A common statement when people are talking about doing CrossFit is, “I am not in shape enough to do it.”

When someone says things like this, I imagine they think they need to start getting in shape by hitting the elliptical, lifting some light free weights or maybe begin jogging. I think these are all great ways to get into fitness. The problem is you are doing these alone.

I think the most significant mistake people make when getting into fitness is starting by themselves. Anyone who has begun alone knows that a week or two into hitting the gym by themselves to face the elliptical gets to be a bit boring, and motivation to show up starts to fall off.

Some will go out and find a friend to hit the gym with. This is usually the solution to the problem, but again, anyone who has had a workout buddy knows that at some point they’ll miss. Then you’ll miss. Then the schedule you guys have put together no longer works, and now you are back to working out alone.

So to the person who is looking to start a fitness routine at a CrossFit gym (at least at BayWay CrossFit), you will never be alone. You will always have a trainer there leading you through your workout from start to finish. You won’t have to worry about coming up with a workout, how you are going to warm up for it, how to do certain movements, if you are doing them safely or how to cool down after a workout. All of these things are taken care of for you; all you have to do is show up.

Some people may think that they are not capable of what CrossFitters do, and that is without question false. CrossFit has a fancy way of saying this in that our program is universally scalable. Which means that no matter what the workout is we can make it fit for you, and not just by lowering weights but by making it fit in such a specific way that you are receiving the same stimulus from the workout as anyone else is.

Many people who do not like our program, for whatever the reason, and they like to show videos and pictures of two types of people doing CrossFit.

The first is the person who fails and fails miserably. I am not saying these things do not happen but it is scarce, and at a gym that only does instructor-led classes like ours, it happens even less. If you are with a trainer, they are not going to let you attempt something where you could hurt yourself.

The second type of CrossFit person that those who dislike the program show are the CrossFit Games athletes. These are the 1% of 1% — the top athletes in the world. No one should compare themselves to these people. Their bodies look and perform like no other humans in the world. Here is what you can take away from these athletes though. They are proof of how effective the CrossFit program can be. Yes they do it in an extreme manner and I think this is a turn off to the everyday person, but just as 40-year-old former high school quarterback can watch what Tom Brady does and understand the work he puts in to be the best in the world, an everyday CrossFitter can understand what these top people are doing as well.

The point is if you are starting a fitness journey you need a trainer. You need people around you that are going to push you. Find a place that has both, and you will be successful.

Richard Andrews

CF-L2