Back Room Talk Coach Spotlight: From Bodybuilding to Stay-at-Home Dad: Garrett Bell's Journey Through Fitness Identity and Professional Growth
This episode of Back Room Talk explores the multifaceted journey of Garrett Bell, an Alabama-based fitness coach whose path from high school athlete to stay-at-home dad demonstrates how life's seasons shape coaching philosophy. Garrett's story reveals how discovering OPEX methodology under James FitzGerald transformed his understanding of fitness, and how becoming a parent reshaped his priorities while deepening his commitment to helping others find sustainable approaches to health.
The Athletic Foundation: Following the Typical Path
Garrett's fitness journey began like many coaches', through sports and the inevitable post-high school decline: "I was played sports growing up and, you know, once I got out of high school, I was like, I didn't really train much. And so of course you get kind of like your freshman 15 is what they kind of call it."
This recognition sparked his initial exploration: "I was like, I need to get back, I need to start training again. Cause I like trained in high school, like we did this. So I got back into training."
The Exploration Phase: From Aesthetics to Performance
Garrett's fitness journey took him through several distinct phases, each revealing different aspects of training culture:
The Bodybuilding Phase "It just became like super, super fun for me to try to like accomplish this new goal, whether it was like, Hey, I want to get stronger. I want to like, you know, lose some body fat and look better... that was kind of the first initial like step to getting back into it."
The Powerlifting Transformation "I got into powerlifting because I was like, man, I'm like super lean, but like these guys are super strong. So I was like, and I was at a gym that people were doing it. So was like, let me get into that."
The physical transformation was dramatic: "I went from like probably 175, 185 to like 235, 240. And I was like squatting. you know, 450 plus."
The CrossFit Discovery "I had some buddies in the gym that were into CrossFit and I was like, dude, these guys are like just as strong as me. And I was like, and they're ripped. was like, what is going on?"
This progression revealed Garrett's deeper curiosity: "Over this period, I became more curious as to why? Why are they so fit? Why are they so strong? Why are they look the way they look? What are you guys doing differently than I'm doing? And why is it working?"
The Coaching Catalyst: From Curiosity to Career
Garrett's transition into coaching emerged naturally from his exploration: "That kind of led me down the rabbit hole of wanting to coach. I got started coaching officially doing CrossFit. So I just started coaching at my local CrossFit gym."
The gym owner supported his development: "The owner gave me a discount because he knew I was a student, like a broke college student. I was like, here, I'll give you a discount. You can come join. And I was like, cool. Became a coach."
The CrossFit Experience: High Intensity, High Consequences
Garrett fully immersed himself in the CrossFit methodology: "As probably most CrossFit people, you do it for so long, you get really beat up." His approach was unsustainable: "I did it like five or six days a week and I was basically coming in with like just like this bloodthirsty mentality of like, I'm going to burn this workout down and I'm going to burn myself down too."
This experience planted seeds of doubt: "You know, what can I do differently? It's like, cause I can't do this high intensity like all the time. Like I could do it in small doses, but like, you know, what can I do differently?"
The OPEX Discovery: Perfect Timing
Garrett's introduction to OPEX came at a pivotal moment in 2018-2019: "OPEX was obviously like crushing marketing and just was like right into my DMs basically."
The content quality caught his attention: "would see him on the social media, I'd see Carl, I'd see Jordan, I'd see all these other people like Sam. And I was like, man, like they like talk so eloquently and they know all this stuff. And I was like, man, I want to learn from those guys."
The Investment Decision "Finally it was like, you know, took a big chunk out of like money wise and it was like, all right, I'm going to invest in myself. Like finally, I'm going to invest in myself and did that."
The James Fitzgerald Experience: A Blessing and a Curse
Garrett was fortunate to be in one of James's final cohorts: "I am like so glad that I had James. I was in a way like, you know, like I say this in the most positive way. was like a blessing and a curse."
The Mind-Opening Experience "The amount of knowledge and the like the curtain that he like opened and like unveiled for me, like took the blinders off and I was just like, whoa, what is this? Like, what are you talking about?"
The revelation extended beyond exercise: "This concept of like living a larger life and like, you know, behaviors and stuff like aren't we just like learning how to get like muscles and like be stronger and faster? Like he just opened this whole new door."
The Immediate Impact "From that, like literally from that time on, I was just like, no, yep, this is the only way I'm going to do that."
The Career Conflict: Methodology vs. Reality
The education created immediate professional tension: "I was sitting here coaching these like classes that was just like crushing people like daily. And I was just, you know, I was coaching one thing and I had a belief in one thing and they just did not mesh."
Garrett's response was decisive: "I was like, okay, I can't do this. Like, you know, this goes against basically my religion, if you will, what I believe in and I'll basically quit."
The Leap to Independence "That was when I fully like just took us, you know, took a gamble and started my own online coaching thing. And it honestly just kind of blossomed from there."
Building a Remote Practice: The Spousal Support Factor
Garrett acknowledges a significant advantage in his transition: "I'm like just extremely blessed to have a wife that was super encouraging. was like from day one, she was like, want you to do what you're passionate about."
His wife's established career provided crucial support: "She's an architect. So she is a breadwinner in her house. And it's like, she already had a full-time job and we didn't have kids at the time. And she was basically like, I want you to do like, chase your dream."
This freedom enabled total immersion: "I was doing this full time. Like I was at home and like able to pour into like making content and to come up with logos and designs and buy an LLC."
The Marketing Learning Curve: What Works and What Doesn't
Garrett discovered his strengths and limitations in business development:
The Creative Side "I've always been like kind of creative, always like enjoyed the creative process of like coming up with like graphics and like coming up with scripts and coming up with like, you know, different types of content."
The Sales Challenge "The part I did not really enjoy was like, you know, like leads, cause I'm such a, a, I'm a country guy. come from a small town in rural Alabama. And so like, for me to like slide into someone's DMS or like, be like, Hey, have you ever thought about online coaching... that just wasn't me."
His preferred approach was more organic: "I would rather do it a lot more organically, which I did... having more conversations with people and trying to probe into what their goals were and have they hit them or not. And like, how can I help?"
The Sales Perspective: Avoiding the "Slimy" Feeling
Garrett's experience with other sales training left him uncomfortable: "I went through a course prior to OPEX called Active Life... there was an entire like section dedicated on like, you know, talking sales and having these fake conversations with your cohort people."
The approach didn't resonate: "They were like, oh, you're in a burning house. I have the ladder. I can help you. And I was just like, I can't. I'm sorry. I can't. I would rather just be like, what's up, man? Talk to you a lot more normal."
The Authentic Alternative "If you can connect with them on a real level and the conversation truly becomes about helping them navigate the situation they're going in, like the money part can come later."
Client Acquisition Reality: Local Connections Win
Garrett's client base developed primarily through personal networks: "Most of my clients that I had and have are people that I know, know, like people that are local."
This pattern is common: "I feel like that's a lot of people. You know, there's there's other people out there that are, I would say, kind of anomalies that have just a big following."
The Referral Philosophy Carl Hardwick's advice stuck with Garrett: "Your best marketing is to make your clients your raving fans... you want to basically provide them with like the best service and the best results possible so that they run and tell all their friends."
The OPEX Difference: Recognizable Quality
Garrett can identify fellow OPEX coaches in conversation: "The difference between like an OPEX coach or someone who's went through CCP Like you could just tell when you were talking to like an OPEX coach."
What Sets Them Apart "I don't know if it's just the language that we use is very similar or if it's just we have a deep desire to like want to improve people's lives and not just their physical qualities... Like we want to be able to provide you with like larger life, basically, you know, like, and we talk about behaviors and stuff."
The BLG Revolution: Simplicity That Works
Garrett found the Basic Lifestyle Guidelines concept transformative: "That simplicity and, you know, like foundational stuff was just, I don't know why I never thought of it. And it was just kind of like blew my mind."
He applies these principles broadly: "I actually was able to do like a nutritional seminar with her work once. And some of the concepts I went through were coming from OPEX."
The Fundamentals Message "We need to drink more water and we need to eat. We don't need to confuse this stuff. Like we need to eat fruits and vegetables... we need to basically come back to the basics. And you need to get the basics in control before you go and do these extreme types of diets or protocols."
The James Philosophy: What Really Matters
Several of James's concepts stuck with Garrett:
Reward the Pacer "Obviously a big one was like reward the Pacer, you know, and some other stuff."
The Simplicity Principle "It was like, you can be a very, very healthy fit human by doing like simple resistance training and walking a lot. And that to me was like, you don't have to do all this crazy stuff."
The Marketing Reality "You can't market and sell this style of stuff that we're talking about. This simplicity isn't going to sell. You can try, but people like sexy, people like high intensity, they like the very niche, like sexy diets and sexy protocols."
The Dad Transition: Redefining Priorities
Becoming a father fundamentally changed Garrett's coaching practice and personal life: "My schedule has changed a little bit, but, you know, my son wakes up at like 536 every morning. So we've been up and at it."
The Stay-at-Home Dad Reality "I'm watching them, you know, from six, well, basically from eight to like five in the evening most days. So it's a, it is a full-time job."
This shift reduced his client load: "My client looks pretty low right now, just due to the fact of being the stay at home dad. I don't want to overload myself cause it's not fair to anybody."
Applying Coaching Principles to Parenting
Garrett discovered unexpected applications of fitness principles in parenting:
Reward the Pacer in Action "You definitely have to be very slow. You have to be, you can't be very, get rushing into things basically, you know, you have to pace yourself."
A practical example: "He wanted to play out in the front yard in this hole that we have. And I was just like, I just need to chill out. Like, you know, slow down, let him play. Like he obviously wants to be here. He doesn't understand what's going on. Like let him play. And eventually he'll want to get in the car and he'll want to go to the park. And sure enough, he did."
The Return to Group Coaching: Changed Perspective
Garrett returned to coaching CrossFit classes with a new mindset, influenced by a conversation with fellow CCP coach Dakota Zook: "Do you enjoy coaching? It's just like, yeah, you know, like awesome. Then you can be in front of people and it's like, you can still coach them."
The Realization "Just because it's something that you don't personally do yourself doesn't mean that you're not able to impact people and you're not able to go in there and give your best self and to help others."
The Community Value "I can't argue with people that want to come in and, you know, be in front of people and to make friends and to have a community and things like that."
Applying OPEX Principles in Group Settings
Garrett leverages his education to enhance group coaching:
Individualization Within Groups "If I have a group of 15 people and I have them come in and we're doing front squats... this person doesn't have the requisite mobility, nor do they have the control. I can know that and be like, this person is new. They're lacking motor control. Cool. Hey, I want you to do a goblet squat and I want you to go, I want you to go three seconds down."
Energy Systems Application "I can look at a conditioning piece and be like, look guys, this is a mixed modal piece. This is going to be really challenging for a lot of you guys because you you probably need a little bit more cyclical work."
The Professional Coach Standard
Garrett contrasts professional coaches with those treating it as a side job: "A professional coach is knowing what that person is there for and be able to reel that person back in and be like, Hey, remember why you signed up? Like, this is why you're here."
The Clear Role "It's like, if you go back to the bare bones definition of coach, it's like the person who is guiding you and not doing any harm from point A to point B, right? And hopefully giving you their very best in that experience."
Training Philosophy: Variety with Purpose
Garrett maintains his own training with thoughtful variety:
The Mini Side Quest Approach "I like, I can do, I can do the same thing for a long time, but I like to try to, I have these like mini side quests that I like to do to kind of keep my training more enjoyable and more fun."
He balances this with health considerations: "I still keep that kind of like living a larger life, like as the big thing that I focus on, like if I have a goal, it's like, okay, let me look at this goal and be like, is it going to really detract from my health and longevity?"
Current Training: Combine Prep
Garrett is running a 12-week combine preparation program focusing on:
Max bench press
Power clean
40-yard dash
His weekly structure includes:
One sprint-focused day with plyometric work
One 30-60 minute cyclical recovery session
Four resistance training days (upper/lower split)
The Plyometric Priority "I think is probably one of the most underutilized areas or attributes that you could work on. Because it's like, one of the things I've learned is that type two muscle fibers deteriorate with age. And so if you don't use it, you lose it."
The Skill Acquisition Revelation
Garrett's sprint training revealed important insights about performance: "I kept pulling my hamstring sprinting and I was like, it's gotta be, it's gotta be like, you know, a weakness somewhere. It's gotta be some sort of muscle imbalance."
The real issue was skill-based: "I think I just suck at sprinting. Like I suck at this specific aspect of sprinting... you just need to spend more time sprinting and do more skill work to improve your quality of sprinting and it'll go away."
The Software vs. Hardware Concept "There's a lot of like neurological stuff going on and these different types of patterning where it's like, you're getting faster because you're learning how to sprint more efficiently and you're learning how to sprint as a skill."
Silence and Solitude: Unexpected Training Tools
Garrett practices training without distraction: "I'll be doing like aerobic work for like 30 or 40 minutes with like no music or nothing. And I'll just sit there and just breathe and just be in my head the entire time."
He sees therapeutic value: "It's almost like therapeutic in a way... some people will like listen to music and watch a video and I've done that too, but I find myself almost just working out in silence now."
The OPEX Influence "I attribute that to like OPEX too, because it was like, you know, one of those things that you always talked about was like, go for a long walk, unplugged, you know, in nature."
The Parenting Philosophy: Keep It Simple
Garrett offers practical advice for parents: "There's a lot of stuff on social media where people tell you this is the right way to do it, or this is the right way, and this is the answer, and no one has the answer, no one has the right answer for how to raise a kid. You just figure it out."
What Really Matters "As long as your kid is happy, has got a full belly and loves you and has a house over your head, like roof over his head or her head. It's like, that's all that matters. You'll figure it out."
Health Habits Start Early "I try to instill in him what you know, I'm learning like his meals are what I eat, you know? So if I'm having beef and vegetables and, you know, rice, like that's what he's having."
The Fire Department Dream: New Challenges Ahead
Garrett is preparing for a potential career addition: "I'm eventually gonna apply here locally for our fire department."
His fitness background provides advantages: "Being able to have that as like my background is nice because I can hopefully help others if I do get on."
The firefighter culture aligns with his values: "It's obviously a very, a big part of the culture too in most houses. They have like a, like a garage gym type setup and one person tends to like lead the group."
The Openness Philosophy
Garrett's approach to connecting with others reflects his personality: "I'm an open book... I'm about as down to earth as it gets. So anything and everything, there's no paywall behind me. I'll give you every advice and I can for free."
This accessibility extends his impact beyond direct coaching relationships, embodying the OPEX value of teaching and sharing knowledge freely.
The Evolution of Perspective
Garrett's journey demonstrates significant growth in how he views fitness and coaching:
From Dogmatic to Practical "I've changed my mentality... I've kind of, you know, let go of that per se, because at first it was very much like group model is like terrible, you know, but... people are moving, right? It's like they're doing something way better than nothing."
From Self-Focused to Other-Focused His transition from athlete to coach to parent has deepened his understanding of service: "You have a very unique set of skills and those unique set of skills you can help a lot of people."
Wisdom for Emerging Coaches
Garrett's experience offers valuable lessons for new coaches:
On Education and Application "Take what you learn the principles that you learned. It's like once you learn those principles then you can go and break the rules and like learn your own way of doing things."
On Professional Standards "Your job is not to impose your will on them. Your job is to listen to what they want without judgment. And give them the easiest path to that goal and empower them."
On Building Sustainable Practices Focus on local relationships, provide exceptional service, and let referrals drive growth rather than chasing social media metrics.
The Teach, Learn, Move, Create Cycle
Garrett embodies the OPEX philosophy in his daily life: "That is that reigns so true, you know, like get outside and like, go and create something, go and do something like go and learn for yourself, like take what you learn the principles and then go and do it."
This framework guides both his coaching and his parenting, creating consistency across life domains.
The Professional Identity
Garrett's story illustrates how professional identity evolves through life stages. From bodybuilder to powerlifter to CrossFit athlete to online coach to stay-at-home dad coaching CrossFit, each phase has added depth to his understanding of fitness and human nature.
His current season, balancing fatherhood, part-time coaching, and personal development demonstrates that professional coaching careers don't follow linear paths. The ability to adapt while maintaining core principles separates sustainable practices from burnout trajectories.
The Lasting Impact of Education
Years after completing CCP, Garrett continues to reference and apply the principles he learned: "At first I was like, you know, that was super helpful. It's like, yeah, like I can. I could coach in a group setting and still make an impact."
The education didn't just change his coaching methods; it transformed his worldview and approach to life challenges.
Connect with Garrett
Those interested in Garrett's approach can find him:
Instagram: @garretthbell
Location: Huntsville, Alabama
Focus: Balanced approach to fitness, group coaching with individual attention, parenting and fitness integration
Philosophy: "It ain't that deep, love them, feed them, keep moving"
Garrett's story reminds us that the best coaching careers often mirror the messiness of real life full of transitions, challenges, adaptations, and growth. His willingness to adjust his practice as his life circumstances change while maintaining his core principles demonstrates mature professionalism.
Next Steps
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