In the most basic sense, a tool is a small thing you use to create a large effect. The most profound tools are simple and unglamorous but require a high degree of skill to wield effectively. This is just as true in a carpenter’s workshop as it is in the gym, but we don’t spend nearly as much time talking about those tools as we do the finer points of mechanics and technique.
In the most basic sense, a tool is a small thing you use to create a large effect. The most profound tools are simple and unglamorous but require a high degree of skill to wield effectively. This is just as true in a carpenter’s workshop as it is in the gym, but we don’t spend nearly as much time talking about those tools as we do the finer points of mechanics and technique.
Kyle Flynn wants to change that, and his Athlete’s Toolbox series for Breaking Muscle aims to make you a better fitness craftsman. Kyle is a Level 3 CrossFit Coach and Certified Trainer at Old Line CrossFit in Millersville, Maryland. He sat down with me to unpack what it means to have an unbeatable mind, the topic of his first column. We also chat about how he keeps his athletes engaged within a highly varied programming model, how Old Line has worked to manage growth while maintaining class quality, and how they create opportunities for the gym’s culture to knit itself into a cohesive community.
Old Line is a gym that is unafraid to try stuff, and Kyle details some of their successes, like their ChickFit and RuckFit programs, along with a few ideas that didn’t pan out as well. Through it all, Kyle has discovered that people don’t stick with a gym for the brilliant programming or the string of PRs, as much as for the value of the relationships they find there. With that in mind, he and his staff work from the first day with any athlete to develop mutual trust, respect, and understanding.
