Ten Years Later . . .

Sitting on my couch last night I realized that I started CrossFit ten years ago.

Where does time go?!? It’s certainly doesn’t feel like it’s been ten years.

Looking back on my first CrossFit workout I can only smile. At the time I had just finished my freshman year of college and my mom had been CrossFitting for a few months. I was playing college lacrosse so I needed something to keep me in shape during the summer months.

When I walked into my first class I had no idea what to expect. The coach greeted me kindly and explained the workout but I had no concept as to what I was getting myself into.

As class began he explained the workout. 21-15-9 of a movement called thrusters followed by pull-ups.

For context, a thruster is a squat with the barbell resting on your shoulders and at the top, you squeeze your butt hard and press the bar overhead. As a collegiate athlete, I thought it was simple enough, but my god was I wrong.

The workout went horribly. The coach partnered me with a more experienced member who was supposed to be counting my reps but I honestly think he was just enjoying my pain.

You see back in 2009 when you started CrossFit there wasn’t an ‘onboarding’ process. No one tells you how to move or how to modify the workout to meet you where you are at. They just said here it is give it a go and do your best.

Those were crazy times, but for some reason, I was hooked. I lived there at that the gym that summer. I was so enthralled by the variety of the workouts and the community of people that were at the gym each day. There was even a moment that summer where I knew in my heart that someday I wanted to open a gym. That was the summer I fell in love with CrossFit. Not just the workouts and the results they brought, but the community and support more importantly. It changed me.

Looking back I’m so grateful for the experience I had there but I also understand that there was probably a better way than I could have fallen in love with CrossFit. It wasn’t the fault of the gym I was at, but the process just didn’t exist back then.

Today (at least at Arsenal) we do things a little differently.

When a new member comes in we take time to get to know them. We want to understand where they are coming from and what their apprehensions are. We dig deep to learn about their goals and what is most important to them and finally we come up with a unique fitness and nutrition prescription that is going to best fit their needs.

Every new member who signs up can expect to be with us for a minimum of three months. Why three? It’s the minimum amount of time we need to develop strong and healthy habits to set them on a path that will allow them to see results for life. Each client begins 1-on-1 with a coach in a private setting to learn at their own pace and develop comfort with our staff. From there, we schedule their first Bootcamp classes so they can begin meeting members and making new friends.

Throughout the first 90-days, clients will also be meeting with their personal success coach at days 30, 60, and 90 to see how things are going and to track progress.

Ready to begin your 90-day journey? Schedule a time to meet with one of our Success Coaches today.