The other day, I came across a YouTube video from Coach Pat Barber, a Level 4 CrossFit Coach who I’ve learned a lot from simply by what he shares. In one of his videos, he uncovers his view on fitness and how it’s portrayed in today’s world. I thought it was beautifully put together and incredibly well said, so I wanted to expand on some of the ideas he brought up and connect them with my own story. Even if just one person reads this and finds something useful, I hope it helps serve them in their fitness journey.
To begin, CrossFit founder Greg Glassman defined fitness years ago in a way no one really had before:
“Increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains.”
What makes this powerful is that now we have something measurable, observable, and repeatable.
You can test it.
You can track it.
You can see it change.
And this matters not just for fitness, but for health—especially when you zoom out and look at these measures across a lifespan. Suddenly, fitness isn’t just about today’s workout. It becomes a long-term investment in your quality of life.
Now contrast that with what Pat pointed out when he did a simple Google search. Fitness is defined as:
“The condition of being physically fit and healthy.”
That definition doesn’t give you much. As Coach Barber states, “It’s trying to define the word using the same word.” And in a world where fitness is intentionally complicated—where we’re bombarded with trends, gimmicks, and promises of quick results—that kind of vague definition doesn’t help anybody.
So Coach Barber takes it a step further and searches: “What is the state of being fit?”
The answer he finds is:
“Being fit means having the physical and mental capacity to perform daily activities with energy and alertness, while also having the strength and stamina to enjoy leisure activities or handle unexpected demands. It reflects the health and strength of the heart, lungs, and muscles, and involves components like cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition.”
Now we’re onto something, wouldn’t you say?
Because this definition finally speaks to what fitness feels like—not just how it looks or how it’s marketed.
It’s capacity.
It’s capability.
It’s being able to live your life saying “yes” to a life with purpose and meaning.
It’s an experience.
And each one of us has our own experience in this pursuit.
When I was 12 years old, I began my fitness journey. Looking back, I knew—even then—that I needed to exercise to feel better. But if I’m being honest, I also wanted to look better. Which is interesting, because the idea of looking better is a major driver and often what’s being sold to you in the form of “6-pack abs,” “toned muscles,” “looking sexier,” “bigger muscles,” “bigger butt”—the list goes on. It’s what grabs the most attention, and unfortunately, it’s what people tend to care about the most. That often relates to how other people perceive you or how you get treated based on how you look.
I say this because I was tired of wearing oversized T-shirts.
Tired of pulling my shirt away from my stomach when I started to sweat.
Tired of being seen as the “big kid” or being made fun of for being overweight.
These things became my motivator to start.
What’s interesting is that I had asthma. I was 30 pounds overweight at 12 years old. I had nebulizer treatments every week. Inhalers at football practice. Yet the idea of “feeling better” only came once I took action.
It wasn’t until I laid down on the living room floor each night to do sit-ups and push-ups that I felt myself begin to breathe better. The nebulizer treatments slowly faded away, the weight came off, and the inhalers gradually disappeared at football practice. One day, I felt myself escape from the person I was, and the idea of looking better took a back seat as I began to wonder:
What if I kept going? What if I didn’t give up? What’s possible?
With that in mind, I feel lucky I began my fitness journey so young. I didn’t have a phone. I barely used the computer. I wasn’t exposed to endless marketing—90-day challenges, quick fixes, six-pack routines, fad workouts. Instead, I simply did what I knew I could do.
And what worked was action.
Doing something instead of nothing.
Telling myself, “Hey, maybe while I watch TV at night, I can do a few push-ups and sit-ups.”
Those reps became sets.
Those nights became weeks.
Those weeks became momentum.
I believe my lived fitness experiences are what have shaped me into the coach I am today. I believe that looking better is something we all strive for—and can be a powerful tool to get someone into that readiness-to-change stage. However, eventually, the goal of looking a certain way loses its power. That’s when your deeper “why” has to take over. That’s when fitness stops being about mirrors and starts being about moments—what you can do, how you show up, and who you become. Pursuit was built on that truth.
And this brings us back to Glassman’s definition—and to Pat Barber’s reminder that fitness doesn’t need to be complicated as he breaks it down even further.
Fitness is:
Work Capacity Across Broad Time and Modal Domains.
Work Capacity = Whenever you want
Life doesn’t care about aesthetics.
Life cares about whether you can do the work when it matters.
When your kid wants to play.
When you need to carry groceries.
When stress hits.
When adventure calls.
Work capacity is your ability to show up whenever you want—
and whenever life demands it.
Broad Times = However you want
Fitness should meet you where you are.
Whether it’s a 3-minute sprint, a 30-minute circuit, or a slow hour-long hike—
it all counts.
You don’t need to fit a mold.
You need to build capacity across your range—however you want.
Modal Domains = Whatever you want
Fitness can come from anything: lifting, running, dancing, carrying, playing, moving.
Whatever you want—because the human body thrives on variety, not perfection.
Through writing this, I realized that Pursuit Fitness is everything I have lived through my fitness journey. We practice what we preach. We live through our fitness. It shapes us and turns us into better human beings. We set the standard for moving, feeling, and living better. And our mission is—and always will be—to improve your quality of life through what we know best: Fitness and Health done across a lifespan, with the constant question to ponder… What would happen if we kept going?
In short:
Fitness is freedom.
Fitness is capability.
Fitness is lived, not sold.
—Coach Paul
For more on Coach Pat Barber’s video: here is the link to his video 🙂
https://youtu.be/SrSDnrN2O-g?si=rrqNxWbqz65KuRg6
