By: Nick Niedzwiecki
One of the things I hear all the time is, “I need to get in shape before I come to CrossFit.” Every time I hear it, I understand where it comes from, but it is also completely backwards. You do not need to get in shape before you come see us. Helping you get in shape is literally what we are here to do.
Maybe you want to lose 20 pounds. Maybe you want to get stronger. Maybe you are tired of getting winded doing things that used to be easy. Maybe your doctor has started talking to you about blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, or medications. Maybe you are 65 years old and your biggest goal is to keep getting up and down off the floor, carrying your own groceries, working in the yard, and staying independent as long as possible. Those goals may all sound different, but the path to getting there is actually pretty similar.
You need to move your body. You need to build and maintain muscle. You need your heart and lungs to work better. You need to eat mostly real food, and you need to do all of those things consistently.
That is really what happens inside our gym.
I think sometimes people hear the word CrossFit and immediately picture someone hanging upside down from a pull-up bar, lifting a massive amount of weight, or doing something they have absolutely no interest in attempting. I get it. Social media has done a pretty good job of showing the most extreme version of what we do. What it usually does not show is the 60-year-old learning how to squat to a box, the person who has never exercised before riding a bike for thirty seconds at a time, or someone learning how to safely pick something up off the ground without their back hurting.
Those things are just as much a part of what we do.
You may come in and squat to a box. You may carry a kettlebell across the room. You may push a sled, ride a bike, row, walk, step up onto something, or learn how to lift a weight safely. None of that sounds especially crazy. In fact, most of it looks a lot like things you need to be able to do in normal life.
Then, over time, things start changing. The stairs do not bother you as much. You can carry all the groceries in one trip. Getting off the floor becomes easier. You have more energy after work. You start sleeping better. You feel more confident in what your body can do. Maybe the scale changes too, but more importantly, your life starts getting easier because your body is becoming more capable.
That is the part I wish more people understood.
The goal is not to turn everyone into a competitive athlete. The goal is to meet you where you are and help you become healthier, stronger, fitter, and more capable than you are today. The person next to you may be training for a competition, while you may be training so you can play with your grandkids without needing to sit down every five minutes. Both belong in the same room.
So if you have been saying, “I am too old,” “I am too out of shape,” “I have bad knees,” “I have never lifted weights,” or “I could never do that,” I want you to understand something: you are probably exactly the person we built this place for.
You may think you need a gym.
What you really need is a place that can help you build a body that lets you live the life you want to live.
Coach Nick Niedzwiecki
Owner / Head Coach
CrossFit Athens
256-262-7884
www.crossfitathens.com
