By: Nick Niedzwiecki
I had a realization while coaching a class recently: the people who walk through the doors of a CrossFit affiliate are absolute beasts.
And I don’t just mean the strongest athlete in the room.
I mean the 25-year-old who can lift twice their bodyweight. I mean the 45-year-old parent who comes in after a full day of work. I mean the 70-year-old who is learning how to squat properly. I mean the person who started yesterday and is still figuring out what half the movements are called.
These people are savages.
Not because everyone is doing the same weight, moving at the same speed, or competing at some elite level. They’re savages because they are intentionally preparing themselves to be capable.
Think about what happens inside a CrossFit gym. People learn to pick up things off the ground safely. They squat. They carry heavy objects. They get themselves up off the floor. They push, pull, run, bike, jump, climb, and move their bodies through space.
Those may look like exercises inside a gym, but outside the gym, that is life.
At 30, it might mean being able to play harder with your kids.
At 50, it might mean carrying everything you need without asking someone else for help.
At 70, it could mean getting up off the floor after playing with your grandkids.
At 80, it may mean continuing to live independently.
That is what we are training for.
The difference between someone who consistently trains and someone who doesn’t becomes more obvious as the years go by. Fitness isn’t just about what you can do today. You are making deposits into the person you will become 10, 20, or 30 years from now.
You don’t need to be fit before you start. That completely misses the point.
At CrossFit Athens, we have people at every age, ability, and fitness level. Every workout can be adjusted to meet you exactly where you are today while still challenging you to become a little better tomorrow.
Our Legends class is built specifically for adults 55 and older. Some of those people may have exercised their entire lives. Others may walk through the door having never consistently worked out before — both belong.
It is never too late to become stronger. It is never too late to improve your balance, mobility, endurance, confidence, and ability to take care of yourself.
So if you’re reading this, ask yourself a question: What kind of person do I want to be?
Do you want to be the person who says, “I’m too old for that”?
Or do you want to be the 70-year-old who shocks people with what you’re still capable of doing?
Do you want life to slowly get smaller as you age, or do you want to keep building a body that allows you to keep saying yes?
You don’t have to be a beast before you walk through our doors.
Walking through the doors is how you become one.
— Coach Nick Niedzwiecki
Owner / Head Coach
CrossFit Athens
256-262-7884
www.crossfitathens.com
