S06E187: The Coach's Journey: Special Guest Bobby Wallum Joins CrossFit Bison
What transforms a self-conscious teenager into an elite CrossFit athlete and coach? Bobby Wallum's @bigbobbybowwow journey began with a single moment during a pickup football game. That night, he asked his father for weightlifting equipment for Christmas—a request that would change his life forever.
Fast forward through years of bodybuilding and a revelation when climbing stairs left him winded, Bobby found CrossFit and never looked back. Now ranking 54th worldwide in the CrossFit Open (35-39 age division) and preparing for semifinals, he brings that competitive experience to CrossFit Bison as their newest full-time coach.
Hosts David Syvertsen @davesy85 and Sam Rhee @bergencosmetic sit down with Bobby to explore his evolution from athlete to coach. Bobby shares how his coaching philosophy matured from "everyone needs to be snatching" to appreciating CrossFit's scalability and inclusivity. His thorough warmups might challenge the 5am crowd, but they serve a purpose—preparing bodies for the demands ahead while identifying areas needing improvement.
What truly distinguishes Bobby as a coach is his ability to spot potential in athletes before they see it themselves. "If I seem like I'm pushing you," he explains, "it's because I see something that I think you can be better at." This talent for recognizing hidden capabilities, combined with his willingness to respect members' individual goals, makes him "exactly what a Bison guy is"—someone who pursues personal excellence while remaining dedicated to others' success.
Whether you're a competitive athlete or simply seeking better wellness, Bobby's journey offers valuable insights for wherever you are on your fitness path.
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S06E187: The Coach's Journey: Special Guest Bobby Wallum Joins CrossFit Bison
TRANSCRIPT
David SyvertsenHost
00:05
Hey everybody, welcome to the Herd Fit Podcast with Dr Sam Rhee and myself Coach David Syverton. This podcast is aimed at helping anyone and everyone looking to enhance their healthy lifestyle through fitness, nutrition and, most importantly, mindset All right.
David SyvertsenHost
00:22
Welcome back to the Herd Fit Podcast. I am Coach David Syverton. I'm here with my co-host, Dr and Coach Sam Rhee, fresh off the Duke win in the Elite Eight last night. Final Four, here we come. That was pretty exciting, Sam. When are we flying down? Are we going down Friday or Saturday?
Sam RheeCo-host
00:36
Dude, I would have to put my house in hock for that one.
David SyvertsenHost
00:40
We are still in construction mode here at Outlast Fitness, which is a next door neighbor to CrossFit Bison, which is on the other side of the wall behind us, and we still are homeless when it comes to our studio. So thanks to Sam, who set up this little studio here in the back corner with all these contraptions and wires and microphones that I have no idea what to do with. But we have a really special guest today, bob Bobby, robert, bow Wow, we're going to get to the bottom of this. This fine gentleman sitting between us is the newest hire here at CrossFit Bison, a full-time coach, bobby Wallen. What is up, bobby?
Bobby WallumGuest
01:16
How we doing. Happy to be here.
David SyvertsenHost
01:18
Talk closer to the microphone. Just, yeah, we always forget ourselves. All good, but Bobby, yeah, bobby is a hire that we made this past winter and I'm going to kind of let him get into where he came from and all the places that he's worked at and some of his training background. But before we get into that, we're going to explain kind of the thought process behind us bringing in.
01:40
This is the second time only in 11 years where CrossFit Bison hired someone from outside our gym, and it's also the second time only in 11 years where CrossFit Bison hired someone from outside our gym. And if it's also the second time that it was a full-time hire because we did the same exact thing with coach Mike back in 2019, but even that was a little different because I had a coaching relationship with Mike dating back to the Hoboken days in 2011-12 so did Chris. So we knew him really well and Bobby is a guy that I've known from afar for years and it really did start off as a competitor, a fellow competitor, a guy that we often competed against each other somewhat near each other in the leaderboard throughout the Open and all that stuff, and knew some people that knew him, and we actually got exposed to Bobby as a coach during the 23.2 announcement where our whole gym went over to CrossFit Waldwick and he ran a class there and it was a workout that was a little on the reach. Do you remember what that workout is?
Bobby WallumGuest
02:36
I remember it was wall balls and bike.
David SyvertsenHost
02:38
Yep, Okay good.
Bobby WallumGuest
02:39
I don't remember exactly what it was, but it ended up being an EMOM.
David SyvertsenHost
02:42
Yep Ended up being the EMOM and it was an EMOM that pretty much nobody could do. It was from Mayhem and so Bobby, on the fly, was able to adjust the workout, snapped his finger for the entire class and that's something you know. We have a high standard for coaching and just the ability to be present with people and I remember Liz coming back and she was like that was impressive, Like Liz coming back and she's like that was impressive, like he just crushed the class. But it was also other elements to his class. It wasn't just that and then we just left it. It was like, alright, cool, you know he got to come watch the announcement here and he's come and worked out here a few times a couple relationships. His sister works out here, which is really cool.
03:17
And over the time, with all the changes that we had at Bison, we were like you know, we're going to need another full-time coach between what my role is changing into, but also this new gym that we're adding 30 classes a week to our schedule, and we considered a few options and the name Bobby was just in my head over and over again. It just kept on coming back to it. So we had a few conversations. Long story short. You know we agreed on him coming over here and now I kind of want to open the door to Bobby before we come up to present-day Bison. You know who are you, Bobby, what is your—tell us start off with some of your childhood like sports workout history, Because you're obviously a guy that has not just been doing CrossFit for a long time.
Bobby WallumGuest
04:02
Kind of give us into why you got into the fitness world. Yeah, I can do that. So I've played baseball my entire childhood, grown up into high school, played throughout high school. But the whole reason that I got into working out going to Bergen Catholic, right, I started freshman year and I was, you know, I worked out a little bit here and there. But I was playing a pickup football game. Okay, my shirt got torn. And one of my friends he's a bigger kid, yeah, he was like oh, bob, you could wear mine. It was a cutoff shirt, no sleeves, and I'll never forget it. One of these kids we were playing against looked at this other kid. He goes oh, bob, you filled that out real well. And in my head I the the rage. Is this guy kidding me?
04:49
I remember I went home that day after playing my flag football game or not even flag was tackle football. Yeah, told my dad this was in september, it was early on. I was like, dad, I want a weightlifting set for christmas. Okay, he was like, all right, and that was it. That was the end of it. I got it for christmas, worked out every day pretty much. After that came back the next year, sophomore year. One of the kids that was involved in that conversation was like Bob, you're looking good, man, what have you been doing? And at that moment I was like, all right, I could do this. That filled that cup. Oh yeah, that filled that cup. Yep.
David SyvertsenHost
05:18
So that's how my whole fitness journey started it began that way and Sam, can you relate that to? Because I'm going to interview Sam one day for the podcast. I mean, I've been looking forward to this and just because he's got a really cool story that I think needs to kind of be re-spoken to a lot of people that haven't heard it. But can you relate that experience to why you started working out? Because your story is pretty different and I want to tie these two together. I'll tell you why. But why did you start CrossFit? Because I know you were a runner. You used to run a lot prior to working professional young kids. Why did you start working out? Because some are aesthetic-based, health-based. Why did you?
Sam RheeCo-host
05:58
Well, no matter what I did, I didn't achieve the results Bobby did. Clearly, whatever his motivation was was much better than my motivation. It just keeps driving him, you know so no, I didn't have. I've never had that sort of come to Jesus moment where it's just like wow, like I need to do this, and then see that it was more of just you know, seeing my friend looking really good and then getting into it and then, you know, just falling in love with the CrossFit mentality of you know the push and the intensity.
06:30
But you know you clearly took that and took it to the next level.
David SyvertsenHost
06:35
It's funny how we all have certain moments, stories, visuals on our head.
06:40
That's like that sticks with us, like that's a pretty vivid story in which Bobby just said oh yeah, and I can recall, and I think a lot of I I don't want to speak for for too many other people, but I know a lot of guys that I'm friends with my brothers there was a moment where you either feel a certain way about yourself or how you look.
07:00
Right, it could be health, it could be your aesthetic, whatever and you just get to a point like I don't like this, I don't like this feeling, and you and you get you get a weightlifting set for christmas. You start, you start feeling and looking differently and then you're like it's as simple as that, like it feels good and you want to chase that feel good moment. And then, as you get older, you start experiencing things that have come from that work ethic in the gym that you were not thinking about when that guy made fun of you for not filling out a shirt. You just wanted to look and feel a certain way. But there are all these benefits that come from that start moment of why am I even lifting, why am I doing all this extra work, it's like, oh, I want to look better next time I see these guys. You probably had their faces on your walls, lifting your garage.
Sam RheeCo-host
07:49
Let me ask this, Now that you look actually both of you guys look the way you do I'm sure people notice it, even like randomly like you're out, you're like traveling, you're somewhere, and they're just like dude, what do you do? Like, how do you feel about your body now? Do you feel like comfortable, or do you always feel like that ninth, like you had that ninth grade kid inside you, like kind of like, oh no, I'm not.
Bobby WallumGuest
08:13
I'm not there Now. No, I don't have that feeling anymore. Now I just become a piece of meat. You know, I'm someone that is often called upon to move a refrigerator, a couch, a bed, you know. So now I'm a mover.
Sam RheeCo-host
08:25
So you feel comfortable with your body and who you are, because I'm sure you get a lot, a lot of notice for your physique and your musculature and all of that.
Bobby WallumGuest
08:34
Yeah, I mean at this point, yes, but like in the back of my mind, I'm always just like well, there's always someone that's more fit, stronger, better physique, Like there's. You're always striving to like attain another level.
David SyvertsenHost
08:49
Yeah, I mean I'm very content, happy, unless I'm in the room with Bobby. No, I do think again. This is something that matures over time, right when I actually think it can be unhealthy for someone to use the thoughts of others to fuel you in the gym. But I think we've all been there at some point. I hope someone thinks a certain way. Whether it's about performance, whether it's about aesthetic, I do think as you older, mature, you start to realize like they don't actually care that much, like there might be a head nod, there might be like oh, you look great and it makes you feel good, but at some point you get away from that. Great and it makes you feel good, but that at some point you get away from that and you're just like if there is an aesthetic that I chase, it's a that guy obviously puts something into his health. That that's, in my opinion, the. The only compliment I really care about is like I haven't let myself go because we do, we.
09:38
we live in a world now where that that's more common than not, not how big your guns are now no, not, not, not at all not at all, um, but I do think that when it comes to blending this across and this is where I want to get some of bobby's opinions on, because you know, blending the aesthetic with the performance, they don't always go hand in hand with with with fitness, health.
09:59
And you know, if you're a bodybuilder and you're across the door, you're not training the same, you're not eating the same, you're not acting the same, you're not training the same, you're not eating the same, you're not acting the same, you're not pursuing the same things. Bobby is a performance athlete and we can get into some of what he likes to do performance-wise, because you are a competitor and I'll say it so he doesn't have to. He's an elite level, top 1%. We have the semifinals coming up this upcoming weekend. Actually, he's going for it. He's got a real shot at it. Um, how do you blend, do you do? Do you differentiate performance from aesthetic in terms of your personal goals, not necessarily what you try to put on others?
Bobby WallumGuest
10:33
Well, just to kind of uh backtrack slightly between the bodybuilding and the um fitness performance aspect. So the first CrossFit workout I ever did, before even knowing what CrossFit was Right, was in 2008. Okay, and it was Fran.
David SyvertsenHost
10:48
Oh wow, that's a really OG back time. Not a lot of people were doing CrossFit back then.
Bobby WallumGuest
10:52
Oh yeah, that's awesome. It was. I had done a couple different. Like I said, I didn't know I was doing CrossFit at the time. It was one of my friends in college to it and I thought we were just working out, so we did uh, we did, fran, and I thought I was this big, strong, fit guy at this point, 18 years old, and I think it took me somewhere between 12 to 15 minutes to get it done. Okay, all right. So, and that just to put that into perspective. Now, it's something that you could get done in two and a half minutes roughly, you know. Um, so yes, they do not go hand in hand with being strong or a bodybuilder yeah, looking good versus actually being fit.
David SyvertsenHost
11:31
So you, that was your first. Did you stick from across, from there on?
Bobby WallumGuest
11:33
out? Absolutely not. No, I did that. I was like this is stupid, I'm not doing this, yeah, um, until then I got. I was out of college. It was probably 2013 when I was at my biggest. I was over 245 pounds. That's big Out of the house.
David SyvertsenHost
11:52
You were that big Wow. A lot of your working out back then was just pure lifting getting as swole as possible.
Bobby WallumGuest
11:57
Oh yeah, it wasn't a very good looking. Right, we call this a fun bob, a bat bob to these. Where I was, I was just big and I remember walking up a set of stairs and I was like I was breathing a little heavy, heavier than I might want, and I said, Ooh, this, this probably isn't great.
David SyvertsenHost
12:14
Okay.
Bobby WallumGuest
12:15
So then I started to get back into CrossFit again and then it just became like and this was in the Rich Froning era and he was like you know the guy, and it was like so. So then I was like wait a second, this guy's doing CrossFit and he looks like this, like oh, this is pretty cool, yeah. And then I just kind of evolved from there and I just stuck to it. For now, I don't know, 12, 13 years later, awesome yeah.
David SyvertsenHost
12:36
I want to tie this to a interview you had with your daughter on your podcast about young kids not doing CrossFit and she said I remember her saying it. I listened to it. I think it was in Alabama. Yeah, I was in. I was down South when I was listening to it and I was in, I was near a college campus and I was looking at college kids. I was driving and just watching all these college kids and just trying to relate what Sasha was saying, that a lot of them don't want to do CrossFit because they just the guys just want to lift, they just want to get big and strong and like at some point that shift, that shifts from I don't want to just be big and strong because I'm walking upstairs. Can you relate to kind of what was Sasha was saying on that podcast, to kind of like what Bobby went through? I?
Sam RheeCo-host
13:18
think I mean, I would guess that Bobby went exactly through what most young adults do. A lot of it's about aesthetics, about young men. They don't really have the patience or the desire to do a lot of cardio or really intense cardio, hard stuff, they want to lift and they want to get swole. And I understand that. When you're a young guy, that's one of the biggest things in terms of presenting and what your image is. And then at some point you start realizing you can't sustain that. Um, you have to do more. And after you get out of you know, um, a certain age, you, you, you need more.
13:55
If you are a competitive athlete, you're looking for some juice. Right, that's where we hear so many of our athletes. They're like I was really big in high school, I was really big in college, get out now. I'm like okay, now what do I do? And then CrossFit fills that cup. But I think what's really amazing is and this is unusual is that most CrossFitters don't look like Rich Verney, they do not look like Bobby Wallen, like to be able to, you know, pair the aesthetics with the performance, like you ranked 54th in the Open this year Worldwide, worldwide in 35 to 39.
14:31
Yeah, I mean, that's elite level. Like you're 211, you're 54. Thanks, tim, yeah.
David SyvertsenHost
14:37
Well, I mean, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. That's also elite level. Out of what was it? I was like 29,000 or something like that. And again, I don't want to keep making. Bobby doesn't like to be anointed like this. No, no, no, but you got to highlight.
Sam RheeCo-host
14:50
people know we do need to let people know Performances. Yeah, and so like how much of what? Yeah, like if you could add what 15 pounds on your snatch, but like gain three pounds of fat around your waist Right, would you do it?
David SyvertsenHost
15:03
And you were like, hmm, it's a thought, but it definitely that's a good question.
Sam RheeCo-host
15:08
What's your question? So what would you think about? Like sacrificing some aesthetics for performance?
Bobby WallumGuest
15:12
I mean 15 pounds on my snatch. Yeah, maybe I'd probably do that.
David SyvertsenHost
15:19
As long as I can lose the fat at some point you know, but like would it take away from anything else.
Sam RheeCo-host
15:24
No, you just look fatter.
Bobby WallumGuest
15:25
I don't love weightlifting, like there's people think I like to lift. I really you do not. I don't love it Really Interesting. Yeah, so it's not like my my number one thing. So if that's going to take away from you from some gymnastic type stuff, then I don't know, maybe I might not do it. I don't know, I see.
David SyvertsenHost
15:44
Now. So you get big and jacked, you're a high school athlete, and then you're like I want to get to CrossFit. I could still look that certain way and perform a certain way and not breathe heavy up the stairs. At what point did that turn into a desire to coach? Because you've been the athlete, you've been the performer, you were benefiting from all the work you put in. At what point did you want to start coaching, and can you reflect on why you started coaching?
Bobby WallumGuest
16:11
So at that point I wasn't coaching CrossFit, I was coaching at Parisi Speed School. Oh nice, yeah. So I was doing athletic training for the kids. Oh, so I was doing some personal training one-on-ones for adults, regular personal training, fair one and I was in Wyckoff at first, got it, and then we moved to Franklin Lakes, got it, yeah, okay. So I was doing that for a while and then, like I don't you get certified in CrossFit? I said, yeah, it's probably a good idea, I'll do that. And I just started coaching a little bit at Great White after the open there.
David SyvertsenHost
16:49
Okay.
Bobby WallumGuest
16:49
Because I just liked doing that type of stuff and I wanted to be around people that liked doing that as well. So you know, put yourself in that environment so you can be better in whatever aspect it is coaching or work, workout wise, performance wise and then it just kind of snowballed from there and I was able to continue on and keep growing. And I'm here now.
David SyvertsenHost
17:11
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, that's a pretty typical CrossFit story. Right, I start CrossFit, I like it. Hey, I want to be around these people more and start helping them and coaching them. Did you find that it was hard for you to separate your own performance and your own goals from coaching, or did you find it kind of easy to adapt your style to them?
Bobby WallumGuest
17:34
You know, I've honestly looking back at myself. When I first started coaching, I was probably a terrible coach and I don't think any of us were really good coaches. I was going to say like you know, you should look back and think that like even if you were good five years ago, you should look back and have that feeling like, ah, maybe I wasn't that good, like I could have been much better. And I still feel like that now. Like I reflect sometimes on my classes and I'm like I know when I had a really good one and I know when I had like, ah, that could have been a little better here and there. Um, but I think that also just comes from a time of doing it for so long. Right, and you can have kind of have that reflection where initially early on, like I don't know, I've ran them through a warmup. I was like all right, let's just uh, get going here. And it was just kind of you know basic stuff, and I think that's just because you don't really know what you're supposed to do.
David SyvertsenHost
18:22
Very different than being a surgeon, in my opinion. Right, because I want to tie that together, because I, as Bobby's saying this, and you know, we go through new hires. We've had a couple of new hires. We're going to have another one or two soon, between this gym and Bison maybe, and I'm trying to not lessen my threshold for a coach.
18:42
But I'm also trying to understand none of us really knew how to coach a really good class and what to look for, what not to look for, how to scale, what not to do, and you don't want to tell people what to do all the time. You kind of want to let them make these mistakes. As a coach, carefully right, like kind of watch over it, but that doesn't apply to all jobs. Like, as a coach, carefully right, like kind of watch over it, but as that, that doesn't apply to all jobs. That, like, you've done both. Right, you started CrossFit coaching, you went through med school, you're a surgeon not really a ton of margin for error when you're a surgeon. But, however, I have watched botched All right, well, the failed plastic surgeries of the past. But can you tie those two together at all?
Sam RheeCo-host
19:19
Sam, I think the part that resonates the most both sides is if you're teaching. So I mean I did teach for a while and I would say the wanting people to get better is important. But the other thing is style. So like surgeons have very different styles, and same with coaching. Like when I first started I was like, okay, let me try to be like Dave.
Bobby WallumGuest
19:45
But I can't be.
Sam RheeCo-host
19:46
Dave. And then I noticed all these other coaches, like Liz and Kayla and, you know, everyone else. They all have their difference. They're all great coaches, really different styles, and I think that was the thing that helped me, or took me a while to figure out, was what was my style. And so I would say, like I would ask Bobby, like over time, like what do you think your style is?
Bobby WallumGuest
20:10
Good question. I mean that is a great question. I don't even know if I can give you an answer to that. Um, I, I don't know that. I don't know what my style would be. I'm kind of a free flow type type deal. I kind of depending on the class too. Like I know, certain times kind of have a certain different vibe. I kind of have to match that. So I try to meet each class person's, I guess where, wherever they're at, and try to give back that. Sometimes you know, if it's morning you gotta maybe try to give a little more energy for that 5 am crew just to amp them up a little bit.
Sam RheeCo-host
20:44
But they typically come in pretty what part of your personality do you amplify to become that coach, like they always say that, on all these, like CrossFit, like be the best version of yourself, yeah, yeah.
Bobby WallumGuest
20:54
You got to, I think. Remember that it's kind of an act, right.
21:00
You're up there performing. It's genuine, but like it is, you still can't let outside whatever's going on interfere with that. So you know, if you had a bad day or whatever, you can't come in and let that reflect your coaching. You kind of have to put that in the back of your mind and you're acting a little bit and even if you know it, might it it's fake, it's still, it's still real, like you're still giving them a genuine experience, if that makes sense.
David SyvertsenHost
21:27
It's not exactly what you're saying, like having a newborn right, a lot, a lot, a lot of stuff happens. Bobby has first beautiful girl, then last fall Yep and five months, five months old. And you know like Sam, we know like you're. It's a little further away from you, but I'm very still in it too with Brock where, like there are days it's like you do want to coach, you do want to be here, you love your job, you love the people, but like you're just not there.
21:50
Oh because, like, whether it's sleep, whether it's stress, whether it's sick, all this stuff, you're constantly jumping through hoops to bounce things and but you do, you almost have to shut that switch off when you start coaching.
Bobby WallumGuest
22:02
Absolutely, yeah, you disconnect it. And what helps, too, though, is the, you know, the energy from the people in the room, so like they can help you forget about that too. Absolutely, it goes both ways. It's not just me, you know, changing, changing them, sam, have you?
David SyvertsenHost
22:18
taken a Bobby class yet I have.
Sam RheeCo-host
22:19
I've taken a couple.
David SyvertsenHost
22:20
What's changing them? Sam, have you taken a Bobby class? Yet I have.
Sam RheeCo-host
22:22
I've taken a couple what's your initial feedback right to his face. Oh yeah, I think when Bobby is careful. So in the morning, you know, these are all very grumpy 5 am old people and so they're kind of like all looking at this ginormous dude who is, like you know, smiling like high performer, elite guy and guy, and they're like, okay, what is he gonna make us do? Like how, like I don't, I don't know, is he gonna make us do a lot, like what's going on here? And so they're kind of measuring him and then bobby's kind of measuring them, like who are? Like what is this crew here? Like? They're kind of like very clicky and whatever. And so the first couple classes have been great.
23:01
I would say they are, um, like I said, everyone's sort of sizing each other up. Um, I think anytime you start a new place with new people, it just takes a little bit of time. Absolutely, I would say bobby is a young guy, like I mean, he's like in the realm of things, or being over 35 is funny when you say that's young, yeah, but like you know, like when you're 45 or 50, like you know, we want pretty easygoing stuff and so I think you've adjusted a little bit, like you're doing a little more mobility, like you're not making us do like 500 different reps for different things, like, and I might still, though I mean it depends on the workout. And it's so funny because I actually just dropped in on a class in Chapel Hill when I visited Sasha, and they're pretty old school, like they made us run, like it was a 2,400-meter run to open.
23:52
I saw that workout, so the warm-up was three freaking 200-meter runs plus all this other stuff, and I was like, oh my God, if we did this at Bison they would shoot the coach. If you made them run three 200, they would say no, but they'd just be like what are you talking about? Like one is enough, and but I did it. And then when I did the 2,400, I felt better. And so I think some of it is going to have to be a little give from the classes, absolutely, and a little buy-in, like listen, we're used to this person's style, but we got to buy in a little bit. So I would actually push the morning classes to buy in a little bit because, honestly, like pushing us a little bit, and I would also advise you not to necessarily like change too much of your style. I don't plan on doing too much like change too much of your style.
24:39
I don't plan on doing too much so um, and then you know, just see, you know, maybe you know round off some of the edges for both of us, the classes and Bobby, and I think that you know we'll find a really awesome sort of mix yeah, and I think that, like you said, you know, coming in Brand new, meeting all these people, it's definitely a learning experience between both sides.
Bobby WallumGuest
25:01
But yeah, as you said, some warmups they might be holding onto the bar for an extended period of time. Those are tough. You know what it does?
David SyvertsenHost
25:10
It makes people you should be hook gripping.
Bobby WallumGuest
25:12
Well, it absolutely should be. Hook gripping it gets you warmed up holding those positions. It's for a reason, right, I'm watching as you're holding those positions. That it's it's for a reason, right, I'm watching as you're holding those positions. If you can't hold this position for 10 seconds, that's a problem that we probably need to work on that a little bit more. So it's not just for, you know, for show or for fun. While it is a fun for me it's it's not just for for no reason.
David SyvertsenHost
25:36
So like I do have a purpose behind it, um, but that being said, like I know, mobility is important as well, especially you know particular days, so we will mobilize a little bit more of those days. So yeah, in terms of my thought process behind it, they think like it's still like that's a prerequisite to be a good coach and, like Sam said, there's a little bit of give on both sides. But at the end of the day, like I know the Bicycle community, it's an amazing group of people and Bobby and I had a lot of conversations leading up to and I love our coaches and I immediately had like a connection with Bobby just how we think about philosophy of coaching and like something as simple as a handstand pushup. What's our thought on handstand pushups? Like we and we talked about programming and like kind of finish each other, sentences type and it the best compliment someone gave me.
26:34
I did did do some background work on Bobby without him knowing, just ask some people about him. Did do some background work on Bobby without him knowing, just asked some people about him and someone said he was like Bobby, all that she said it was a simple line. She goes Bobby is exactly what a bison guy is and she's been here for six, seven, eight years. She knows, like we both know, what that means. What does that mean Basically? He's going to be a guy that gets after it in the gym. He's pursuing his goals. He's going to be a guy that gets after in the gym. He's pursuing his goals. He's going to try as hard as he can, but he's selfless and cares about other people and he wants your success probably more than you even want your own success, and he'll do what he can to help you get there.
27:09
That, to me, is that's what you need. You know, pursuing this, pursuing that hard warmups. I mean I even told a few people like I've come to a bunch of Bob's classes in the morning and a few of them are like, man, these warmups, like they're tough. And I'm like, hey, they are tough, I've been in a few of them and like I'm struggling with a few of them, right, and I just said I was like, hey, we're here to work out, like let's just view this as part of our workout, like we're here to burn calories, we're here to get stronger. And I'll tell you what I have not had a workout in his class yet where the warmup didn't actually help me in the workout.
Sam RheeCo-host
27:43
That's what I care about. I mean, I would say this a lot of people who are complainers if it was their kid who was taking that class, you would be like why are you not being coachable? Just shut up and do what the coach is asking, and I've seen that all the time with my kids. So when it comes to me, I should put my money where my mouth is and follow what the coach is. Be coachable. Trust me, it's hard in the morning.
David SyvertsenHost
28:08
Be a good athlete, listen.
Sam RheeCo-host
28:10
Yeah, it is, I'm older than everyone. It's a different animal, yeah, and you know. But I sympathize a lot with the coaches because I'm on that side on Thursday mornings. Big classes, you know, manage, you know you're hurting, like 25, 30, everyone's talking like it's a challenge and so so yeah, absolutely, I actually push back on some of the athletes and say, listen, let's, yeah, let's, let's be coachable.
David SyvertsenHost
28:33
Absolutely. Now, bobby, we'll wrap this up with just some coaching philosophy stuff, and then what you're trying to accomplish, both for yourself, for Bison, the community, what are some things? That, because this is a very performance heavy gym, right, and we have a lot of people that are going after goals, but you also have the majority of the people are here just to work out. So when I say it's a performance gym, that does not mean the majority, I would say it's just more than the average gym. Most of our members here are. They want to work out, they want to be healthy, they want to be safe. Where? Where have has your mindset shifted about CrossFit methodology and programming in general to in relation to an athlete or a group of athletes that you coach? Hey, if you're actually here for health X Y, z, if you're here for performance, you know. Abc. If you're actually here for health X Y Z. If you're here for performance, you know.
Bobby WallumGuest
29:21
ABC. So, yeah, I mean, when I first started doing just coaching in general, coaching CrossFit, I was just like everyone needs to be snatching, yes, need to be able to do this Right. And then, as I've kind of grown a little bit, I just realized like wait, that's not really realistic at all, like you don't need to be doing that. Um, so if you don't necessarily want to, for whatever reason, like all right, we'll find you something to do, but you have to work. So as long as you're getting your work, your work in whatever that might be, whether it resembles exactly the RX prescription of the workout or if it's mod, everything's modified Right, that's okay. Yeah, and I think that's like the biggest thing that has changed me and honestly, that was always the intention of CrossFit. It's, you know it was everything could be infinitely scalable, yep Inclusive. So I don't know where, like I got this mindset that like you had to do this because it never really should have been that way.
David SyvertsenHost
30:17
Probably some thoughts that we had on ourselves that I thought I have to snatch, I have to pistol, I have to handstand push-up. So they do too.
Bobby WallumGuest
30:24
Yeah, it could be as simple as that.
David SyvertsenHost
30:25
And that's where some of the experience comes in. We said like I'd rather a coach kind of learn that through experience than us tell them what to do. And yeah, sometimes there are mistakes that I've made in that quest.
Sam RheeCo-host
30:36
So mistakes that I made in that quest. So, compared to your previous gym that you were coaching at, characterize Bison in terms of any differences or similarities between the group that?
Bobby WallumGuest
30:50
you were coaching then and the groups you're coaching now.
30:52
So definitely bigger, bigger group in general. But in terms of like competitiveness, like this gym definitely has more athletes that want to compete we're definitely had some at Hudson River but I think just having more members here, you're automatically going to have more people want to compete. As far as like skill based, you know, it's probably pretty close. I mean, again, there's more people here, so more people are able to do higher skill things, but it's probably pretty close and I think that is one reason why it was kind of easier for me to come in and be like because it's like-minded people, right. So it made it easy for me to come in and be like oh, this is comfortable for me because I'm already used to this experience. The only difference is it's a new gym and there's much more people, but overall it's. I think it's just because, like Dave comes from a similar spot as me and Jay, the owner of Hudson River, like we've been in this for such a long time that you kind of created this environment, so it made it easy to come into, yep.
Sam RheeCo-host
31:55
So don't hold back here. What do you think we as coaches and the members can do better in terms of growing Like? As an outsider, you have a very fresh perspective, so you could tell us honestly, like what is it that we could do to improve both as members and as coaches.
Bobby WallumGuest
32:12
Well, I mean, I think you guys are doing a pretty good job overall. I mean, you've got over 300 members right. You've got nearly the most signups to the. You've got over 300 members right. You've got, um, nearly the most signups to the CrossFit open and the with the world, right. So, uh, to get it to number one, you know what? How do you get there? I think maybe you know it's a really tough question, something I would have to think about a little bit. Um, I think you guys do a great job of programming coaching overall, but to get you to the next level, how? I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I have that answer right off the top of my head.
David SyvertsenHost
32:48
It's going to be teamwork. I think that's the number one thing, and I think, as Bobby gets more comfortable here, I bet some more answers will become more clear to you, because it's still been a couple months. It hasn't been that long.
Bobby WallumGuest
32:58
You know, really been four, not even four weeks, I guess, yeah, so yeah, I don't have an answer for you right now, sam, but I'll come back on here in a month. Yeah, rip us apart, let you know, dave sucks.
David SyvertsenHost
33:11
But here's an equally tough question. I think you will be able to answer this one because, because we're going to be, we have Bobby kind of maneuvering in and out of a couple of different things and we'll announce them when the time is appropriate. But you have been very used to kind of programming for the gym, right, and kind of mapping out and kind of creating your own schedule not creating your own schedule, but having a very kind of regimented thing. It is a little different here and we are trying to finagle things to make as many people as happy, as comfortable as possible, which is an impossible task to make everyone happy, we know. But you went from being like the, the kind of the head coach, the number one guy, the programmer. Is it hard for you to relinquish some of that?
Bobby WallumGuest
33:57
At first I thought it would be a little bit, but you know, it's kind of uh, it's like freeing. I was gonna say yeah oh, almost yeah, because it's like, okay, this is not, I get to. I could blame dave if I like this isn't my, we deal. So this is me, that's right, yeah, so so, hey, that's kind of hands-free. So, um, no, I, I thought though it would be a little bit, yeah, but it's been fine. It's really. Honestly, it's been great. Yeah, I've been loving every second of it.
David SyvertsenHost
34:29
So that helps that we're also aligned with a lot of programming stuff too, For sure, Like if we were doing really weird stuff here that you just had never done before or don't agree with. I don't question it.
Bobby WallumGuest
34:45
Then you weird stuff here that you just had never done before or don't agree with. I don't question it that you question it. No, it seems like.
David SyvertsenHost
34:49
Again, like I said, we're very like similar a lot, yeah, and and a lot of this stuff, so it hasn't been like a big difference. Yeah, okay, cool, um. Last thing is, you know, if you have a group of bison members sitting in front of you right now and you know, I'm big on just proving yourself through action and time than than words, right, words only mean so much to me. It's all actions and in time. But if there is one thing that you want bison members especially, um, to just know who you are as a coach, as a person, and how, what you're really trying to do here, because there's a lot like part of the reason we had this podcast, sam, what for me personally is, like you want to express what you truly feel about things and you can't, don't have time to at the whiteboard. Like I want people to know this about me and us so that you know. Example I had someone text me yesterday, asked me if I'm leaving, by saying why would they ask?
35:37
that just I, just I it's Bobby's coming on. I haven't coached much the past two weeks. We were building this gym that we're in this room right now and I was like holy cow, like I'm more invested than I've ever been, but but I and I bring that up because this, this podcast, gives us an opportunity to really like just talk about things that we can't talk about the whiteboard. So, bobby, is there anything that you would just want members of the community to know, like before you know they start taking more of your classes and we go? You know we're really going for it over this next year and what's something that you just kind of like your baseline, your North star. You want people to know about you.
Bobby WallumGuest
36:15
I guess something that you kind of touched on is how I want, like, the best for people, right, there might be times where I'm pushing, I might seem like I'm pushing you, and that's typically because I can see that you can maybe do something that you might not realize you can and you can receive that well.
36:39
Or, you know, if you're just like Bob, I'm okay with where I am right now, you can let me know that, right, it might be. An example would be snatching, right, for instance, you know, if I come over, I'm like, hey, maybe you could try this X, y, z, and you don't really care about snatching, which I know there are, people are out there. You can tell me like I'm just going to do this because I don't really want to snatch, I'll say okay, and I'll move right along because I get it. Yep, that's important, yeah, so that's definitely one thing. But yeah, if I'm, if I seem like I'm pushing you a little bit, it's because I just I see something that I think you can be better and I'm always going to want you to get better.
David SyvertsenHost
37:18
That's awesome. Yeah, you're not the fire breather that's just trying to like break them and say that you did a good workout. You see a potential in them and it's important for a coach to see potential in an athlete when the athlete does not see it themselves. It's very important.
Bobby WallumGuest
37:30
Yeah, and I think that is one of my better qualities. Okay, great.
David SyvertsenHost
37:35
Awesome, that's a great quality for a coach. All right, thank you guys. This is Bobby Bob Bow Wow, whatever you want to call him. We're going to have him on for another episode next week, but that's kind of the introduction to him. It hopefully helps you guys get to know him a little bit better, because you are going to be seeing a lot of him in the future. All right, thank you guys, we'll see you next week.
David SyvertsenHost
37:53
Thank you, everybody, for taking the time out of your day to listen to the Herd Fit Podcast. Be on the lookout for next week's episode.
