I hope everyone is taking advantage of the community of faithful, fired-up, teamRIPPED members we have here. I currently have over 6,000 people who have made me their coach. Many are totally engaged, making great progress, and seeing awesome results that impress and inspire others. But others have fallen through the cracks or fallen off the wagon. That was the purpose of my “Misfit Challenge” that I issued earlier this week. I wanted to step back and pick up the members of our team who need a smaller, close knit group to thrive in.
My point wasn’t to exclude anyone, but unfortunately I got some feedback from people who felt “left out” because they couldn’t / wouldn’t commit to the 4 rules I made. I just want to take a minute to elaborate on why I did that (since for everyone who asks I’m sure there are many others thinking the same thing):
First, remember, that no matter where you are at in your workouts, your nutrition, your supplements, etc., I AM HERE FOR YOU! I am here every day, working out, eating clean, supplementing in the ways I feel are best for my health and fitness, and ready to give you advice and tips anytime! Just because you aren’t in the “Misfits” doesn’t mean I’m neglecting you! You didn’t feel neglected before I set up the Misfits …. so why should you now?
Second, I’ve found that in big groups, people often don’t feel as connected with each other as they do in smaller, more interactive groups. That’s what happened with our first ever team challenge, the “Asylum Challenge” back in May-June. And the people who did that challenge all learned that they were capable of more than they ever dreamed. I realized that subgroups within teamRIPPED (which I like to call “challenges” because competition fires me up) will help people plug in even more than just our big community. Thus, I wanted to take advantage of this time before X2 to get more people back on track.
Third, in order to give people a “kick in the butt” who have been slacking, I need to be strict. I need to set up some rules that I won’t budge on, in order to stop excuses before we even start. If I can get a bunch of people to start Day 1 of this challenge with a commitment to the workouts, commitment to the supplements, commitment to the nutrition, and commitment to staying accountable, I know I can get them to their goals. If I open it up to everyone, each with their own reasons for why they can’t do this or that, it will quickly degenerate into no value for the group. The point of a small group Challenge is to pair like-minded people together with a common path to a common goal.
I hope those of you who “can’t afford P90X”, “can’t afford Shakeology”, “can’t afford to buy healthy food”, “don’t do FB because of privacy issues”, etc. all understand that my point isn’t to exclude you. I’m still here for you! You just can’t be part of this small, focused group of Misfits! :-)
Anyways, it bothers me that although 99% of you have either been excited about the challenge to join it or support those who are doing it, there are always the 1% who say I’m not being fair to them because I won’t allow for their exception to the rules. And yes, I’ve been asked to make exceptions to each of the 4 basic rules I set for this group LOL!
Here’s the quick rundown on why I have the 4 rules and why I won’t make exceptions (for those who keep asking me to):
P90X Classic — It’s not that I hate Insanity, or Power 90, or any of the other workouts. It’s because P90X is the best combination of resistance and cardio if I had to pick one program. And to do it as a team, sticking to 1 program makes the most sense. But I don’t like cardio only programs like Insanity as a stand alone program because to get fit and strong, you simply MUST do resistance training. I prefer Insanity cardio to the P90X cardio, but I’m not going to ask people to buy multiple programs to do a hybrid. I’m going to do P90X Classic. Period!
Shakeology — It’s not that I’m trying to discriminate against people who “can’t afford Shakeology” or live outside the U.S. It’s that Shakeology is the cornerstone of my nutrition plan, and I’ve used it for over a year and a half as the cornerstone of my nutrition. Nutrition is 80% of the results, and for this group, I want everyone on the same page. If Shakeology is not something you have access to, that’s fine. Do your best and forget the rest! I don’t require anyone to buy Shakeology to be part of teamRIPPED or to take advantage of my time, my free coaching, my advice, etc. But I am requiring it in this small group because I know it will put them light years ahead in transforming their diet, their health, and their fitness.
Nutrition — It’s not that I get a kickback from Whole Foods by asking people to eat healthy and change some of the items they buy at the supermarket. It’s that I know that nutrition is CRITICAL to maximizing the body’s ability to function properly, shed fat, build muscle, and increase metabolism. Might it cost a bit more at first to change the cupboards out for some healthy stuff? Sure! But it’s a must to change your life!
Facebook accountability — Yes, I’ve even had people ask if they can be part of the group without doing FB. LOL! I don’t know what the point would be because that would be like wanting to be invited to a party but not being willing to come to the place the party is at! FB private groups are only visible and accessible to people who the admin (me) allows in, so there isn’t the risk of “everyone at work seeing my day 1 pic” or any of that. I can’t really get anyone accountable that won’t commit to being part of the private FB group. So if you’ve got a FB hangup, then this group won’t be a help to you because we are going to be connected on FB 24/7! Already we are seeing that. The Misfit group has new posts every couple minutes all day long. And we are having a blast!
So just remember — just because this challenge isn’t the perfect fit for you, that doesn’t mean you are excluded from teamRIPPED! There are thousands of other teamRIPPED members who are also NOT doing this challenge! That’s what I expected and wanted.
And if you want to be part of a smaller group, post in the forum and hook up with others who will be starting the same program as you on the same day. Discuss ways to hold each other accountable, and encourage one another. No member of teamRIPPED needs to feel “LEFT OUT!!” You are amongst 6,000 friends! If you feel left out, that’s on you, not me!
I’ll still be putting a P90X2 challenge together in January (and the only “rule” for that will probably be owning P90X2). I’m sure I’ll have people telling me that’s not fair either if they can’t afford P90X2, or if they didn’t order in time to get it when we start. I can’t make everyone happy, I know that.
Do I feel like a schmuck for even posting this article? Yeah, sort of! I want to keep people fired up, and I get bent out of shape when by firing up a portion of our team I get backlash from others on our team. I want us to all think about the team and how to get the most of us to be our best. But with a team this large, that won’t always happen.
Just know that I’m doing my best to keep everyone going strong, and yet reaching out individually to those I can to get them back on the fitness bandwaggon. When I see the amazing difference that our Asylum Legends have made, not only in themselves but also in those around them as they have started coaching others through the workout programs, I am so excited to see what this group of “misfits” can become after 90 days! This crew will find fire and passion they didn’t know they even had, and they will have the power to change the world! Go get ’em teamRIPPED!
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
