Sunday 7.25.10

With the growth of The Compound, gym expansion, and more equipment, it's time we go over some gym etiquette for all of us to remember.

1. Be on time. You know what time the classes are, get there early, get warmed up, and be ready to go. The class's and coach's time is valuable. Be respectful of that. If you are late, come in and be prepared to jump in wherever the class is. You may have to cut your WOD short, but that's what happens when you're late:)
   
2. Sign in. We track everything and need you to sign in so we know what class times are popular, when we need extra coaches, etc. It takes a few seconds to do it. The Compound is definitely not as formal as a typical gym, but we are a professional business that needs to track attendance.
3. Be positive. Yes the WODs are tough. Yes you will suck at some stuff. Realize that every time you train something you suck at, you get better. Recognize that not every day will be your best day, and that's okay. If you tell yourself you can't, you will be right. Compare yourself to YOU, not to other people. Every one of us has made gains compared to when we started!
   
4. Don't cherry-pick the WODs. All of us gravitate to what we like and what we are good at. Avoiding what we don't like limits our fitness gains. The program is meant to be a holistic approach to fitness, meaning you will get all the elements of a good fitness routine by simply showing up and doing the WODs. Cherry picking will result in incomplete fitness, and lackluster gains in your performance.
5. Record your results! We want people to do it on the blog because other people can see what we are all doing, which is great for motivation and developing our community. But more importantly, how do you know if you're getting stronger, faster, or better conditioned if you're not keeping track. Never should we be working towards a max lift, and hear you say you have no idea what your previous best is. Write it down! Whether on the site or your own training journal it doesn't matter (though we prefer it be on the site!). CrossFit is about measurable, repeatable performance standards so I say again: RECORD YOUR RESULTS!!!!
6. Have a plan. During your warm up, or before you even come in, know what you want to achieve in the WOD that day. Know what weights you will use, how you will break it up, and what you want to accomplish. If the coach has to talk to each class member individually and craft their plan for the WOD with them, it eats up class time. This goes back to recording your results so you know what to shoot for.
7. Have fitness goals. Pick a few things you want to work on, and focus your warm up time on them. We inundate you with different lifts, different skills, and different ways of doing the same things. Don't get discouraged thinking you have to be proficient at all of them right now. Fitness is a life-long journey. Be patient, but actively work toward your goals.
   
8. Put stuff back where it goes, not where you found it. Weights, bars, KBs, Abmats, jump ropes: all things in the gym have a place where they normally are. If you get it out, put it away. This is just common sense, but it's too easy to finish your last rep, lay on the ground in agony for a minute or two, then get up and dash out without cleaning up your area.
9. Throw away your trash! Empty water bottles are often strewn about on the gym floor. You wouldn't do that at your home or work, so don't do it at your gym.
10. Watch your kids. The Compound is a child-friendly place, but we do not have child care. Rings, ropes, tires, KBs are all potentially dangerous to kids. Children should not be on the workout floor when WODs are going down. It is up to YOU to ensure your kids' safety at the gym. We are trying to outfit a kids room next to the office, but it will still not be child care and you will still be in charge of your little ones. Remember that the gymnastics center is often conducting classes as well, and our children, dogs, etc. can easily get in their way too.
11. Support each other. During the WODs, if you finish first continue encouraging the others. Help out where you can. We are better collectively than individually. We don't have opponents in the gym, we have team mates. Motivate each other with friendly competition, but don't be upset or discouraged by others' successes.
    
12. Take care of the equipment. Don't drop metal plates, KBs, or empty bars. Use chalk but don't spill it everywhere, and clean it up if you do. Wipe your DNA off of bars if you cut yourself or sweat excessively. Help us keep our stuff nice and usable for a long time.
    

This is certainly not an all-inclusive list, but these are some of things that we see on a regular basis. The Compound is YOUR gym, so treat it accordingly. We have a great atmosphere and great people at The Compound. Remembering some simple rules will only make things that much better.

See you this week at the gym, and we will be back to posting the WODs the night before (but don't cherry-pick. See Rule #4 above :) bc