athlete but as a person.
Here’s to the next 15 years.
