08/23/2026
Earlier this summer, a few members of our team and I attended the 2026 Perform Better Summit in Chicago. The summit brings together some of the top fitness professionals, physiotherapists, and performance coaches in the country to share ideas, research, and practical strategies.
Throughout the day, I attended several lectures and hands-on workshops, but two speakers stood out to me for completely different reasons.
The first was Gray Cook (second photo), a world-renowned physiotherapist who has consulted with professional athletes and organizations across the NFL, NBA, MLB, and PGA. His message was remarkably simple:
Quality movement comes first.
Before strength.
Before power.
Before athletic performance.
Move well first.
What’s interesting is that Gray has been teaching essentially the same principles for over 20 years. And they still work. Yet his room only had a handful of attendees.
A few hours later, I attended a presentation titled:
“AI Won’t Replace You...But Someone Using AI Will.”
The room was packed. Standing room only.
The irony?
The presentation started 15 minutes late because the speaker couldn’t get his AI-generated PowerPoint to work.
One room was nearly empty. The other was overflowing.
One speaker was teaching principles that have worked for decades. The other was teaching the newest trend.
It reminded me how often we’re drawn to what’s new instead of what works.
In fitness, people search for the next exercise, supplement, gadget, or breakthrough. But the fundamentals haven’t changed:
Move well.
Get stronger.
Sleep.
Walk.
Eat mostly real food.
Stay consistent.
Do it for years, not weeks.
The same is true in business, relationships, and most things worth pursuing.
As Alex Hormozi says:
“People try shortcuts for a decade until they realize they would’ve gotten there on any path if they had just stuck with it.”
The challenge isn’t finding the perfect path. It’s staying on the path long enough for it to work. Stay on the path.
~Scott and the Orange Shoe Team
