Group fitness classes are all the rage, they are popping up everywhere. On the surface, these seem like they might be a competitor to what we offer here at CrossFit One Life but let’s take a deeper look.
Fundamentally we are different. The goals of our business and our coaching staff are different. Typical group fitness classes have the following goals:
- Provide a workout that makes you feel trashed.
- Make you sweat.
- Help you burn a lot of calories.
These are very short-sighted goals and will result in less fitness overall.
MAKE YOU FEEL TRASHED
If every time you go to the gym you leave feeling trashed how long do you think it will take before you burn out and have to find a new fitness option or quit altogether? True fitness comes from providing a specific stimulus to the body that elicits the desired adaptation. Just running your body into the ground day in and day out just results in a broken and battered body. Not fitness. Our mission at CrossFit One Life is to build you up not break you down.
MAKE YOU SWEAT
If you’re sweating you must be working hard. If you’re working hard you must be getting more fit, right? Not necessarily. Working hard without a specific purpose does not deliver increased fitness. It might in the very beginning but after a while, you’ll just be sweating and not getting any healthier. If you’re going to work that hard you might as well reap some reward.
These group fitness classes disguise increased fitness in puddles of sweat. Fitness is measured with data and improved with sound training protocols.
HELP YOU BURN CALORIES
Burning calories does not equal fitness. Most people think burning calories is important due to their desire for weight loss. It’s not that simple. Calories are simply a measurement of energy. The energy your body needs to live, breath, sleep, and chase your kids around. Calories are not the enemy, but without proper education about nutrition, you’d think that your sole goal in life is to burn as many calories as you can.
Those same calories that many group fitness classes are so keen to burn up are the same ones that help your body recover, and build lean muscle. Training doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It is another part of your life.
Typical group fitness classes aren’t concerned with your entire life and well being. They care about delivering you a sweaty workout that burns calories regardless of if that’s what your body and life actually need.
We do things differently. We care about our members and we commit ourselves to guide them through all the confusion of health and fitness. Here are 3 goals we have that are in stark contrast to those of traditional group fitness.
- Equip you with skills to live a better life.
- Provide you with a model of sustainable, repeatable, and durable fitness that won’t make you feel so defeated that you give up and quit.
- Provide an environment where you’re in an authentic community with other coaches and athletes that care about each other.
EQUIP YOU WITH SKILLS TO LIVE A BETTER LIFE
We train you to be better at life. From what to eat, how to shop for food, and how to perform everyday actions in a safe and efficient way. Like picking up a heavy bag of dog food for example. We also talk about dealing with challenges, and how to set and achieve your goals. If you’re having trouble sleeping or your workouts are not going well then you can ask your coach and they will guide you to a solution.
PROVIDE YOU WITH A GREAT MODEL OF FITNESS
Our training sessions are developed with the purpose of constantly improving your life. We work on all aspects of health and fitness in a structured manner that takes the craziness of your life into account.
We believe that fitness is a journey. It never ends so there is no hurry to arrive at any destination. Just as long as we keep trying to be a little better. That means if you’ve had a long week and didn’t eat the greatest or get enough sleep to perform your best our coaches will direct you to modify a workout. We don’t want to add additional stress to your body that you’re not in a place to handle. We won’t sacrifice your overall wellbeing for one workout. That would leave you in a worse state then when you came into the gym.
PROVIDE YOU WITH A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT OF OTHER ATHLETES AND COACHES
You’re not just a member here. You’re like family. Everyone is on the same journey of fitness. We’re just at different places on that journey. We plan social events so we get to know each other better and truly care about each other. We contact you if you’ve missed a couple of classes to make sure everything is ok. Our coaches and members will come to your kid’s soccer games, your weekend barbeques, and help you move. We are all in this together.
With all the group fitness classes available today it’s hard to know what is best. The options seem endless and the cool factor of some make them very appealing. Don’t be fooled. Health and fitness aren’t as simple as just feeling trashed, sweating a lot and burning calories. You need the guidance of a coach, the training methods to deliver continued progress and the support of a supportive community.
Now go live better. |
