With the start of the new year, many people will be looking to get started at a new gym. Picking the right gym to become part of is important. You will be spending several hours a week at your most vulnerable state of being while working out and sweating. Each gym is different (every CrossFit gym is an independently locally owned and operated facility) and will certainly have a different vibe. Be sure to pick the right one for you – here are some things to look for.
The Way They Make You Feel/Community
This is going to be a huge part of your gym experience. The people you workout with will very quickly become your community. When you step in the door, are you greeted? Do people come up and introduce themselves? Were you made aware ahead of time what to wear and bring and what to expect when you got there? Are the other athletes having fun? Do you feel like part of the group? Are these the type of people you want to be around each day?
Holistic Approach
The workouts are certainly the mainstay of why you are going to a gym, but other facility offerings may be of interest to you as well – and many can even fast track your health and fitness goals. Nutrition and Personal Training might be great options to work on your whole self from the inside out. With a proper diet designed around your personal goals (not everyone goes to a gym to lose weight), you’ll have an excellent foundation for whatever you are working towards. One on one time with a Coach can also help you improve your movements and technique and help you work on any goals that are specific to you.
On-Ramp/Elements/Foundations Class
If you are new to CrossFit, be sure they offer some time of program to get you acclimated to all the movements, standards, and terms. CrossFit is such a great workout program because it takes the best of endurance and gymnastics and Olympic lifting and body movements and kettlebells and power lifting and then rolls it all into one. These movements are technical and should be taught to be done with care to avoid injury, to make sure you get the most of each movement, and to keep everyone in the gym safe. A good starter program will be the basis for the rest of your gym experiences.
Programming
Workouts should be designed to be constantly varied, that is NOT the same thing as random. Ask the Coaches/Owners how they do their programming, ask them the purpose of each workout they do, they should be able to tell you. They should have daily, weekly, monthly and longer term goals for their athletes. A gym and a Coach that can tell you the stimulus, goal time, and intensity of each workout every day to best help you modify and to reach your goals is invaluable. Workouts don’t have to be fancy, complicated or long to be effective. Find a gym that really understands that.
Coaching Staff
Are they qualified, do they seem to care about your goals and needs, do they take the time to get to know you and learn how to best work with you, are they knowledgeable? An alphabet soup of letters after their name doesn’t necessarily make them qualified and knowledgeable. And it certainly doesn’t give someone people skills. But, if you are taking CrossFIt classes, your Coach should at the very least have a CrossFit Level 1 Certification. If you are getting nutrition coaching, your Nutrition Coach should have some sort of certification and probably the backing of a Registered Dietitian. You are going to be taking a lot of direction from your Coaches, you need to make sure they jive with your own personality and are taking the time to get to know you and help you in the best way possible. Look for a gym that sits down with you when you start, gets to know you, asks about your goals, asks about where you are now and where you want to be. Athletes are not made from cookie cutters, make sure you are getting what you need.
Location
While it may not be everything, it is certainly something to consider. Is it near your home or work? Is it easy for you to get to on your daily route? Get rid of as many excuses as you can – that will be helpful on the days when you might be lacking motivation to get to the gym.
Class Schedule
If you work 9-5 you need an affiliate that offers early morning, evening and weekend classes. If you are a stay at home parent, or work from home, you may prefer daytime or lunch time classes. Be sure the schedule works for when you are able and most motivated to be working out. Also keep in mind that most gyms should be able to accommodate you with Personal Training options if their regular class schedule doesn’t work for you.
Value
Last, but certainly not least is VALUE. A CrossFit gym is going to cost more than a Globo-Gym. It will be more than $10/month. But even $10 can be a waste of money if you never use the gym. You get what you pay for and what you pay for with a CrossFit gym is small group classes, individualized attention, and knowledgeable coaching. You get to know the people you work out with on a regular basis. No one in a CrossFit gym puts in their ear buds and reads a magazine while walking on the treadmill. You get an instructor lead warm-up, mobility, skill and strength work and then the workout of the day, followed by some stretching. You get advice on recovery, nutrition, and supplements.
You get people that notice when you don’t show up to the gym that day. You get people that cheer you on during the workout. You get people that cheer the loudest for the last one finished that day. You get to be with people that don’t care that you were the last one done, but do care that you were better than yesterday. You get people that don’t care how slow you were, but that you did every rep and finished even when you thought you couldn’t. You get community. And that, my friends, is priceless.
Finding a gym that is the right fit for you is important. There should be a few options in your area to choose the community that is best for you. There will be days when you won’t want to go, so make sure you have eliminated as many excuses to not go to the gym as possible. Also make sure that your new gym offers some sort of appointment so you can go in and check out the gym, talk with the Coaches, tour the facility, and help deciding which of their programs would be best for you.