Philosophy – Page 3 – Evolve to Fit

Environment For Success- Gymnastic Bodies Master Class

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to be invited by Coach Christopher Sommer, creator of Gymnastic Bodies, to a master class at Awaken Gymnastics in Denver. I first met Coach Sommer in December of 2013 at a seminar and was instantly hooked on gymnastic strength training. The two-day master class was designed to coach some of his best and brightest adult gymnastic students (most of us are still waaaay behind his six-year old trainees). Coach Sommer’s credentials speak volumes about his expertise in the field. In short, he is a proven world-class gymnastics coach and motivator.
We came from all over the world to train with Coach- Australia, Singapore, Canada, England, Sweden, and Norway. The quality of athletes was amazing, but more importantly, the quality of human beings I met were beyond my expectations. These were all extremely motivated individuals with tremendous knowledge in their respective fields. They came with a voracious appetite for even more. This hunger wasn’t just for their own growth- they came to learn and spread newfound knowledge. In this regard, our passion is what tied us all together. What I learned from each individual was more than worth the price of admission.

In elementary school, I remember I absolutely loved to color. I was the artist of the class, dare I say, the entire school. Back in the days of Crayola boxes with colors like “burnt sienna” and “skin color” (how fucked up is that?), I was in love with the beauty of my work. I know, narcissistic, right? Everyday, I would sit at my desk, open the coloring book, and study the picture. I would then pick the appropriate colors and outline the borders of the image. Then, I shaded it in, making sure to never color outside the lines. The final result was perfection: very distinct borders, amazing tone. I learned at a very young age to only color inside the lines, that it was beautiful to do so.
My father also had a profound impact on my coloring skills. He would always firmly stress school. “Education is the key to success,” he would say. “Keep your head down, ears and eyes open, and always listen and do what you’re told.” I received an early lesson on being a good student, obedient son, the perfect soldier, a rule follower.

I am the first born American child of a Korean immigrant. My father worked 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, fighting economic hardships to feed me without any maternal support,