What We Look For in Crossfitters

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.”
George Bernard Shaw

At Crossfit Downtown Winston, we strive to create a set of circumstances that enable the right people to be successful in their given fitness pursuits. Our aim is to create an environment that allows people with the right psychological makeup to achieve their aims, whether they be weight loss, weight gain, athletic excellence, or life fitness. That is not to say that all of our successful people come to us AS successful people. Far from it. They wouldn’t need our help if they were already in great shape. They wouldn’t need the coaching environment that we provide if they could do it on their own. However, the people that we have seen to succeed always share a few common traits.

When we do our introductory sessions to Crossfit, we talk about two main things. The first is what it is we do: Crossfit-style training and nutrition counseling. The second is what we expect of new trainees coming in. We are very upfront and let you know that three key traits will make you successful here. These are:

1. Coachability – If you like what we do and make a commitment to train here, we ask that you listen to our directions and try your best to execute them. Seems simple? Not so fast…
   For the most part people don’t have a problem following through on the training. Crossfit is fun, right ? Show up, do the movements, go hard, collapse in a puddle. We have had a few knuckle heads who think that their form and intensity are great and they can kick butt with no instruction, but we disabuse them of that notion in the intro session.
   To be honest the training is the easy part. Nutrition and everything else is the hard part. We have had people that do not follow our nutrition advice, and then wonder why they make no progress. We have people that don’t adjust their lives to permit 7-9 hours of full sleep, and again wonder why there is no progress. Because being coachable to us means making a lifestyle change. Not just learning the movements, but committing to doing this Crossfit thing whole hog.
   
2. Accountability – Dovetails with coachability. Ultimately you are responsible for your progress here. I can give you all of the coaching in the world, but if you fail to execute then who cares? We view this as a partnership: we supply the knowledge, coaching, and encouragement and you supply the desire to change. That’s what brought you here in the first place, right? A desire to change your life? All we ask is that you take that desire and hold yourself accountable. Any progress (or lack thereof) rests squarely on your shoulders. We’ll ask you to commit to Paleo for 30 days, we’ll ask you to keep a food journal, we’ll ask you to show up consistently for class. If you take responsibility for your actions and execute, you’ll reach your goals.
   
3. Community Focus – If we’ve achieved anything at CFDW, it has been through the awesome community of people that have settled into training here. Our community atmosphere provides the support, encouragement, and challenge that drives long term improvements. If you are not able or willing to plug into that community, then this might not be a good fit for you. I’m not talking about being shy, that’s OK. My best example of this is the guy who shows up and just wants to work out on his own and just use our equipment. He doesn’t care about working out with others, he just wants to do his own thing. Funny thing, but these guys are usually pretty uncoachable too.
   You don’t have to be buddy-buddy with everybody here, but being able to plug into this community of fantastic individuals will keep you motivated and challenged for years to come.
   
_____________________ Again, we talk about all three of these things in our intro session. The people that we have seen who display these traits experience success. The people who don’t listen to us, who don’t take responsibility for their own lives, and who shun our community don’t achieve that level of success. And that’s what ultimately drives us as trainers, the success and transformation of the fantastic people that we have training with us. http://crossfitdowntownwinston.com/2009/07/02/what-we-look-for-in-crossfitters/