Barefoot Fitness

By: Jonathan Pope, CSCS

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." – Theodore Roosevelt

My heart is pounding in my chest, my stomach at my throat.  I can’t imagine being anywhere else.  I’m about to drop down an amazing line in the Jackson Hole backcountry.  I’ve gone up by myself (stupidly) for one last run; we’ve been tearing up the mountain for three days now and this is my last chance to get a perfect line in.  Halfway down the mountain there is a series of boulders I feel I need to fly off of. 

I hit the first two perfectly; 15-20 foot drops off of each.  Now I’m picking up speed heading towards the last large boulder that will send me flying onto a steep, tree-riddled slope.  I have no second thoughts; I’m going for it. 

I hit the lip with too much edge and shoot about 10 feet further right than I had planned.  Instead of the soft, fluffy powder just to the left of me, I land in the washed out steep on my toe-side edge.  I put my right arm down to help brace for the inevitable crash.  Huge Mistake. 

One week earlier I had met Craig Weller.  By chance, my girlfriend happened across a Facebook ad that Barefoot was running.  I was familiar with Craig from some of his T-nation articles and had periodically read Barefoot blogs, so I decided to take a chance and e-mailed him.  The next day I was puking following a round on the rower to finish the workout.  Craig was surprised to see that I had almost beaten him on distance despite this being my first time on a rower and I had earned the opportunity of training with him.  As I lay on the ground in pain I knew this was the type training I had been looking for.

On that day in Jackson Hole I ended up dislocating my right shoulder.  I managed to “pop” it back in before limping off the mountain.  I could hardly move my arm, and had a ten-hour car ride back to Denver to think about how I was going to train around the injury.  As I suspected, I was given no slack upon my return; Craig and Marshall provided constructive feedback on how to work around the injury, but I was expected to put out and shut up.  It was the exactly what I needed. Six months later I was in the best shape of my life.    

I have no regrets about the injury; that is not to say that I didn’t learn anything.   My judgment is sharpened, my ability to cope with injuries is further developed, and now I know exactly how not to launch off the last boulder.  All in all, I would say it was a fair trade.  The injury forced me to dedicate myself to correcting my weaknesses and working around a seemingly debilitating injury.  I still have no labrum to speak of, but outside throwing a 90 mile per hour fastball, I can do nearly everything that I used to with that shoulder. 

After working with Craig and Marshall I realized that my reaction to my shoulder injury has been the same throughout my life.  I’ve managed to visit the ER, had surgery, or injured myself significantly in some way every year for the past 11 o fmy 23 years.  Each time I’ve been injured I come back stronger; when I was 16, I ruptured my spleen.  I spent the following summer lifting weights, eating, and sleeping.  I gained 30 pounds of muscle and was stronger than ever three months after a life-threatening injury. 

Without knowing it, I had stumbled upon two people with similar mindsets as me.  Challenging themselves is their way of life, not a one-time exercise.  When I met Craig, he was living my dream; he had an amazing facility, his own business, and had freedom.  I was stuck at a corporate gym making a terrible wage, training unmotivated clients, and working terrible hours.  I quickly realized that I needed to challenge myself in other areas of my life; to take charge and change it myself. 

I now own my own business, set my own hours, and train the people that I want to.  Outside of building a great relationship with my amazing girlfriend, it has been the hardest and most rewarding challenge of my life, and I’m just getting started.  I have failed with numerous clients, marketing attempts, programs, etc.  I have spent countless hours working on projects that never come to fruition, yet this has been the most productive year of my life.

Every time that I fail, I feel motivated to come back better and stronger than before.  Often, this requires more dedication and larger risks than before.  This process isn’t limited to physical tasks; you can apply it to relationships, professional development, and social ability.

When relationships failed in the past, I looked inward and realized I wasn’t giving back as much as I thought; now, I have much more meaningful friendships and relationships.  I realized that I was extremely socially awkward, and it was holding me back professionally. I had to put a lot of conscious effort into that, and it has paid off.

My point is not to tell you how awesome I am, but to inspire you to make changes in your life.  I am far from smart or physically gifted, but I have been knocked down and failed constantly but each time I have found a way to keep going and try something else.  We all face setbacks.  That's a constant in anyone's life who is actually trying.  What matters is that decision to keep going anyway.

I suggest critically surveying all facets of your life and deciding what you are not happy with.  Challenge yourself to change your life for the better.  Forget the injuries, the failed attempts and the fear.  Do you have what it takes?  Maybe. Maybe not.  But which is worse: failing or never knowing what you’re capable of achieving?

Jon is a CSCS and Certified Precision Nutrition Coach. He runs Rogue Performance in Arvada, Colorado.