This is why I crossfit (Part 1)

I say part one, only because it's tentatively part one. There are so many reasons why I enjoy crossfit, but there are very few that really stick out.

My first reason is the people. I know plenty of friends in dead end jobs, slaving to pay bills, and I'm not even talking recently. The only thing (besides the paycheck) that keeps them coming back is the people. The crowd of people you chose to surround yourself with makes all the difference in the world. When I was a member of a larger chain gym, there was certainly a crowd of people around me. It wasn't ever a problem to get a machine, or find the weights I wanted. It was a problem to find the motivation I needed. People surrounding me with their headphones on and trying their hardest to at least "look in the zone" aren't the most effective motivating factor for me.

Fast forward to cross fit. Not a single workout has gone by where I felt like I was the only one. I've been last quite a few times, but I was never the only one there. There's always a crowd of people working it out with you, cheering you on. I work harder here not to let myself down, but not to let everyone else down either. You can feel it even more when there's a team workout. Partner pushups were not the most thrilling workout I've ever done. With someone in front of you, relying on you relying on them, it's hard to say no to just "one more pushup".

This all came to me this morning when I read a post on another cross fit blog. I just started my journey on kipping pullups. It's slow going. Soon I'll be better, and maybe even I'll have the mental and physical ability to do more and more, even a strict from time to time. The one thing I do know though is if I start to slow down, there's someone to talk to me and keep me going. I know if I start to suffer and stop, there's someone to do it with me and show me it's possible. Most importantly, I know if I physically collapse, there's someone to pick me up and carry me to the end.