It’s an Awesome Cult!

I got into a little Facebook discussion over CrossFit yesterday with a random woman I will call Jane Doe from my neighborhood Facebook group.

She posted she was looking for a personal trainer and specifically said NOT CROSSFIT. So, since I first tried to seek to understand, I asked “why not, just curious?” And so here’s how the thread went:

Jane Doe: “looks like an accident waiting to happen…I prefer more precise individual instruction.”
Me: “there are many crossfit gyms that offer individual precise personal training”
Jane Doe: “thanks for the info but I prefer not to do CrossFit in any form”
Me: “personal trainers have you squat, do push ups, sit ups, lift weights right? If so, you are in essence doing a form of “crossfit”. Good luck with your personal trainer search.”
Random Person A chiming in: “working out basics came before crossfit not the other way around.” (to which I did not respond).
Random Person B chiming in: “try this person at XYZ training. She’s a professional figure and muscle competitor. She’s really tough AND she’s not a fan of crossfit.” (to which I did not respond).
Jane Doe: “Thanks for the info. I did mean to insult any members of the Crossfit cult (I think she meant “did NOT mean”…I will give her benefit of the doubt). Much love to you but that’s not what I am looking for.”

….and with that I decided to end my replies.

This exchange got me thinking and a little upset (yes, I do have one or two feelings!). She obviously has never even tried CrossFit and was making a judgement statement based on what she’s read or what her other non Crossfit friends have told her.

But then I realized it’s all about education or lack thereof and how I, as a CrossFit Affiliate owner and coach have an obligation to do a much better job at educating people about the benefits of CrossFit and debunking the misconceptions that it’s an “accident waiting to happen”. But that FB thread was not the right place to do that! I’d much rather have personal interactions with folks and utilize our CrossFit Equality social media outlets to get the message across! Oh and if YOU are a crossfitter, sharing your successful CrossFit experiences with others will have a positive impact on those with pre-conceived notions as well!

I realize for some people “CrossFit”, in its truest form, is not the right solution for them and that’s ok. But as a former personal trainer, I did “CrossFit” style workouts for my clients and I guarantee you today’s trainers are doing just the same, if not more because they know it works!

Now I will be the first to say you can get hurt doing CrossFit. But you can also get hurt running a 5K, doing lat pull downs even yoga. But as with any exercise program you need good coaching along with the ability to be coachable (ie: letting go of the ego).

And one more thing, CrossFit IS A CULT as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary:
a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work
b : the object of such devotion
c : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

And I am damn proud and honored to be a part of the awesome cult we have at CrossFit Equality!

If you are on the fence about CrossFit for whatever reason (or you know someone who is) but are looking to get off the sofa and on the right path to a healthier lifestyle, in addition to our awesome CrossFit, CrossFit Lite Bootcamp, Olympic Lifting and Endurance programs, we also offer private and semi-private personal training. Contact ann@crossfitequality.com for more information.

To your health!
Ann