Cautionary Tales of CrossFit
“I’m never going to physically recover from this.”
– CrossFit Tiger King
Deep Squats (Thoughts)
Today’s “Squats” are brought to you by Craig Howard. He’s a terrific friend and the owner of Diablo CrossFit in Pleasant Hill. He was also the biggest influence on me to start writing this email. Following is an excerpt from his weekly email to his gym and the greater CrossFit community.
DON’T DO CROSSFIT: Today I stood in front of 20-ish nervous newbies and introduced them to CrossFit. Like any certified CrossFit Coach (and many passionate CrossFitters), I have ALL the reasons why everyone should do CrossFit. Just ask me…and prepare to listen.
However, as I thought about the people in the room I realized that they’ve heard all the positive reasons from their family or friend who brought them to our gym. So, unlike other CrossFit affiliate owners, I decided to validate all the reasons to NOT do CrossFit – the things that they were likely thinking or read about somewhere.
- CrossFit is Expensive
- CrossFit Is Dangerous
- CrossFitters Obsess About CrossFit
CrossFit IS expensive, especially when compared to other membership only gyms with no class options. CrossFitters pay a premium for fitness. And, if you add the cost of shoes, gear and supplements, CrossFit consumes a large part of monthly discretionary income. We all know the reasons why it’s expensive: Coaching labor, limited class sizes, rent and other overhead, etc. But, the investment compels a commitment to the process and yields an exponentially big payoff in health, fitness, friendships and education.
CrossFit IS dangerous, primarily when done without instruction, scaling and progressions. We’re moving barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls and sandbags at high velocity for many repetitions and adding in gymnastics movements. That’s dangerous …for the average person with no instruction or experience. So, just like any other potentially dangerous skill or activity (i.e. driving, flying, shooting, many sports), CrossFit mitigates risk of injury by emphasizing mechanics first, then consistency, and lastly, intensity. The benefit of learning mechanics first is that the functional movement patterns of CrossFit carryover to real life – reducing overall risk of injury from things we may be required to do in our daily lives: squat, lift, climb, throw or run.
CrossFitters DO obsess. I’ve been CrossFitting 20 years. I’m still obsessed. I’ve personally witnessed the incredible physical and mental benefits for thousands of people, including me. The best/worst time to talk to me about CrossFit is about 30 minutes after a workout. Why? Because I just hit max exertion for 10-20 minutes with my friends and the endorphins are raging. Every part of my physical being feels spent – proof of an investment in myself that will yield significant benefit in the days, weeks and months to come. And, that feels amazing. So, like other CrossFitters, I’m very keen to share the “secret” of CrossFit with anyone who asks and many who don’t. It’s contagious.
Make the investment. Face the danger. Tell your friends. Do CrossFit.
See you in class.
Tim
What’s Going On?
Memorial Day Murph
Monday
May 26th
9am
(BYOBrunch for afterwards)
Spring’s Teen Class
Who: Boys and Girls aged 12-17
Dates: March 4 – April 24th
When: Tuesdays/Thursdays at 4pm
*Email [email protected] to sign up*
Overheard in Class:
“It was worth it.”
Timfluencing
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by: Sarah Wynn-Williams
An explosive memoir charting one woman’s career at the heart of one of the most influential companies on the planet, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to Facebook, the decisions that have shaped world events in recent decades, and the people who made them.
From trips on private jets and encounters with world leaders to shocking accounts of misogyny and double standards behind the scenes, this searing memoir exposes both the personal and the political fallout when unfettered power and a rotten company culture take hold. In a gripping and often absurd narrative where a few people carelessly hold the world in their hands, this eye-opening memoir reveals what really goes on among the global elite.
Tim’s Take: I was curious to see what the hoopla was all about. Early on the author comes across as very naive to the world and business. Then, when sounding critical of Zuckerberg, she humanized him as someone learning to adapt to his significance in the world. And then she let loose with the big guns. It took awhile to get to “the good stuff”, but she definitely makes some bold claims about how things operate behind the scenes at Meta. I do feel like I just listened to a long episode of TMZ or Alex Jones, but it was an enjoyable experience. With so many of our members working for Meta and other “Big Tech” companies I’d love to know if her experiences are unique or common.
Thank you for your support.
I look forward to what we will do together.
