From Powerlifting to the Pacific Crest Trail: What Consistency Looks Like Now

I started with basic powerlifting and bodybuilding for years, but I was always interested in CrossFit. From the outside, CrossFitters just looked fit in a way that felt different. The training seemed dynamic, varied, and versatile, and I knew there was something about it that I wanted to try.

Before CrossFit, I was consistent in the gym, but my training didn’t always carry over well when life got busy or when I traveled. I had gone through phases of high intensity for short stretches, endurance running without much structure, and training hard without always thinking about the bigger picture. Over time, I started to notice that when I pushed without balance or consistency, things just started to hurt.

I found Train at the end of 2023. Honestly, it was the first gym I came across on Google, and after coming in, I didn’t feel like I needed to look anywhere else. A few weeks in, once the initial DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) wore off, I started to feel like it was my place.

The coaches are the best part about Train. They are true sticklers for form, but in a way that makes you feel supported, not intimidated. They pay attention to the details, stay positive, and make it easier to try new movements without feeling like you’re completely out of your depth. The community is special too. There’s something about showing up for class, knowing you’ll get a solid hour of work in, and having other people there suffering alongside you that makes consistency a lot easier.

Before Train, one of the biggest physical challenges I had taken on was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2022. It was 2,600 miles over four months, and it ended up being the best four months of my life.

I don’t totally remember what made me decide to do it. I think once I found out it was something people actually did, I just had the urge to do it myself. That was enough.

Over those four months, I saw a lot of people’s bodies start to break down. People got injured, had to stop, or were forced to call it quits. I mostly just felt bad for them. It was such a bummer to watch people get that far and not be able to continue.

Thankfully, I had been training pretty consistently before the hike, and I managed to avoid injury. I noticed I could go further, faster, and longer than a lot of people around me. That was definitely a confidence boost, and it made me realize that the work I had put in before the trail was paying off in a very real way.

People always ask about the hardest moment from those four months, and I’m sure I’ve blacked it out. Everything hurt by the end, but when I look back on it, I mostly remember it as sunshine and rainbows. There were too many standout days and moments to narrow it down to just one.

Physically, I never really thought I wouldn’t finish. The only thing that almost stopped me was wildfire. I literally finished the day before they closed the trail because of fires.

That experience shaped the way I think about fitness now. I’m not training just to be good at the gym. I want to be able to hike, run, move, and live without pain. I still think PRs are fun every once in a while, but my goals these days are much more focused on steady consistency than chasing progress week to week.

Being at Train has helped with that. The accountability makes a difference. The coaches notice when I haven’t been in for a while and follow up. The class structure helps too. I don’t have to overthink it. I just show up, trust the programming, and know I’m going to get a good workout in.

My mindset has shifted as I’ve gotten older. I’m less focused on how much progress I can see in a single week and more focused on the bigger picture. Ironically, that has meant trying to do less in some ways and trusting the process more.

Right now, consistency looks like showing up at least three times a week. The bigger challenge is maintaining that in the second half of the year when I’m traveling more and don’t have Train to lean on. Unfortunately, there isn’t a Train in Syracuse. I’m a creature of habit, so getting kicked out of my routine can throw me off, but I’m getting better.

My goal is to keep building that consistency no matter where I am and come back in January in the best shape of my life.

Fitness impacts my life outside the gym mostly because I just feel better. I don’t run as much as I used to, and I’m definitely slower than I once was, but I feel stronger than I ever have and pain-free. I’m content with the season I’m in right now.

One step at a time.

Chris Shrimpton