Kent Island is a small world. We are connected by a major highway to Annapolis and the rest of the Eastern Shore, but it still feels like a little isolated world unto itself sometimes. And it can definitely feel like you know everyone else and their business! So, when I go to the grocery store and I see people I don’t know, I start to wonder why. I mean, I own and operate a CrossFit gym, which is one of the most fun places in the world to be! There are so many awesome people, awesome coaches, so much awesome equipment and awesome skills to learn.
So if someone lives on my tiny little island, and I don’t know them yet, that means they are not training with us. And after each of these one-sided grocery interactions, I go through all the stages of grief, which I’m pretty sure are confusion, staring, paranoia, hiding, burpees, hunger, sweating, and back to confusion. I might not have nailed all of those by the book, but I’m just going from experience.
As a bit of self-directed therapy, I wanted to put myself in someone’s shoes that hasn’t yet sprinted into CrossFit Kent Island and demanded a membership as soon as they move here. There are a few common scenarios that come to mind. From that exercise, I began pairing up these scenarios with some of the other non-traditional training programs that we offer. Check this out and see if you can relate with any of these:
Remote Programming
Working out at home is now once again a thing. If the market for fitness equipment during the pandemic was an indicator, there are A LOT of guys and girls out there now that like to workout in their garage. Maybe they used to like to go to the gym and workout, but – for good reason – they chose to make their home a personal workout space free of viruses and masks. Now they have spent a good bit of money on their home gym, and don’t want to leave it behind for a membership at a gym with all the same stuff!!
Here’s the thing though… if you are serious about achieving or maintaining a high level of fitness, you need a coach. Why? Because without a program that you didn’t design yourself, and someone to hold your feet to the fire once in a while, you will avoid the things that you don’t want to do. Case-in-point: ME. When I started “doing CrossFit” on my own, I was a decent runner. I hadn’t done a lot of weightlifting other than crushing my arms with bench presses and curls in high school and college (and avoiding squats), but now I was really getting into the weightlifting world. So I started following CrossFit.com daily workouts, but any running workouts would be subbed out for more weightlifting. Interestingly, I got really strong and my running and conditioning level for anything longer than 10 minutes suffered greatly! The point is that we have to keep identifying and then working on our weaknesses if we want to avoid becoming one-sided from a fitness perspective.
At CrossFit Kent Island, we have several coaches who have become very skilled at assessing where you are right now and then creating a program that you can follow along at home. This program will be tailored to your goals, and the equipment you have access to. We are currently programming for at-home fitness enthusiasts with access to barbells and weights, as well as newcomers to the fitness space with access to nothing more than a single dumbbell. You don’t need much at all to get a great workout in at home – just a fun, creative program that will keep you moving toward your goals!
Remote Coaching
There are some folks out there that do not necessarily want to join a CrossFit gym and attend group classes, not because there is a lack of value, but a lack of time. They are the obstacle course racers. The trail ultra-runners. The teenagers looking to serve in the military. The amateur swimmers vying for a chance to swim the Chesapeake Bay 4.4-miler (PS – that’s me!). Many understand the value of CrossFit training to achieve the best overall fitness level for their sport. But then again, attending group CrossFit classes 5x per week is probably not what they need, given their already demanding training schedule. So they have written off CrossFit as a training option and instead do some “cross training” that may or may not be effective at building strength, stamina, work capacity, and flexibility that will help tremendously on race day.
Here’s the thing though… Attending group classes is not the only option in a CrossFit gym! In fact, the way that CrossFit started was not giant groups of people working out in sync, but one or two people with a coach. As the coach got to know them and their goals he would send them on their way with a program to follow, checking in regularly so that they could monitor progress and make adjustments.
Remote Coaching is a step up from Remote Programming in that it also includes regular email/phone check-ins with your coach. “How are you enjoying your training? How are you feeling? Here is how you can approach the tough part of this workout. Let’s retest your baseline strength numbers to see how this is working.”
Because you and your coach are not meeting at the gym on a regular basis, this is a more economical option vs. onsite personal coaching. And guess what – I bet we have a coach who has done what you want to do and knows what works and what doesn’t. They know how to fully prepare you for your event or big goal and they want to see you succeed too! In addition to being accomplished CrossFit athletes, our coaches that are available for Remote Coaching include a champion obstacle course racer, a DC-area police special operator, a Division 1 gymnast, and coaches that have trained for and successfully completed 50-hour endurance events, not to mention doing “Murph” every day for a year. If you want to do it, we have done it, and we can guide you along the path.
Onsite Personal Coaching
What we’ve traditionally called “Personal Training” we now want to differentiate as Onsite Personal Coaching. You and your CFKI coach are working together in the gym. And you are receiving coaching on all the physical aspects of training, but also on the mental strategies associated with training, and the nutritional and other lifestyle habits that will allow you to achieve your optimal results.
You might be a great candidate for this option if you’ve ever said…
“I’ve had a couple knee surgeries from high school lacrosse. I obviously can’t do CrossFit.”
“I’m 70 years old. I obviously can’t do CrossFit.”
“I just had a baby 3 months ago. I obviously can’t do CrossFit.”
“I was injured in combat and have a prosthetic leg. I obviously can’t do CrossFit.”
Here’s the thing though… I could keep going with these examples but I wanted to clarify something. These are all stories of real CrossFit Kent Island athletes! And so now you know the negative ending that I tacked on to each story is false. They may have thought or said these things in the past. But they are doing CrossFit! Some of them have enjoyed coming to some group classes because they are motivated to train with a team. Many of them have continued to do personal training with me or one of our other talented and creative coaches. We know how to work around injuries, and how to adapt movements so that anyone with any condition or body type can safely benefit from them. And if we don’t yet, we love a challenge!
If you think you have a reason that you can’t train and get functionally fit, we want to know it. We invite you to come check out the gym and see what we have to offer. We have a 4-session On-Ramp program for all new athletes to learn the fundamentals of movement, and let our coaches get to know you. During the On-Ramp you’ll likely get a chance to see a group CrossFit class in action, and you might want to become a member and attend classes! If you would rather stay with a program that is completely tailored to you – what you like to do and what you need to be able to do – then our Onsite Personal Coaching program is your best fit.
If you’ve seen me lurking around the grocery store, squinting and staring with a puzzled look on my face, now you know why! In addition to trying to find my favorite peanut butter, I’m also wondering why I haven’t met you yet! We want you to train with us, whether it’s remotely or onsite. Wherever you are in your fitness journey, you are at the perfect place to start at CrossFit Kent Island!
Ryan