Mike Fitch is an innovative fitness educator focused on bodyweight training, skills-based practices, and multi-planar, fluid movement. As the president of Global Bodyweight Training, he has developed multiple programs (including Animal Flow) that celebrate movement. All of his work embraces the philosophy that anybody can excel at bodyweight training and advanced skills building with practice and proper progressions. With 18 years’ experience in the fitness industry, Mike has used and taught a range of styles from Olympic lifts and kettle bells to sports-specific and Speed-Agility-Quickness training. Favorite Success Quote “You must suffer through the structure in order to conquer the chaos” Key Points 1. You Have to Put in the Time No matter what you want to accomplish in life, you have to put in the time. Mastery takes time, it takes patience, and it takes an intentional practice that pushes your limits each day. You cannot expect to see world class results unless you are putting in world class time and effort. 2. When You Hit a Plateau Take a Step Back  So often, on our paths to mastery, we get stuck in a rut. Maybe, for you, your business has made the same amount for 6 months straight, your dating life has been mundane, or you have been doing the same workout for weeks without seeing any strength or muscle gains. When this happens… Just take a step back. While there are a number of things you can do to improve your practice to help break through plateaus, the first thing you need to realize is that there is no rush. You have the rest of your life ahead of you and there is no reason to get impatient with your goals. Take the plateaus as the come and keep moving forward. 3.  You Have to Learn to Move  We live such sedentary and immobile lifestyles that most of us have forgotten how to move. We are riddled with aches and pains, joint problems and inflamed discs and such a long laundry list of other health issues that we could write an entire encyclopedia. The solution to almost all of this, as counter intuitive as it may seem, is to start moving. Not just lifting weights or running, but reconnecting with your primal side and moving like an animal, down on the ground, with all of your joints firing. Whether this is through animal flow or yoga, getting back into your body and re-learning how to move will improve your overall health in ways that you could not imagine. 4. The Goal is to Develop a  Balanced Body  The purpose of all physical training, whether it is with weights or just your body weight, should be to develop a balanced athletic body. Who cares if you can deadlift 600 lbs. if you cannot touch your toes? Who cares how flexible you are if you cannot move weight around without snapping like a stick? You have to build a balanced physique that will allow you to take full advantage of this wonderful gift called life. 5. Take Your Rest as Seriously as You Take Your Training If you really want to succeed with your training, start taking your rest as seriously as you take your time in the gym. Get on a sleep schedule, cut out the electronics, don’t eat more than three hours before bed, turn the temperature down, and black out your room. The better your sleep is, the better you will perform in the gym and in life.