“Let me work on you real quick.”

I was at another health fair and I loved my job at the chiropractor’s office.  

“Before everyone gets here, c’mon.”

In the booth next to me there was a plastic chair & a yoga mat – and a guy nagging me.

“It’ll be really quick, I promise.”

“Okay, okay.” I thought, “Let’s get this over with…”  

I sat in the chair. He worked on my shoulders. Four minutes later, I stood up and rolled them deeply. Frowned. They felt better, looser.

I was delighted, confused, and intrigued – all at the same time. “What is this called and how fast can I learn it?”  

“Rossiter.” David smiled.  

That was 15 years, 11 months, and 20 days ago. 

I burst through the front door effusing.

“Keith! I gotta tell you something!”

“What do you mean he ‘stepped on’ you?”

“Lie down, I’ll try to show you.”

Standing back up, Keith was still skeptical.  My untrained feet had left him uncomfortable and unconvinced.

Undeterred, I got David to give us a demo. The gym owner & his wife, four trainers, and a physical therapist. I dragged Keith by his ear.

David did a single Rossiter technique on each of us, narrating throughout…

I’d been training clients at Bud’s gym for four years.
We worked out together.  I knew his body.
I knew his limitations.

Four minutes later, I watched Bud checking his squat.
 I leaned over, and in a hushed tone, asked:

“That looked smoother.  How does your knee feel?”

“No pain.”

“What did he do?”

“I don’t know.”

We signed up on the spot. Level 1 Rossiter Instructor training was the first step in a life-altering journey…

We figured we’d help each other, maybe family and friends. That expanded to friends of friends … of friends.  I started taking appointments at the chiropractic office.

We drank, gulped, knowledge. Not only Rossiter techniques, but learning everything we could about connective tissue, anatomy, and recovery.

Chiropractors, GP’s, and surgeons were referring clients to us.  They knew of us – and they knew we could help.

Meanwhile, back at the gym…

I was training my clients the old way.

Single joint movements.

One muscle at a time.

Machine to machine.

Do the circuit.

It was the industry standard and how I’d been certified.

On my own, I was the “secret functional fitness guy”.
I was experimenting with full body movements.
Suspension.  Body weight exercises.  I felt the results, but I was uncertain.

I feared “they” would rebuff the techniques.
Sneer, snicker, chide, cajole.

But I felt the results.

I sneaked it in with a couple clients.
“Let’s try something new today…” Just a single exercise.

Before I could formulate a plan, everyone who tried it asked for more.
Clients who belonged to this gym were asking me to stop using the gym’s equipment.

Workouts became less mechanical and more functional.

I had never seen 70 year old women doing rows and push ups on gymnastics rings.

Soon the whole workout was functional, but I only had a handful of new props and not enough space to use them…

We found two things that worked.

People asked for it. Paid for it. Referred friends.

So we’d go to the park, think and talk for hours.

Do we open our own place?
How should it look, feel?
How do we create the right vibe, the right energy?
How do we make it feel like you’re in the right place?
How do we make it fun without sacrificing credibility?

Together with David, yes that David, we rented a space.  

A big, empty space.  

We installed flooring.  We painted. We hung superhero posters.