Michael Smith, MD (Host): Welcome to the Kirby Connections Health Podcast, where we help you nourish your wellness journey with Kirby Medical Center. I'm Dr. Mike, and on this episode, we're going to talk about the importance of physical fitness and why Kirby chooses CrossFit. And I am joined today with Jordan Barney, a KMC Active Manager. Jordan, welcome to the show.

Jordan Barney, BS, CF-L3, NASM-CPT: Thank you for having me.

Host: So let's talk a little bit. There's two parts to this. Physical fitness and then there's CrossFit that you guys really support. Let's focus first on the physical fitness side. What are the key components of physical fitness and why are they important for overall health?

Jordan Barney, BS, CF-L3, NASM-CPT: I feel like it could be a pretty general answer, but I think sometimes we forget that everybody needs exercise and, I like to tell people that exercise and diet kind of go hand in hand, that doing them separately is good, but doing them together is much better. So you're talking about exercise, overall quality of life, you know, improve cardiovascular health, reduce chances of chronic disease.

Those are pretty simple answers, but are straight to the point that a lot of people do like to hear. It's like, there's a ton of good things that go with exercise that sometimes people just miss.

Host: I mean, I agree with you. I think, being active. I mean, there's so much research out there right now, Jordan, just showing even if older people just walk 10 minutes a day, there's benefit there. So keeping your body going, keeping your body active 100%. But how does CrossFit now specifically, fit into this and how is CrossFit enhancing the physical fitness and more importantly, how does it help to bridge that gap between health and quality of life, which is a big thing for a lot of people?

Jordan Barney, BS, CF-L3, NASM-CPT: I think CrossFit, it's, people are scared of it, but when you're in a class with other people, when you start understanding what it's about, we'll get into the reason why Kirby chose CrossFit here in a little bit, but in the end, CrossFit's given us a space to get people together even though exercise can be hard, it's easier with other people.

And this doesn't just go for CrossFit in general. This is group fitness classes. They've really kind of grown in the past 10 years, and it makes sense why. It's much more fun. You're going to work a little bit harder. You have the accountability of others to rely on. And it's just a good space to improve your overall quality of life because you're getting that social atmosphere. You're getting the strength training, conditioning, all blended into one.

And I think this is also why coaching has grown significantly, you know, whether that's personal training or one on one coaching, people are seeing the value of having somebody hold you accountable. That's not just one person in terms of group fitness, but the way that CrossFit's really bridging this gap, at least for at Kirby, we have what we call a sickness wellness fitness continuum.

And basically this continuum is telling us that the fitter you are, the healthier you are. Now on this spectrum, there's sickness, wellness, and fitness. And if you go to the far end of fitness, it's what you would think of the top tier. So whether you're talking about like CrossFit Games athletes or NFL football players, MLB, NHL, any of those main sports, well, we're not asking you to be that fit, but the concept is if you look at those individuals, they're extremely healthy.

They're not getting sick. Their body fat percentage is in a really good realm. Their BMI, if you want to use that metric, bone density, blood pressure, all of these factors that you look at an elite athlete of some type, and you're going to see the translation there. So what we ask is we ask for our members to be above wellness.

So for example, you could say blood pressure, we know that 120 over 80 is a really, really healthy metric. It's right above that above average, which is nice. And we ask our members to be like there and a slightly above, like, how can we push that a little further without having our expectations so high that we can't reach them?

So it's a really good continuum. And this is actually a big reason why Kirby chose CrossFit because the values, they did align really well.

Host: Let's back up for a sec, Jordan. You mentioned some great points about CrossFit right there. But what if I never even heard of CrossFit, right? Kirby wants me to get into more physical activity. I get it. I need to do it. My doctor wants it. You want it. How would you describe CrossFit to somebody who may have no idea what you're talking about?

Jordan Barney, BS, CF-L3, NASM-CPT: I'm smiling because it's actually one of the hardest sells, in my opinion. CrossFit's gotten a lot of bad rap. So a lot of my marketing is how do we get them to think differently about CrossFit? I almost have to do that first and then tell them what CrossFit is actually like in the gym. So you have to kind of like dismiss what their thoughts are on it, and then try to say, here's what it really is. To anyone that's not in CrossFit, my biggest push would be simplest form of, it's a group class led by an instructor, and they're going to walk you through every bit of it. It's going to include what you're going to do on the day, how you're going to modify to meet your needs, and then pretty much you're going to have a fun time doing it.

If I'm going to just sell it to somebody I don't even know off the street, that's probably how I'd start. And then try to follow up with, here's the value that it's going to give you. You know, you're going to feel better. You're going to sleep better. Your self-esteem is going to be higher. Things like that.

Host: So, again, going back to that person who's maybe just getting started here, getting into physical activity. Okay, so great definition of CrossFit, but I'm still a little reluctant. Like, can you share with me and those that are a little reluctant some of the research findings that are supporting the link between regular physical activity, like using CrossFit, and reduced risk of chronic disease?

Because, that's really my goal. I want to reduce my risk.

So,

Jordan Barney, BS, CF-L3, NASM-CPT: Yeah, so if you look at the current metrics out there, you know, it's 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week or 75 minutes of vigorous. So if you were and that is that CDC, you know, American Heart Association, they have those plastered all over their websites. I would use the same thing, but I look at those as like a baseline. Like okay, yes, that's doing good enough. But what we're gonna ask of you is take a step further than that. So hey, we know that these credible associations are saying, this is how much you need. Well, you can get that here and more. If you're working out on your own and you're trying to achieve these metrics of the 150 or 75 of vigorous, what you're going to find out is it's probably pretty boring.

You're going to reduce your chronic disease chances, but you know, if you look at us being social beings, you have to have that social side. And what we're giving you at CrossFit is both of those. So we have members whose spouses or family members, they like to exercise, but one spouse does CrossFit and the other one does their own thing.

And there's only been a few people who've actually come to me and be like, no, I really enjoy doing my own thing. It's very rare that you hear that. So I think even if you break it down further, CrossFit's giving you an environment where you're getting socialization, you're getting accountability from your peers, not just a coach.

And then you're still achieving those metrics that are set by the CDC to get the exercise whether it's moderate or vigorous.

Host: Again, so, just make sure I'm getting this right. Because remember, I'm kind of that reluctant person. You're saying it's 150 minutes of moderate versus 75 of more intense. Where does CrossFit fall in those categories?

Jordan Barney, BS, CF-L3, NASM-CPT: So done correctly, it should fall into both of them. If I look at a week's of programming, I have to look at, okay, I have 100 members who are going to show up that day and we all don't need the same intensity, but we all need exercise. So, our differences, they vary by degree, not kind. And that's not me saying that quote, that's Greg Glassman who created CrossFit.

it makes complete sense. Mike, you and I need to exercise. But if you come into the gym, and I've been doing CrossFit for 10 years, we have to find out how to make sure both of us get what we need. So, if we have a new person coming to class, our goal is to let them see that you can achieve the same thing that somebody who's been here a 10 year has, it just might look a little different.

So we say a lot of relative intensity. So high intensity is kind of the buzzword I'd say in the past five or 10 years. And people are scared of that. And that's a word that I almost wish intensity wasn't the word anymore. I wish we could find a new one, just because it does kind of immediately put that wall up and it's really hard to break down that wall.

So in our prep course, and our prep course is basically how we introduce new members into the gym. We walk them through this concept of relative intensity that we're going to meet you where you're at. But the goal might look the same.

Host: You know, I think, Jordan, you might be onto something that we're, because people, we hear words like that, right? Intensity. And right away, we're like, hold on now, I'm just getting going here. That kind of scares me. So I think, Kirby and you, Jordan, maybe you guys have an opportunity to maybe redefine some of those words.

That'd great. But let's go back again. I'm still just getting started, Jordan. I'm a beginner. I'm not sure about all this CrossFit stuff. Is there a way for me to start simple? What are some of the exercises you might say to me that'll help me just kind of get an idea of what it's going to be like as I really go all into the program?

Jordan Barney, BS, CF-L3, NASM-CPT: That is actually a really tough question because we have this joke that some of our coaches say that if you really want to experience what it's like, you have to join us. So and not just join us as in a class, it'd be a, let me show you, because what we've learned is sometimes giving the information isn't enough.

They need an experience and they need something to attach that emotion to. So even if it was, say we didn't even have a prep course coming up. If I really wanted you to come in, I'd say, Hey, come into the gym with me on Monday at this time, and let me show you what this, and I can walk you through a better example of what it is to hopefully dismiss some of those fears or intimidation things that you might deal with.

We have members who come in who have never exercised. I had this one gal who hadn't worked out in 30 years, and she had never been to any other gym, and she goes, I heard about CrossFit, and I just wanted to try it. And that leap of faith was so huge. I felt like I just wanted to put her under my wing and be like, I'll take care of you.

So that's the kind of pressure and the good pressure that we put on our coaches is you have members who may not have worked out ever, and they're going to rely and trust on you to take care of them. So when we go through our prep course, that's a part of that is you're learning to not just here's some movements that you might do in CrossFit, whether that's air squats, pushups, things like that.

But here's someone that you can trust and rely on, that they're going to take care of you to make sure that you're reducing injury and increasing your performance.

Host: Yeah, that support I think is really important because I can imagine, especially a lot of new beginners, your story was fantastic, you know, sometimes they just need that extra support. They need to know that it's okay, that you could be nervous about this. That's fine. I think that's really important, but you know, let's talk about obstacles, Jordan, because so many people have so many obstacles on not maintaining physical fitness, right? It could be time, money, whatever. It goes across the board. But what are some of those obstacles you hear the most, and how does CrossFit maybe help to overcome some of those?

Jordan Barney, BS, CF-L3, NASM-CPT: So my boss and I, we have this saying that it's hard to argue with human nature. And I love it because I have this belief that, you know, I can give everything I possibly can, but at a certain point, say I give 80%, there's still 20 percent left. For somebody to walk through the door, they need that 100%, I'm going to give it a shot.

So what we find as like the number one, I don't want to say excuse, I want to say reason, is we don't have enough time. That's the number one. And honestly, a lot of the times, and this is like anything you do, if you're not willing to sacrifice the time to prioritize it, you're probably not going to, it's not going to last, or you're probably not going to give it a shot.

So like in our prep course, I'm going to refer to that again. When we have them in that first day, that first week, I really try to get them to like focus on nutrition and to show up and be consistent for all five days because I, we try to get them to know there's sacrifice involved in showing up and accountability that you're signing up for.

The only way we can hold you accountable is if you're there. And that's a really important part of this. And when it comes to like families, so my wife and I, we made a really good like pact when we first got together. I actually asked her out here when I was a coach, which was nerve wracking, but it went successful, which was It obviously

Host: worked for you, great, Jordan.

Jordan Barney, BS, CF-L3, NASM-CPT: Yeah. But one thing that we agreed on was that we would always sacrifice to make sure that physical fitness was a part of our life. So there are days that I will, if I'm not coaching, I'll stay home with both of our kids. And that's for an hour and probably 15 to 30 minutes. And she'll go to the gym and have her time and get her strength training in, get her exercise, get her socializing with other adults because she's a teacher.

And that time is sacrificed because now I have to be with both kids. So there's guilt a little bit, but because we're on the same page of sacrificing for that, it works really well. So what we try to do is try to paint that picture up front is this is going to take sacrifice. But when you do that, you're going to see the results, whether that's aesthetics, weight loss, strength gain, things like that.

Host: Very nice. You've mentioned the prep program a couple times now. If I'm brand new and I'm starting with you, Jordan, you're going to be my coach, can you explain to me and the listening audience, what does that first week look like? What is that prep period, what does it involve?

Jordan Barney, BS, CF-L3, NASM-CPT: Yeah, it's a five day course. And, when they come in the first day, we're going to talk about what CrossFit is. But before we even do that, our first question to them is why are you here? So what we're trying to do is create an attachment, an emotional attachment to the program. Because if you can do that, then you get a little more buy in.

So we start with that question and then we follow up with, now I want you guys to realize that we're all here for different reasons. So my reason and your reason, Mike, might look completely different, but we both need the same thing, like we talked about earlier in the podcast. So what we'll do is we'll have that question and then we'll flow into starting to look at movements that you'll see in CrossFit.

We can't get all the movements. There is an abundance amount of movements, but what we can do is go over some of the basic movements, functional movements, and again, another buzzword, but functional movements are things that there's some movement patterns that would translate to daily life. And we typically think of the squat because you sit on a chair.

We have some movements where we take like a medicine ball from the ground to overhead. And that's a way of like, okay, imagine if you were picking up an object from the ground and you had to put it on a shelf. Or it might be the deadlift, which a lot of people are scared of. You have to pick up heavy things off the ground sometimes and you want to make sure you can do it correctly.

So the prep course is going to walk you through movements that you might see in daily life. And then kind of putting them into a workout form. So each day we'll finish with a workout, because you're there for an exercise. You know, you're there to work out and burn calories. So that's a part of that.

And we want to make sure that's done. By the end of the class, we do the last day as a part of a current class. So example, if we run our prep course at 6:30 PM, you might, the last day you might join 5:30 PM, which is an actual class, and you'll have the coach know that hey, this is a prep course on the last day, so we typically do our, a whiteboard brief a little differently and talk about how the prep course can get through that workout that day. It's a little more hand holding before we let them out.

Host: Yeah, and you find that to be, and obviously it's working, which is why you have kind of like that prep course. That's fantastic, Jordan. This is great stuff. Let's summarize all this and kind of end our time together. I'd like for you, Jordan, to tell the listening audience here, what is your take home message about, number one, just being active, and number two, maybe thinking about CrossFit as that thing for you to be active.

Jordan Barney, BS, CF-L3, NASM-CPT: I think if I had to generalize this to start, it'd be, we all need to move. Everyone that's listening needs to get out of their house and move. And that could look like going to a group fitness class, that could like going on a walk. But I think if you use the 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, that's a great way to get started.

And even if 150 minutes is too much. That should be the goal. And maybe you're like, okay, I'm going to try to get 75 minutes of moderate. So time yourself, go outside, try to do a walk, jog kind of combination. And that's a good way to get the ball rolling. And that might build your confidence to be okay.

Now I'm ready for the next step. When it comes to CrossFit, the biggest sell I have is. I've been doing it for 10 years now. I've been coaching for eight and a half and I've met lifelong friends. I met my wife. I have people who that rely on me and then I rely on them to show up. And it's such a healthy relationship that it makes me want to come in and be a better person because they're showing up for me and I'm showing up for them.

And I think with CrossFit, it's an all encompassing, socializing, hard work, and almost embracing that we're all doing something hard together, and I think it's such a unique thing to be a part of.

Host: Fantastic. What a great way to wrap up our conversation here, Jordan. Thank you so much for coming on the show today. You did a great job. This has been another episode of Kirby Connections Health Podcast, where we help you nourish your wellness journey with Kirby Medical Center. For more information, please visit kmcactive.org. that is kmcactive.org. I'm Dr. Mike. Thanks for listening.