Like it or not, every athlete you train is in competition with you.
They want to lift more than you, run faster than you, and oddly enough, outwit you when it comes to technique / program development.
Just like the great Batman, I have to continually strengthen my body and my mind to stay one step ahead of my competition.
With just one small step backwards, I can lose all of my credibility.
The persona allows me to be better prepared for what to expect and how to react to each athlete.
As you read through each of the bio's below, ask yourself which villain most closely matches your personality. (There may be instances where it is a combination of personas that define you.)
Despite how crazy, slick, or wild you think you are, remember this ...
Advanced Training is my asylum ...
And you are in it ...
Advanced Asylum
BANE
Huge ...
Strong as hell ....
And obsessed with his supplements...
His bag is loaded with "pre", "peri" and "post" workout shakes, all mixed with two heaping scopes of Creatine.
He takes krill oil pills with his breakfast, BCAA's with his lunch, and CLA's with his dinner.
Unfortunately for Bane, he puts too much credence on the impact of his supplements and not enough on his lifestyle.
Not getting enough sleep ... take a pill.
Not getting enough fiber ... take a pill.
Not enough focus ... take a pill.
Hey Bane ... what happens when you don't have pills?
THE RIDDLER
This is the guy who always asks tough questions in the hopes that you make a mistake.
Here are some examples:
- "Hey coach, how come some of us back squat if you think the front squat is better?"
- "How come me and Frank end with the same weight on bench, but we start with different weights?"
- "Why do you tell us to use a neutral grip on dumbbell overhead press but not on an overhead squat?"
The Riddler is both good and bad for the program.
He is good because he keeps you on your toes. If you don't know what you are talking about or you contradict yourself, it's over Johnny. He owns you.
He is bad because he constantly makes you defend your program. While you should be making sure Bane isn't sniffing Creatine off the squat rack and the Scarecrow isn't making the new guy cry in the corner, you end up spending 20 minutes defending why you drive your knee forward on wall ankle mobilization and out on a squat.
THE SCARECROW
The Scarecrow's main goal is to get inside the head of everyone around him at the gym.
He spends more energy trash talking and playing mind games than he does actually training.
The Scarecrow will take your biggest insecurity and exploit it.
- Think you gained a few pounds? ... the Scarecrow will call you fat.
- Struggle with the overhead squat? ... the Scarecrow will challenge you to it every day.
- Worried you are going to get injured? ... the Scarecrow will tell you how dangerous a deadlift is.
If you have a weak will, he will make you crumble in his presence.
On the flip side, he makes those that are mentally strong 10x stronger.
ZSASZ
Athletic ...
Nimble ...
Tough ...
And always hurting themselves ....
While our Zsasz does not intentionally injure himself, the injury usually comes as the result of him doing something horribly stupid.
Like what, you ask?
- Getting into a "friendly" boxing match
- Punching his hand through a car window
- Going on a slip and slide
- Playing tackle basketball
- Rear-ending a car at a red light
When they are healthy, these guys are the best to train.
Unfortunately, they always seem to find a way to ruin their hard earned progress.
TWO-FACE
He "retweets" and "favorites" everything you post.
He brings in more referrals than every other guy in your program.
He wears Advanced Training shirts to his sister's wedding.
Then he spends his entire lift calling you out for not letting him move enough weight.
He constantly threatens to leave you for DeFranco's and says you should change the name of the program to "Advanced Crossfit".
You tell him that if he is unhappy, he should train somewhere else ...
But he just keeps coming back ... and sometimes with a friend ...
THE JOKER
Fears nothing ....
Tireless ...
Loves disorder.
Mixing all these things together makes The Joker one thing ...
Dangerous...
- You tell him to add 10lbs to his next set, he adds 50.
- You tell him to take tomorrow off, he runs 10 miles.
- You try to wear him out with 5 minutes of pain, he just laughs at you.
Fortunately, both you and The Joker need each other to exist.
Without you, The Joker would end up severely injured. He would probably blow out his shoulder or tear an ACL within the first six months of training.
Without The Joker, there would be little reason for you to exist.
The other villains certainly need your help, but they are predictable.
Give them a sound plan, defend it data, and off they go.
The Joker doesn't care about plans. He doesn't care about data.
He doesn't even care about logic.
His only goal is to challenge the status quo and shake up any form of stability that exists in the program.
Wrap-Up
This entire topic has been a huge subject of conversation during our lifts.
Guys have been battling over which villain they should be labeled as and are even doing research to prove their point.
The oddest part of all of this is that no one was offended to actually be a villain.
They actually took pride in it.
And this, my friends, is why the world needs Batman.
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