What I Learned Growing up in a CrossFit Gym

~Katie~

I remember when I first fell in love with CrossFit at the ripe age of 11 years old. I would walk my dog around our local park every Saturday morning, watching my parents undergo the strangest exercises: bear crawls, piggy back rides, and don’t forget the burpees. Sweat dripping down their faces, but their smiles remaining nonetheless. It wouldn’t take long for me to join in on the fun, eventually spending a significant amount of my weekend in the CrossFit Gym my dad bought.

I can say quite confidently that nothing beats the atmosphere of a CrossFit Gym. The loud music, the puddles of sweat, yelling back and forth across the gym, only made better by the occasional appearance of my favorite German Shorthaired Pointer. But CrossFit gave me more than just a good workout, it ended up becoming a critical part of who I was, part of my identity. Now, I know not everyone is cut out for CrossFit, and in fact might be appalled at the idea of buff men (and women) yelling at you to do more burpees, but here are a few things I learned from Crossfit that I hope to take with me throughout the rest of my life:

You belong here just as much as anyone else: presented through a real conversation with one of my coaches

“Did you drop a quarter?”

“No.”

“Than keep your head up and be proud” -Mark Cox (Crossfit Belmont)

All we can do is take life one day at a time, there isn’t any point in dreading the future:

“Don’t go into the work-out thinking about 100 burpees and certainly don’t think about 200 burpees. Just take it 10 at a time.” -Mark Cox (CrossFit Belmont)

Trust in yourself and get it done:

“Don’t just stare at the ground for 2 minutes. Get down there and pride will get you up.” -Mark Cox (CrossFit Belmont)

The only thing that is stopping you from your best self, is you:

“Come on Katie you can go heavier than that.” -Coleman and Patrick Levy (Fort Collins CrossFit) on multiple occasions :)

Community makes everything better! Join a CrossFit Gym and you’re guaranteed to get a good workout in, but you’re also guaranteed a new family. So, be ready for group hikes, potluck dinners after the hardest of workouts, and communaly dying with each other everyday!

Join a CrossFit Gym and you’re guaranteed to get a good workout in, but you’re also guaranteed a new family. So, be ready for group hikes, potluck dinners after the hardest of workouts, and communally dying with each other everyday!

Join a CrossFit Gym and you’re guaranteed to get a good workout in, but you’re also guaranteed a new family. So, be ready for group hikes, potluck dinners after the hardest of workouts, and communally dying with each other everyday!

Disclaimer: every single one of these conversations I was being yelled at. So, bonus lesson, you get used to being yelled at. ;)

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