Classes at 9am,10am,11am and noon only today.
I have been wanting to write this blog for a while, and what could be a better time than new years day?!
A little over a month ago, Chad Whittman from Reebok summoned some of the local coaches together for a round table discussion. In Chad’s email he wrote that we would be discussing the WHY, and to start thinking about our WHY.
I love getting out of the box and talking to like minded coaches about operating a box and coaching. It can be easy to get caught up in the day in and day out tasks and forget what it is all about. Talking with the other coaches made things crystal clear. Why we do what we do as coaches, is empower you all to become better humans? Now that might seem extreme, but think about it.
When I worked as a personal trainer, it was the same thing all the time. Me, begging my clients to work hard, my clients not wanting to work hard, and then my clients being a lost cause without my presence. In CrossFit, we have the ability to teach you all the tools and at the same time we are teaching you to become self sufficient. So many of you had a hard time eating right and exercising consistently before starting CrossFit, and now you are workout ninjas and eat extremely clean. The coaches and the community help you get there, but it is the will that you find within yourself to make it happen.
How many of you started doing CrossFit and all of a sudden you are a better all around person? Seriously? I remember Ben Hoogheem approaching us after his fist few months at CFS and telling us that before starting Crossfit he was battling with depression and that his relationships with his friends and family were crumbling. CrossFit helped him pull himself out of that depression, mend his relationships, and make his feel good about himself once again. And Joe Shamon, I have to call you out. When we first met Joe he was this shy, skinny, de-conditioned young man that really didn’t talk much. Now Joe is rather meaty, extremely social, very athletic and knowledgable, and confident. I don’t know a soul that doesn’t love Joe Shamon. How about Amy Cleary? Some of you never met the Amy that we met a few years back, but she has come a long way. Amy has lost 50-60lbs since she started. But that is not the real impressive part. Amy was an athlete growing up and she has ignited that athlete inside of her. Not only is Amy fit, she is fierce. Amy works really hard day after day and stays after with her little buddy Petra and works on her weaknesses. In addition to all this, she has a big position in a big job. She has told me more than once that CrossFit has helped her excel there as well. Oh and Lissa, poor thing…we dragged her by her hair to CrossFit Southie. She had trained with Chris since 2005, and she was a one on one client. When we opened the business Lissa followed us, and then result blew us both away. Lissa went from hating exercise…to actually liking it (she probably won’t admit to it but she loves it). A few paleo challenges and 2 years of CrossFit later, she is like a different person. Fit, beautiful, and confident. Lissa also suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, and her new diet has kept her flare ups more under control and she is less inhibited by her disease. I could go on for days about all of you, but obviously I can’t. One last person I want to mention is JR Butler. He approached me back in August about attaining some goals of his. He created his own regimen for himself and saw great results. The biggest result was his sobriety. JR is sober, finally mastering those double unders, and crushing wods all over the place. Very inspiring.
I think for me CrossFit has done a countless number of things. I am more comfortable in my own skin. Before CrossFit, I was focused on being thin, and would constantly be negative about my body. I also find that I have this crazy mental toughness with everything thing that I do. I would never just stop in the middle of a WOD, so why would I just give up in the middle of a project? In times where I would give up before, I charge on through. It becomes more second nature. With and exception of this past week, I went an entire 2 YEARS without any sickness. I attribute this mostly to eating paleo, and consistently staying active. I think that being a CrossFitter just simply makes me happier, so then I am able to be better to those around me. I have patience with my fiance, I am happy and giving to my friends, and I am very good to my parents. I have exercised recreationally and have eaten “healthy” since I was a freshman in high school, so for me it has truly been CrossFit and the CrossFit community that has made the difference.
For some of you I am sure you think I am crazy, or have no idea who or what I am talking about, but stick with CrossFit for long enough and it will make sense to you too. Yes, by doing Crossfit you will look better naked, but it is so much more than that which is what makes it worth doing. I was a gym rat since I was 15 and then did a 4 year exercise science bachelors program and then went on to do 2 more years of exercise science in grad school. I feel like I have pretty much seen it all, and there is nothing like this.
Well all of that is still just a small bite of my WHY. I could go on for days. Please post your WHY to comments.
Skill
Pull-ups
Toes to bar
WOD (45 minutes)
2 Rounds
Run 800m
30 pull-ups
30 Front Squats (115,80)
30 Toes to bar
30 Power Cleans (115,80)
Level 2 (95,65) 20 reps of each
Level 1 (65,35) 15 reps of each
**Sub 1000m row for 800m run if icy! If you need work on your dubs, then that can be a sub as well. Ask your retta or goose for suggestions for numbers based on your ability level.**