class first

Two days in a row I've had this same conversation.

Both times with genuine curiosity. 

It's funny how quickly someone can forget something they once held close. Something so simple. Something valuable. 

I'm often out of town…

One thing I like to do when I travel is find the local CrossFit gym. And I'll be honest, it's not really the "community" that pulls me in, cool as that is. It's what shows up in front of me. It reminds me why I started this in the first place.

I turned up yesterday. I've never been to this gym before. I stood at the garage door for a moment, just watching.

Not the creepy kind of watching. The kind where you're taking it in.

Here's what I didn't see.

I didn't see a community - you can't see community, you're either in one or you're not. What you see are the traits that build one.

I also didn't see flash gear, although, credit where it's due, they had some nice kit.

I didn't see elite coaching or athletes doing anything remarkable.

What I saw was people from all walks of life. Teenagers next to people in their 30s and 40s. A couple of competitive athletes warming up beside someone I assume was there as a trial.

Every brand of person, all in one place.

And every single one of them is doing the class. Together.

Nobody in that room was too cool for it. Nobody was too good for it. Nobody was too new for it.

They’d shown up to get stuck in and give their best.

I know the sport has changed. There's more ground to cover now than when I started, more disciplines, more time required just to catch up, let alone compete. I understand what it actually costs to be competitive, the hours in the gym, on the track, in the pool, that never show up on a leaderboard.

But none of that changes this.

Class training is, was, and will always be the foundation. Full stop.

Ask why and I'll give you a list: the culture, the coaching, the pressure that shows up out of nowhere, the laughs, the competitiveness, the memories, the stories that get retold for years, the sheer difference in the people around you, the tricks you steal off a coach without even knowing, the skills you didn't realise you needed until someone next to you had them.

That's not replaceable. Not by a private session, not by programming it yourself, not by anything.

I think about all the people who've told me they're done with group classes. It's too easy now. Not what they used to be. Not for them anymore.

Here's the first thing worth sitting with: you started with classes. Every single one of you.

Maybe the problem was never the class.

Here's the second thing: the only negative in any class is the person standing in it.

Blaming the class hides the real issue. If you walked away with nothing, ask yourself honestly what you walked in with. Were you hunting for a reason to be unimpressed? Was your ego searching through the session before the clock even started? Or were you just having a rough day and looking for somewhere to put it?

Keep shifting the blame and you'll keep walking out miserable. 

Put the pride down.

Show up with nothing to prove and nothing to defend. Have a blast.

Train extra after to support your goals. Chase whatever specialization matters to you.

But do the class first.

And look after that environment.