You know how I feel about Solcana CrossFit before you even read this blog.
It’s my happy place! I love everything about it, so much that I coach here now! All I want is for everone who wants to, gets to experience the same amount of love, strength, and bad-assery that I’ve been able to soak up from the countless hours inside the Solcana CrossFit walls. I’ve laughed here, I’ve cried here. I’ll probably be buried here. Okay, that’s a stretch…maybe. But honestly, it’s changed my life for the better and I want to share that with all of you!
Here are 10 good reasons (there are many, many more) to consider trying CrossFit with us at Solcana. What’s stopping you?
1. You’ll learn proper form. Too intimidated and/or afraid to hit the weights at your big box gym? THave you always stuck to hand weights or avoided strength training all together? If you’re nervous or unsure what exactly to do with weight plates and barbells, CrossFit is a great place to start! Our coaches give great attention to proper lifting form! Learn the difference between a snatch and a deadlift! You’ll be schooling people in no time.
2. You will never be bored. CrossFit is made up of constantly varied, high-intensity movements. Which means that over the course of one WOD (workout of the day) you may be running, rowing, swinging kettlebells and working on gymnastic moves like ring dips and handstands.The best part about Solcana CrossFit is that each of these pieces are broken down into three managable parts – the warmup, strength, and metcon (metabolic conditioning). Although things will be hard and challenging much of the time, you’ll always be able to get through it.
3. Measurable results (I’m not talking about the scale). CrossFit is all about metrics, but you’ll rarely hear anyone talk about pounds (unless it’s how much they’re lifting). At Solcana CrossFit, we keep track of PRs (personal records) for specific workouts and lifts via the Wodify app, which makes it easy to see improvements in strength and stamina over time. YOU CAN EVEN GET THIS APP ON YO MOBILE PHONE!
4. But that doesn’t mean you won’t look damn good. People, let us get real for a minute. Your ENTIRE body will get a workout, with specific emphasis on the glutes and thighs. Lots of squats, both with and without weight, mean a perkier butt. And an increase in muscle mass is a surefire way to boost metabolism. Your clothes will fit differently. And you’ll like it.
5. Everything can be scaled and modified. Take a look at a typical class at Solcana CrossFit and you’ll see a variety of ages, genders, body types, amounts of experience, and levels of ability. Yet everyone’s getting a workout that’s hard but doable. That’s because scaling weight and movements appropriately is encouraged, and nearly all CrossFit movements can be modified. For example, a new athlete may modify pull-ups by using an exercise band for support, or modify push-ups by doing the same movement, elevated. There is no shame in this. It’s how you start and how you can gauge progress. Heck, I am STILL working on a pull-up without modfication!
6. New workout buddies. It’s not a cult, it’s a community. The best coaches and gyms create a sense of teamwork and camaraderie – and this is a big part of the culture at Solcana CrossFit. I spend many hours at the gym in a week with my gym homies and it’s a joy to spend even more hours with them outside of the gym. These friendships are the real deal. Just last week Saturday I stopped my own workout to hug and cheer for one of my gym homies during her workout because I could tell she was starting to get the “gym feels” aka crying during a particularly challenging part. She got through it and thanked me afterwards. That’s what this is about, you guys. It’s special and amazing.
7. Efficiency. If you’ve only got one hour to work out, CrossFit is your best bet. Most workouts include a mix of cardio and weight training. You’ll be surprised how fast you can accelerate your heart rate with a 10-minute mix of burpees, push-ups and air squats.
8. The opportunity to recover from past gym class humiliation. Have you never recovered from failing the President’s Fitness Challenge? Did rope climbs also give you nightmares well into your 20’s? ME TOO. CrossFit gives you the chance to confront all the movements that troubled you from grades K through 12, all in a supportive, non-judgmental environment. Good coaches will show you how to work towards challenging movements like pull-ups, handstands and rope climbs with strength-building exercises and progressions.
9. It’s like personal training, but more affordable. Yes, CrossFit costs money. More money than you will pay at the corner 24 hour gym. But let me ask you this. Do you want results? Because bottom line is that CrossFit is more affordable than 1:1 sessions with a personal trainer. AND you’ll still get many of the same benefits. CrossFit coaches make an effort to get to know every athlete (at Solcana the ratios are 1:12) so that we can help with goal-setting, proper form, and achievement!
10. CrossFit movements are functional. After a couple months of CrossFit, you may find activities like carrying groceries or changing the bottle on the office water cooler to be a lot easier. That’s because CrossFit focuses on functional movements: carrying awkward items, sprinting short distances, lifting heavy things from the ground. CrossFit training is, in many ways, training for everyday life.
So, that being said…who’s reserving the final two spots in my Free Beginner CrossFit Class this Thursday at 7:30pm?
