Our friends who aren’t involved in the world of boxes and barbells like to say that we’re all in some sort of cult—which we vehemently deny, naturally. But the truth is, we are in some sort of cult, aren’t we? Ok, we’re not sacrificing goats to Zeus or anything like that, but we do dress kind of funny (those socks), go to our ‘temple’ day in, day out, are zealous about what we eat and celebrate our battle scars proudly. Oh, and we are always preaching about CrossFit (yes, we are). So, now that we have established that we are in the Cult of Fitness (new abbreviation for CF?), it’s our duty as ardent followers to recruit our friends and family to the cause. Here are 5 ‘tips’ to get your friends to try CrossFit.
1- Do a class together.
Your friends are far more likely to give CrossFit a go if they know that there will be a familiar face in the class. Depending on your friend’s experience (and what your coach says), they might be able to jump in to a regular class if the WOD is straightforward. Otherwise, it shouldn’t be much of a chore to go along with them to the free class that your box offers for potential newcomers. Yes, the movements might be simple and not that exciting, but make no mistake—free classes can be just as daunting as any other workout. If anything, you can test yourself to see how far you have come whilst your buddy gets their first taste of CrossFit. If you’re killing it and your friend is motivated by your performance, I’d say you just added a follower to the ranks.
2-Introduce them to your coach and your box ‘family’.
It’s important to prove that even though you may be in a ‘cult’, your coach and fellow followers of the WOD are actually pretty cool people. To do this, it would be better for you all to grab a beer together outside of the box. Seeing everyone in their natural environment, swearing, screaming and speaking in tongues (EMOM? Who is this Fran they speak of and why does everybody gasp when she is mentioned?) might be somewhat off-putting to your friend. Take no chances and get them comfortable with the CrossFit crew at a bar or wherever—then you can start to reel them in. Remember, it’s about swelling the ranks, my child.
3-Send them inspiring stories from other athletes—and tell them your own!
This may be the coolest and most unique aspect of the CrossFit community. How many stories do you personally know of where someone has battled through adversity and achieved success thanks to CrossFit? We look after our own in our community, whether they are adaptive athletes or service personnel, competitive athletes or average Joes. We are all equals—and I truly love the community for that. You can’t really find that with any other sport or fitness program, can you? All you need do is tell your friend a couple of inspiring stories (the community rallying to support Ogar’s medical bills with Ogar Strong, for example), show them some videos of adaptive athletes throwing down, and they’ll quickly get the picture. CrossFit is unique for more than the workouts. If they’re not motivated by that, then perhaps it’s better they don’t come along.
4-Show them pictures of Rich Froning and/or Camille LeBlanc Bazinet.
So, if you didn’t already know—oh who am I kidding, OF COURSE you know this: we got some good lookin’ people in CrossFit. You can tell your pal about a particular attractive lad or lass at your local box, or simply show them a couple of pictures of Froning and/or Bazinet. If they aren’t mesmerized by two of the greatest lords of our cult, then they will strive to recreate themselves in their image. All you need say is, “The best way to do that, my friend, is by doing CrossFit.”
5-Win a bet/Blackmail them/Trick them.
If all else fails, you may have to resort to other ‘means’ to get your comrade to see the light. Honestly, it’s for their own good. So, now is the chance to get creative. Create a bet where if they lose, the result is trying CrossFit for a week (then cheat and win the bet). Have incriminating texts, photos or videos (as all good friends should)? Excellent! Put them to use with a not-so-serious-but-secretly-very-serious blackmail. Or, simply, drug their coffee and when they wake up from their little snooze, they will be in our nirvana—maybe their hell.
Go forth my children and spread the word! Cult of Fitness is here.
