18A Philosophy

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Before presenting the 18A Fitness Philosophy, it is important to introduce the person that I admired the most growing up, explain his influence on who I am today, and illustrate how sports and fitness have served as a focal point of development throughout my life. 

Gilbert D. Edgerton, my father and the oldest of eight siblings, was born and raised on a share crop farm in Northern Georgia.  In the late 1950s my grandfather, Harry Edgerton Sr., jumped at the opportunity to join the Steel Mill Boom, and moved the family to Gary, Indiana.  Not long after, my father dropped out of High School at 16, joined the U.S. Marines, and served four years before the Vietnam War.  After the Marines, he became a self-employed electrician, which translated to many life lessons helping make ends meet. 

At age five, I was put to work digging trenches to run conduit from houses to garages.  Hard work became a synonym with the Edgerton family name, and that work ethic was passed on from day one.  I later learned that my father loved sports, but never had the opportunity to play while growing up.  As the oldest of eight, he had to work on the farm and help raise siblings.  This gave me a passion for sports as well, and I played football, baseball, wrestling, and soccer.  If there was practice or a game, there was no requirement to work with Dad.  I played baseball from 5-13, football from 8-17, wrestling from 8-17, and soccer from 13-17. 

After high school, I told dad that I was going to join the Marines, where his exact words were, “the f*** you are”. He then told me to check out the other branches first and make an informed decision.  At 18, I joined the U.S. Army, served an initial tour, then exited after Desert Shield and Desert Storm to attend college. Three days after my discharge, Dad and I signed up at a local gym my cousin Dennis managed. During the first workout with Dennis and I, Dad had a heart attack and subsequently a triple bypass.

It wasn’t the workout that caused the heart attack, my father had smoked from 13-47 years old, and had a horrible diet, with Pepsi as his main source of fluid.  After his heart attack, my father started working out and eating nutritional foods, lost 60 pounds, and is with us today because he was able to apply that same work ethic to his health and fitness.  

My father’s heart attack was the start of this fitness journey.  That day I made a promise to take care of myself, eat healthy, and work out regularly.  That also meant overcoming a few road blocks due to major injuries; The two largest were a broken neck and a broken ankle, both caused by jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.  I've since recovered from those injuries, will turn 53 in 2023, and continue to function at a high level. 

Many lessons learned were through practicing numerous fitness programs (Men’s Health, P90X, Insanity, and CrossFit, to name a few), exposure to unique training methodologies as a Special Operator training, certifications in a range of fitness and recuperative methodologies, and extensive trial and error. 

What I have garnered in the past 32 years is that mobility, breath work, strength and conditioning, and body weight exercise are the most effective means to sustain human performance and prevent injuries