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6 Tips For Staying Motivated To Workout

man wearing shorts staying motivated to workout by standing in a lunge position on the side of a sand hill reaching up the mountain

Let’s face it: dragging yourself out of bed at 6:00 in the morning and getting to the gym isn’t always fun. Staying motivated to workout can be hard for everyone. This is particularly true as the days get colder and the holiday season gets into full swing. You’re probably busy, cold, and tired.

If you’re feeling a lack of workout motivation, that’s okay. It happens to the best of us. However, consistency is key to seeing workout results. There are many things you can do, big and small, to rekindle that fire of motivation and set you back on track to meeting your fitness goals. 

Here are our 6 favorite tips for staying motivated to workout, even when it’s the very last thing you feel like doing.

1. A strong support network (and some friendly competition)

When you work out alone, it can be hard to motivate yourself and easy to skip a day. However, if you’ve got some friends on a similar fitness journey, you can hold each other accountable. Maybe it’s people from your CrossFit box, or your basketball team, or a running buddy.

If you have friends into fitness, embrace competition to help push you to your highest potential. Studies have shown competition to be the best source of workout motivation.

You can try making a group chat to send each other motivating things, challenge each other, and make plans to work out. Having someone who expects you to show up and workout with them is a big boost of motivation. 

2. Embrace group fitness

Many people find group fitness, such as CrossFit, an effective way to stay motivated. When the movements are all planned for you, all you really need to do is show up. It requires much less planning than other types of fitness. 

Group fitness has an energy far more “electric” than the vibe of a regular gym session. The buzz of other people putting in their all is a great way to keep going in moments you’re struggling.

Plus, when you get to know the other participants and instructor, you’ll start looking forward to the class. When you form some friendships with these people, it helps with the accountability which can be super helpful for staying motivated to workout.

3. Set some goals – and reward yourself when you meet them

Write down a range of goals, big and small. Make sure these goals are concrete, realistic and achievable. A good small goal could be to work out at least 4 times a week for a month. A long term goal might be to run your first marathon by the end of the year.

When you complete your goals, make sure to reward yourself. Otherwise, you’ll stop caring about them and taking them seriously. A reward can be anything you like. For instance, you could celebrate by going to a restaurant, buying new workout gear or watching the last episode of your favorite show. 

4. Put on your workout clothes anyway

This tip is so simple, but more effective than you’d think. When you can’t be bothered, just go and put on your workout clothes. Simply being in the gear is often enough to put you in the fitness mindset and push you to actually go workout.

Plus, it would feel a bit silly to get changed back out of the workout clothes if you hadn’t even worked out in them. No harm in a quick 20 minute workout, just to make it feel worth it, right?

5. Write down how you feel after your workouts

The post-workout endorphins, sometimes called a runner’s high, is an amazing feeling. For many people, it can be addictive. Still, sometimes it can be hard to recall just how good that feels. 

Next time you’re riding that high after a workout, make a note in your phone about how you feel. Then, when you’re struggling to gather the energy to workout, read your testament for how good the workout will make you feel. Hopefully, your past self will be able to convince your present self that the workout is totally worth it.

6. Make working out a rule, not an option

Create a routine where working out fits in. Make it so that there’s nothing else on at that time that you could argue is a better use of your time. Then the hard part – stick to the schedule until it becomes a habit. 

When you started brushing your teeth as a kid, you probably didn’t always want to do it. You might not have always felt highly motivated to go do it. But you did it anyway, because it was a rule. And now it’s a habit.

This is probably the main thing you can do for staying motivated to workout. When working out becomes a habit, motivation doesn’t matter so much anymore. It’s just a part of your lifestyle.

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Connecting CrossFit And Mental Health

woman leaning and smiling holding a metal dumbbell showing crossfit and mental health are linked wearing a purple tank top and hair in a ponytail

You probably already know that CrossFit has many awesome physical benefits. Committing to any kind of healthy lifestyle and exercise regime is definitely a big step on your way to a fit and strong body. However, the mental health benefits of CrossFit are sometimes overlooked. In each of November’s posts, we’ve focused on the different aspects of CrossFit and mental health. In today’s article, we’ll highlight the most important mental health benefits of CrossFit, and how to access them.

Keeping the right mindset for CrossFit and mental health

Although CrossFit and exercise in general are great for your wellbeing, it can be hard to stay motivated all the time. When you’re trying to better yourself and your body, you almost certainly will have down days. It can get overwhelming, tiring, and you will sometimes lose your drive. There are many strategies for keeping a positive mindset that will benefit you.

Many people also struggle with feelings of failure. While failure is an unavoidable part of any goal you try to reach, it can be hard to break out of negative self talk when you fall into it. Most of the time, these thoughts are linked to comparing ourselves to others. It’s important to remember that our fitness journeys are only our own. Everyone moves at their own pace and has their own mountains to climb. But, you can learn from your inevitable failures, and use them to your advantage.

Making the most of the CrossFit community

Research shows that humans, being social creatures, are at their happiest when they’re an important part of a strong community. This could be a church, sports team, class, or any other group that they care about. One of the key ways CrossFit benefits mental health is through the strong sense of community. 

More so than any other social fitness league, CrossFit members report a feeling of belonging. Through a hard earned culture of support and encouragement, CrossFitters are always committed to helping others on their own fitness journeys. 

The CrossFit community is one of the best things about the sport, and has a ton of physical benefits too. When you join a CrossFit box, you’re joining a tight knit group of people who will cheer you on and make you feel more determined to succeed. If you’re a social type, make sure to get involved with the existing community. Chat post WOD, meet up outside of the gym, and get to know the others from your classes. You’ll be amazed at how much this benefits your fitness and mental state.

Practising self care

Although many people use exercise as a way to unwind after an intense day, stress is actually shown to decrease the effectiveness of your workouts. To maximize the mental health benefits of exercise, focus on your own self care first.

You can decrease your stress through activities such as meditation, taking a vacation, or spending quality time with loved ones. These acts of self care are crucial for maintaining a good mental space and preventing burnout.

The connection between CrossFit and mental health

Mental and physical health are part of the same interconnected system. You can’t truly have great mental health with poor physical health, and vice versa. At Buffalo Nickel CrossFit, we believe in helping people have a healthy mind. Because, in turn, this will help them to have a healthy body and a truly healthy lifestyle. 

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Overcoming Feelings Of Failure

woman with hair in ponytail overcoming feelings of failure sitting in dark room holding soccer ball looking stressed

When it comes to fitness, feelings of failure can be one of the biggest barriers to progress. Confidence and fitness go hand in hand. When you work out, you feel more confident. When you feel confident, your workouts are better. But if you lose your confidence, for whatever reason, it can be hard to get it back. Overcoming feelings of failure about your fitness is challenging, but can be done.

Why are you feeling failure?

An important step to overcoming feelings of failure is to identify where these thoughts come from. For many people, they might feel like a failure because of insecurity around their level of fitness. Or maybe, you feel bad that you struggle to find time to get to the gym when it seems like everyone else is always working out. Negative feelings can be triggered by almost anything.

Even total fitness junkies sometimes feel like failures too, though. If you’re a gym rat and you’re there 6 days a week, you might find yourself getting frustrated when you hit a plateau. You could be feeling down and wondering why it just doesn’t seem like you’re progressing when everyone else is smashing new records every week.

No matter whether you’re a total beginner or a fitness nerd, there’s a common driving force behind feelings of failure: comparisons. In the hyper-connected world we live in, full of social media and fitness influencers, we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others. 

If you’re struggling with an aspect of your fitness journey, the last thing you want to see is videos and pictures of others showing off their ripped abs or boasting about their latest fitness achievements.

Overcoming feelings of failure 

First of all, stop comparing yourself to others. This might mean unfollowing fitness influencers, or putting a little distance between yourself and your most competitive friends. It can be hard, but remember that your fitness has little or nothing to do with anyone else’s.

Focus on your own why. Take some time to think about why you’re doing this. Hopefully, you have some internal fitness goals as well as external. Physical goals are great, but mental and emotional goals will keep you driven for longer.

Then, try to put your feelings of failure into perspective. Your insecurity is likely triggered by what’s only a minor setback on a long journey. Comparing yourself to others and feeling like a failure won’t make any difference to achieving the goal in the end. Your journey towards your goals is an individual venture, and the pace doesn’t matter – just enjoy the journey.

Using negative feelings to drive success 

Okay, so you feel better. You know it’s just a little setback, and you can keep moving forward. But before you totally forget about these feelings of failure, think about if they can be of value. Failure, and feelings of failure, can hold important lessons.

Experience is the best teacher. So, if you’re feeling like a failure because your deadlift isn’t improving, think about why. Maybe it’s because you aren’t eating enough, so you aren’t building enough muscle. 

Use these feelings of failure to motivate you to work more calories and protein into your diet. Any time your motivation drops in the future, remember the feelings of failure you feel now. Use the memory to drive you towards success.

Remember that on any venture, whether related to business, fitness, or anything else, failure is an inherent part of it. You’ll always experience setbacks of some description. The setbacks don’t matter. What matters is how you deal with them.

Don’t forget that fitness is meant to make you feel good

At the end of the day, a fit and healthy lifestyle is meant to make you feel good. If you’re experiencing chronic feelings of failure, you should re-evaluate your routine. Maybe you need to be less hard on yourself. Maybe you need to turn to your family and friends for support, or take a break from the gym. 

The longer you let your negative thoughts run wild, the harder overcoming feelings of failure becomes. Be kind to others, and yourself.

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CrossFit Community: 5 Benefits For Your Fitness

people in the crossfit community each putting one foot into the shape of a circle on a cobblestone background

Throughout all of recorded history, humans have thrived the most when they are a valued part of a community that is important to them. We are naturally social creatures and enjoy feeling a sense of belonging a community gives. Many people love spending time with people from their church, their parents’ group or colleagues. In modern times, sports teams and other fitness groups are some of the most popular communities. The CrossFit community is one of the most well-known and celebrated social fitness groups. 

A recent study in the academic journal Leisure Sciences found that CrossFit members had a far greater sense of community than members of other sports groups. Further, the higher the sense of community people felt, the more they motivated they were to go work out. 

The group setting and social vibe of the box is one of the best features of CrossFit, and has amazing benefits both socially and for physical fitness. 

Here are our top five favorite things about the CrossFit community

1. A healthy sense of competition

At a CrossFit gym, there’s always going to be someone fitter, faster, stronger, and generally better than you. Many people find this very motivating. You can see your potential, and you want to be as fit as them. Plus, you can befriend this person. You can always ask CrossFit veterans for tips and advice on how they got to  their level. They’re not just there to motivate you, but to help you out on your fitness journey when you need it. 

2. A high energy environment

If you’ve ever gone for a solo run in a secluded, quiet area, you probably know how hard it can be to motivate yourself to get into the workout. However, when you show up to a CrossFit gym, you’ll find a group of people buzzing with excitement for the day’s workout. This energy is perfect for helping you get your head in the game. Chatting with others with similar goals is energizing and helps you stay in the best mindset to smash your workout.

3. You’ve always got someone cheering you on

The CrossFit community is famous for being super supportive. Everyone was in the newbie’s position at some point. They know how it feels and they want to make you feel comfortable and supported. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to push yourself past what you thought were your limits when you’ve got others cheering you on. 

4. Accountability 

Once you become a familiar face at CrossFit, people will notice if you don’t show up. When you just go to the gym, you won’t really face any consequences if you miss a day. If you miss a day of CrossFit then the next time you go, people will be asking where you were at, and maybe hassling you a little for missing a workout. Although it can sometimes feel a little annoying, this accountability is very valuable for staying on track on your fitness journey.

5. You can make lifelong friends

Many people find that making friends as an adult can be pretty hard. Outside of school or work, it can be hard to get to know people. However, the CrossFit community can help you to meet people with similar goals and values to yourself. You’ll find that many people at CrossFit are siblings, spouses or friends. There’s often birthdays or other events that the members celebrate together. It’s quite easy to form meaningful relationships through CrossFit, which is always a nice experience.

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How To Keep A Positive Mindset

man with short hair wearing t shirt and shorts meditating to keep a positive mindset standing on mat in gym with hands clasped in front of him

I’m sure you’ve been told before how important it is to keep a positive mindset in all areas of life. And it is true: there are many benefits to positivity. These include stronger relationships, better mental resilience, more energy, higher self esteem, and many more. Positive thinking can be one of the cheapest and most effective supplements to help you both in the gym and outside of it.

An optimistic mindset is an important part of a fitness journey. At Buffalo Nickel CrossFit, we strongly believe that fitness isn’t all about the physical. Fitness and health is a holistic concept. A truly healthy lifestyle includes having a healthy body and mind. Because the body and mind’s levels of wellness are closely connected, keeping a positive mindset will lead to great results in the gym.

How Does Optimism Impact Our Fitness?

Research suggests that there is a strong link between a positive mindset and its effect on wellness. Many of these benefits relate to exercise. Positive messaging and self confidence helps you push yourself to go harder in the gym. Plus, it helps you maintain a more accurate awareness of your progress.

So, that all sounds great. Even so, we all have rough days where we don’t feel motivated. It can be hard to magically conjure up a positive outlook. Sometimes we hit a frustrating plateau, or our weight seems to stagnate, or it’s really rainy and we just can’t be bothered getting into the gym. Keeping a positive mindset can be really hard. So how can we do it?

Try Motivating Affirmations And Constructive Self-Talk

Your self talk is your internal dialogue. Your inner self might be critical and negative, or it might be positive and kind. If it’s in the latter category, you’re likely to experience far greater results in the gym and in every area of your life. 

Although consistent positive self-talk is really important, affirmations before or during a workout are a great way to bring up your levels of positivity. Here are some great workout affirmations for you to try.

  • “I am strong, I am powerful, and I will finish this workout.”
  • “I feel strong, alive and alert.”
  • “My body can handle anything, I just have to convince my mind.”
  • “I am my best athletic self today.”
  • “I am a better athlete for working out today.”
  • “A little bit of pain is good, it is a reminder that I’m doing a good job and it’s making me stronger.”

There are so many inspiring workout affirmations and quotes. Find the ones that work for you and set it as your phone lock screen, as an alarm on your phone reminding you to go work out, or just hold it in your mind.

Other Tips To Keep A Positive Mindset

  • Workout in a way you enjoy. If your workout involves running on a treadmill for an hour, five days a week, you’ll probably get bored very quickly. One of the best things about CrossFit is the variation. We combine group fitness, weightlifting, gymnastics, and many more. This is a great way to keep engaged with your fitness.
  • Check in with your stream of self talk. Try setting an alarm on your phone for every couple of hours. When it goes off, think about your inner monologue and what you’re saying to yourself. Are you being kind and encouraging to yourself? If not, challenge these thoughts. As you get used to this style of mindfulness, it will get easier to evaluate your self talk and make sure it’s constructive. This practice is much like cognitive behavioral therapy, and can be a valuable way to keep a positive mindset.
  • Track your progress. Take before and after photos of yourself, and keep a workout log – whether an app or on paper. When you leave it up to your brain, it can be hard to see your body change. Seeing hard evidence of yourself making progress is a great way to keep a positive mindset.
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How To Make Fitness Work For You

make fitness work for you man in gym clothes standing in front of sign that reads ftc and wearing shorts and a t shirt at the gym

There are so many fitness trends out there. These greatly affect how we think we should approach fitness. From skinny detox tea to the keto diet, health and fitness trends are endless. But at the end of the day, what is fitness for? The CrossFit philosophy is that your fitness should work for you. Your fitness should help you move furniture around your house, or play with your kids in the yard. It’s about using your fitness to be functional.

Fitness isn’t about trends

When I started CrossFit, paleo was the popular diet trend. So, I jumped on that bandwagon. For those who don’t know paleo is, it’s a diet where you attempt to eat like humans did in paleolithic times. This means only foods you would come across in a hunter/gatherer society. If you are follow it, you will spend a large amount of time, money and effort to abide by it.  

I was very skinny before starting CrossFit, and when I first joined I put on a little muscle. At the same time I was eating paleo, I was also intermittent fasting. This means having a large block of the day where you don’t eat. The premise is that you keep your calories limited by only having so much time to consume food in your day.

I didn’t know this at first but the intermittent fasting and paleo were actually hurting my performance. I would fatigue quickly during my workouts. My recovery afterwards would take hours, and I was not gaining any strength. But I would weigh myself everyday and I was happy with the number on the scale.

I did about 7 months of intermittent fasting and paleo. By the end, I was burned out. I hadn’t been out to eat, I didn’t eat the same food as the rest of my family, I hadn’t had much “enjoyment” food, such as desserts, or sweets. So, the pendulum shifted. It shifted way farther than it should have.  

Feeling weak and fatigued had been terrible. The first few workouts with a significant source of carbs in my diet was amazing. I felt good, I lifted heavier, I recovered faster. Going to restaurants was fun again, and I could enjoy meals with my family. But as that pendulum kept going I started gaining weight. Some of it was good. I put on significant muscle mass, I was moving heavy weight in all of my lifts. Some of it was not so good.

The fun lasted for a bit, but then I started having trouble doing anything like pull ups, push ups, box jumps, or running because I had gained a lot of fat as well. I had a goal to see how heavy weights I could lift. So, my cardio stopped. I lost definition and the ability to do some of my gymnastics movements. 

Make fitness work for you

Around this time I switched boxes. The shape I was in disappointed my new coach. He pointed out that while lifting heavy was beneficial, I should be more focused on fitness for life. If I was unable to move quickly for a few minutes without having to stop and try to breathe, were my workouts really doing what I wanted/needed them to do?

That became my new mantra, I wanted to be able to do any physical task life called upon me to do. Whether it be a week of hiking, helping push a stalled car, laying sod, riding my bike with Zeke on my back, the list is endless.

The point is, your fitness should suit your life. You should not only enjoy what you do to get/stay in shape, but it should also work for your needs. That’s why CrossFit is so beneficial: it’s functional. 

The functional movements prepare you for the variety that is life. This way, no matter what life demands of you – a ski trip with friends, carrying your kid around a theme park, helping your brother move – you can do it. Make fitness work for you and for your benefit.

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10 Quotes Better Than Pre-Workout

man standing on bridge holding book writing down quotes better than pre-workout and thinking

I’ll be honest, I have never taken pre-workout. I just kinda take my workouts as they come. I just do my best if I’m tired. If I feel great with lots of energy, then it’s a great day. Either way I am thankful for the ability and opportunity to workout. Pre-workout or lack of it aside, I can’t be the only one who thinks a good motivational quote is inspiring. So here are 10 quotes better than pre-workout (or at least as good) to get you fired up for your next WOD.

Try picking a favorite and putting it somewhere you’ll see it. Put it on a sticky note in your home, or even make it your phone lock screen. Think back to it when you’re about to go into the gym, or any time you feel like you need a good dose of motivation.

Quotes To Pump You Up Better Than Pre-Workout

  1. Nobody cares what you did yesterday. What have you done today to better yourself? – David Goggins
  2. Don’t expect to be motivated every day to get out there and make things happen. You won’t be. Don’t count on motivation. Count on discipline. – Jocko Willink
  3. If it’s endurable, then endure it. Stop complaining. – Marcus Aurelius
  4. It does not matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.– Confucius
  5. If you’re not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your feedback. – Brené Brown
  6. Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears. – Laird Hamilton
  7. Success isn’t owned. It is leased, and rent is due everyday. – J.J Watt
  8. If you aren’t willing to work for it. Don’t complain about not having it. – Toby McKeekan
  9. But did you die? – Mr. Chow
  10. When I step up in the place a-yo I step correct. – Theodore Roosevelt

If these quotes aren’t enough for you, give these ones a go. There are thousands of great motivating quotes for you to use to your advantage.

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My Dad, A Mustang, and Perfection

a mustang restored to perfection parked on a tiled ground next to another old car

Oftentimes starting is the most difficult part. We tell ourselves we will start eating healthy on January 1. Or we say next Monday, I will start going to the gym. We tell ourselves things like, now isn’t a good time, but in a few days it will be the perfect time to begin. In reality this is an excuse. Perfection isn’t attainable. This is just a way for us to justify not doing something we know we should. It reminds me of a saying, and a story.  

The saying is “Blablabla. Go workout”. Basically it is saying, yeah yeah yeah, whatever your excuse is, it sucks. Now go workout. You can make excuses but the situation will never be/remain perfect. And at the end of the day did you do something to improve your health or not? The story it reminds of will take a little time to explain but if you are tired of making those excuses it’s a great read. It goes like this.

The story of my dad, a mustang, and perfection

When I was in 7th grade, I was mowing yards for money. One yard was out of my neighborhood, so my dad would drive me there so I could mow it. One day we pulled into the neighborhood and we passed by a black 1968 Mustang coupe. It was gorgeous, and it took me about 1 whole second to fall for it. I HAD to have a ’68 Mustang.

Fast forward a year, I had been saving up my money, and had found a local 1968 Mustang coupe for sale. I paid $3,000 for it. It wasn’t black – it was white. And it needed A LOT of work.  

But it was mine.  

Back in high school I had a few things done, mostly mechanical, so I could drive it a little bit. My dad was excited about this restoration project and even enrolled in some night paint and body classes at a local technical college just so he could work on it himself.  

While I was in college we continued to work on it, but in reality, he did the majority of work. My dad was hung up on perfection. In his mind, you did not go to step 2 until step 1 was perfect.

His goal was for this to be a perfect restoration. He saw it as his gift to me that he make the body work and paint perfect. The years ticked by. I graduated college, and began my working life. Meanwhile, my dad kept trying to bring the car to perfection.

In 2016, about 12 years after buying the car, my dad was diagnosed with cancer. An aggressive and unsurvivable cancer. That June we finished the paint and body work, and in July of 2018 it was finally as done, at least as done as any project car can be. And guess what, it wasn’t perfect. A few months after the car was finished my dad passed away. He never said it, but I know the few flaws the car has drove him crazy.  

The moral of the story

There are still plenty of flaws, even in the paint and body. The car isn’t restored to perfection, and I hope it never is. If it was, I wouldn’t want to drive it or enjoy it for fear of making it imperfect. If it was perfect I wouldn’t see the flaws and hear my dad’s voice in my head explaining to me how he planned on fixing that. Anytime it got the slightest bit dirty I would want to detail it. 

But I drive it, I enjoy it, I use it. And best of all, it is a place for me to remember him.

The moral of the story is, there will never be a perfect time to start living a healthier life. It is better to just start, because planning on perfect is unrealistic. 

My dad’s mindset was step 1 has to be perfect to move on to step 2.  I encourage you to adopt the mindset of I can’t take step 2 if I stay on step 1. 

Love you and miss you dad.


If you are ready to take the first step on your fitness journey, click on FREE INTRO on our home page (here).

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What Makes A Good Athlete?

woman makes a good athlete wearing tights sneakers and sports bra in a running pose with hair in messy bun

There are several features that make a good athlete. And they’re certainly not all about physical fitness. Since we are a CrossFit box, we will mostly be talking about those who are members of a box/follow the CrossFit methodology. But personally I believe this applies to all fitness avenues.

First, being a member of a box automatically classifies you as an athlete in my book. Doesn’t matter if you have never been to a competition, and you may not ever want to. That’s fine. You are an athlete because you compete against others daily. When you come to the box and see the WOD, you are already deciding how you are going to attack it to give you the best results. Then you complete that WOD with others trying to beat you and you trying to beat them. That is competition – plain and simple.

However, you can be more than just an athlete. You can be a good athlete.

Coaches like good athletes

I don’t mean those with the fastest times, or heaviest weights. I mean those athletes who put effort in. 

They show up, they pay attention. They put effort in both in and out of the gym, they respect their limits, and they work towards their goals. 

Long before CrossFit was my job, it was my hobby. But before that, health and fitness was a hobby of mine. I enjoy spending time, effort, and money on CrossFit. 

Over the years of this being my hobby, I have learned that athletes like coaches have a responsibility. Athletes must take ownership of their training, not because they owe it to the coach or the box but they owe it to themselves. So what responsibilities do athletes have?

Making time in their schedule to workout

I get it, life sometimes happens and makes it hard to workout. 

But if you want to improve your health, or maintain your fitness you might have to make certain sacrifices. 

Waking up early, or telling your friend dinner will just need to be at 7 instead of 6 so that you can workout is not the end of the world. It’s important to prioritize working out.

Deciding what food to eat or not eat makes a good athlete

If I told you there was a magic pill that could make you healthier, fitter, feel better during and after your workouts, improve your sleep, help make you happier, get rid of a large amount of medications, and give you the body you have always dreamed of, you would without a doubt pop that pill. 

Guess what, that pill exists. It is food.

Making the proper choices, along with sleep and exercise, will give you that dream body.

Knowing which weights to use and when to scale back the intensity

Everyone wants to Rx a metcon, lift heavy weights, or get the most reps. But learning and knowing when that is good and when it is bad is important. 

Now, of course as a new athlete, you won’t know or have an idea. This is when it is your coaches responsibility. But after a while it becomes your responsibility.

If you know your 3 rep max thruster weight is 115 lbs, attempting Kalsu Rx isn’t smart and in fact it can be dangerous. I think I speak for all coaches when I say they would much rather you scale back and not get hurt than go Rx and hurt yourself or lose the stimulus of the WOD.

Providing proper and accurate feedback to the coach makes a good athlete

I try to make sure and ask all of my athletes how they feel before or during the warm-up. I also try to ask them how their lifts are feeling and then I even check after the metcon to see how it was for them.

I am sure they hate it, but it allows me to determine if something should be modified that day or in the future. My responsibility as a coach is to coach, the only way I can do that effectively is to have feedback.

Good athletes listen to their bodies

Some days are tough. You’re sore, you ate a whole large pizza by yourself the night before. You didn’t sleep well. Work is stressing you out. You have an injury that is not healed yet.

No one knows your body as well as you.

Pain is how your body communicates with you. There is strength in being able to push past the uncomfortable WODs but there is a different strength in being able to know when your body has had enough. Listen to your body.

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The Ugly Side of CrossFit

woman wearing boxing gloves showing the ugly side of crossfit on a blank background and hair out

Last night, a member left what is written below near my stuff as I coached. The member who left this piece, The Ugly Side Of CrossFit, is one of Buffalo Nickel CrossFit’s founding members.

Becki and I met years ago, and when I opened Buffalo Nickel CrossFit she was there to support us. She has always been a friend and a great member. She always keeps the gym laughing with her good mood and hilarious sense of humor.  

Everyone has an image in their heads of a person that does CrossFit. Most times this image is highly exaggerated. Most people that enjoy CrossFit are just normal people. CrossFit is not a sport to them, it is how they get and or stay in shape. 

Becki does a much more artful telling than me, and she has given me permission to share what she wrote, so I will just let you read it for yourself.

The Ugly Side of CrossFit

Every time you think or look up CrossFit, you see beautiful bodies, that’s the beautiful side of CrossFit.

Now let’s look at the other side. To me, CrossFit means strength, courage, friendship, sweat & confidence. Not all CrossFit athletes are in their 20s with beautiful bodies. A lot of us are older, overweight, depressed, lost in who/what we are. Desperate to find something to save us from our broken-ness. That’s where CrossFit found me. 

We walk in terrified, feeling stupid, ugly, fat, incompetent, out of place. Then you do your first warm up. Almost die, but you keep going.

You’re seeing these “amazing athletes” with all their beauty and strength doing these lifts and movements.  All the time you’re standing with a piece of PVC.  Lost as ever. Not realizing these people started just like us!

Now the hard work starts.

You’re learning, trying.

Pulling, pushing yourself further than you ever imagined you could.

The whole time pulling your shirt down trying to cover your fat.

Shame, sweat, read faced, and out of breath.

But then it’s over. You did it! It sucked and hurt. You know you won’t be able to move tomorrow. But you don’t care, because you did it! 

You faced your fear and embarrassment, and did it.

So when I hear CrossFit, that’s what I think about. Not the beautiful looking finished product. I think about the beautifully broken men and women desperately looking for a place to fit in.  

No shame.

No judgement. Just a group of broken people. Trying to better themselves together.

So yes, CrossFit can be confusing and overwhelming. But trust the process and know, we won’t all turn out to be these amazing beautiful athletes.  

And I am perfectly okay with that. 

-Becki

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