I have been a part of many different fitness programs, just about everything under the sun. When it comes to programming for CrossFit Classes, or quite frankly anything fitness related, there is really no “magic programming”. I’m sorry, there just isn’t. However, there are a couple key components I truly believe has set us apart from the competition:
1) Relationships
No matter what you are doing, regardless if you like the activity or not, if you are surrounded by people you enjoy being around, odds are your going to have a good time. In a CrossFit gym, you are surrounded by other members and coaches everytime you step foot in the door. It is absolutely CRUCIAL that your members build relationships with each other, along with coaches. This will not only help the overall “flow” of the gym, but it keeps people accountable to not slack off or come in with a bad attitude, because they know all their friends are there to pick them up! It’s pretty plain and simple, when someone is enjoying their time and having fun, their effort level is going to skyrocket, which leads to greater health and physical benefits. I mean come on, why on earth would anyone want to pay come to a place they feel left out, or have no one to talk to?
2) Trust
Building trust is crucial in the aspect of coaching and programming. Going back to the enjoyment piece, if people don’t trust in your coaches or believe your program is written to make them better, odds are their motivation will be low and really not give a great effort. Lack of effort will never lead to results, which nobody wants. On the flip side, if you have built that trust and your members understand how this will benefit them, you will see people take training by storm and dive in head first with no questions asked knowing this will absolutely move them forward in their journey. I think the most important piece of gaining this trust is having your coaches educate the members on WHY we are doing what we do, and HOW it will benefit them, and then implementing the proper coaching to get them through the coaching to see results. By taking an active interest in your members and truly showing them you care about their progress and wanting to help them will only instill the fact that you do care about their journey, and they are more opt to be receptive to coaching and programming.
Bottom line is you don’t have to have the best coaches, or the best programming to help people achieve their goals. As long as you are creating a nurturing environment, taking active care in peoples advancement and educating them, their experience will be better yielding better results.