Katie Hogan: Why I Coach

I discovered Crossfit 4 years ago and in that time, like many crossfitters my life has changed immensely. I have realized my dream of becoming a professional athlete, become a part of one of the most inspiring and supportive communities I’ve ever known, and found my passion for coaching others.

As part of the Crossfit Level 1 Seminar staff I get the opportunity to travel around the world teaching Crossfit. I get to see athletes from all walks of life coming together with the common bond of enduring the Workout of the Day.

I’ve heard many stories of success and triumph over such adversities as sickness, failure, and injury. Within the Level 1 Seminar we teach more than the pieces of a Crossfit training program; we are charged with the goal of training trainers.

My job is to help create the next generation of Crossfit trainers and it is an extremely rewarding position to be in. Beyond the components of fitness, I try to impart the desire to help others succeed.

I love Crossfit. I’ve loved it since my first class at Valley Crossfit in June 2008. But being a Crossfit trainer is so much more to me. This job is about helping people.

Being a trainer I strive to guide, correct, and explain technique and form, but what I have found has the greatest impact is inspiring, encouraging, and supporting athletes to find it within themselves to be better than they were yesterday. When I teach a class I work to reach every person in some way during that hour.

Giving 1-on-1 attention in a class of 30 people can be difficult to manage, but it is the only way to really connect with athletes and learn what their journey may be and how you can help.  Once I learned how to engage with all of my athletes in some way during each class, not only did they find more success through their training, but my demand as a coach began to rise.

Crossfit can be taught to athletes and trainers alike, but to really change lives the desire to help others has to be discovered. Many people are interested in becoming Crossfit trainers so that they might open a Crossfit affiliate, start a new career working at their local box, or bring the information back to their close friends and training partners so that they all might get better together.

Whatever the reason, learning the principles of Crossfit will enhance your love for training and can bring a fresh perspective to what health is and where our society is being misguided.

I am a coach so that I can reach people on a personal level and help them realize their dreams. Igniting the fire inside an athlete will lead them to achieve what they may have never thought possible.