“No, we don’t jump through Ring’s of Fire”
By: Mike Collette B.S C-PT CES
While I’m driving is usually where I can think the clearest and put some thinking time into new blog posts, ideas to better our community and also to better myself. So as I was driving home yesterday a thought came in my mind. It actually really wasn’t a thought, more so it was several conversations I have had with people who have never tried CrossFit but had a rather strong opinion on what they thought it was all about.
I have come to the conclusion that there are 3 general opinions or judgments people make on something innovative before they become an adopter of that idea. I have classified them with a name specifically in regards to CrossFit. You can apply this to anything. For example, think of someone that use to hate Apple inc. Hated the iPhone, hated the iPad but now has like seven of each. Yeah… those people.
1.) Most of the people I have had the conversation of, “What is CrossFit” thought that they couldn’t do it or that they needed to get in much better shape before trying it. I call this group of people “the sheep”. To me, the statement that you have to get in shape before you “get in shape” just doesn’t make sense. But I can see where they are coming from.
2.) A fair amount of people I have been able to chat with about CrossFit just don’t like it. For whatever reason in their head, they have made the decision that it’s “dumb, it’s too dangerous and that it’s not effective”. This is the “ignoramus” group. If you are close minded and you have no personal experience on the subject at hand, you honestly cannot say anything, it’s just flat out ignorant. BE OPEN MINDED!!
3.) Its been several years since the inception of CrossFit now, so the majority of people out there have heard of it. But for those few people or the laggards out there, who haven’t heard of CrossFit they are called “the clean slate” group. These are the people you can help them form an opinion on what CrossFit really is. You literally can make or break their opinion because they haven’t been able to formulate one. But I guess that’s true for all three.
Now I don’t really go around giving people name tag’s but these are the majority of people I have encountered that don’t truly know what CrossFit is about. I felt it fitting to give them a name for the purpose of this post.
Here are bits of conversation’s I have had with “the sheep, the ignoramus and clean slate”
The Sheep: So what do you do for a living?
Me: I own a CrossFit facility and train people full time.
The Sheep: Oh my god CrossFit, that is WAY to hard for me, I could never do that! I saw those people on TV, they are too buff and strong, I have a hard time walking up the stairs.
Me: Those people you have seen are 1%, imagine a community where the majority were where you are at and have improved their lives for the better. That is the truth. You will only know if you try it!
The Ignoramus: I have a friend who tried CrossFit and hurt himself doing that stupid kipping stuff. You shouldn’t do that you will hurt yourself every time. Plus you can catch that Rhabdo thing everyone is talking about. That’s scary and not worth it.
Me: That is unfortunate for your friend. How is his/her shoulder doing? Is he/she working out again or going through PT?
The Ignoramus: No his shoulder is okay now. He just started back at his CrossFit.
Me: They must have took care of him, maybe his technique was off. He’s back so he must really like it! But, yeah… The whole Rhabdo thing kind of got blown out of proportion, do you know anyone that has got it?
The Ignoramus: Yeah! My buddy in college got it after a Thee-A-Day football practice, it was crazy! But that was football, you go hard!
Me: Over training, poor nutrition, recovery, hydration at any level of sport can lead to that for sure. I hope he got better.
The Clean Slate: Wow, that all sounds scary. So what do you do in CrossFit exactly?
Me: Truthfully, we combine the elements of Gymnastics, which are your body weight exercises, Weightlifting, which are barbell movements, Kettlebells etc and your traditional cardiovascular movements, which would be running, rowing etc. What we do with the 3 best practices of fitness is we create short but effective, high intensity workouts that yield all around fitness.
The Clean Slate: So how long do you workout for?
Me: It’s always different, that is the beauty! Your body shouldn’t always be in one gear, we want to challenge your energy systems and demands. We love the short high intensity intervals but sometimes you need the longer “Cardio” driven workouts as well. The best part? This program prepares you for any and everything while having the most fun you will ever have getting in shape!
The Clean Slate: How do I start?
If you are reading this, think about those three short conversations. If you are a CrossFitter, have you had similar encounters? How do you change a person’s way of thinking if they are set in their ways? You know how amazing CrossFit is. You see it in the community, you see that there is no specific age demographics that are targeted, you can workout next to mom and dad or your teacher or your best friend. You know what it is. Help influence that change for those out there that might not know what they are talking about.
We don’t jump through Rings of Fire and expect everyone to be able to spin on their heads. We teach foundational functional movement for the masses. We teach and educate on how to sit and stand (squat), how to pick objects off of the ground (Deadlift), we teach how to train at RELATIVE high intensities and we believe this method of training is the most effective program and methodology for everyone. We believe that a community of individuals training together is stronger as a unit. We believe that the community drives results and yields retention greater than one could imagine. We just happen to be a fitness program. We are CrossFit.
