8 Types of People You'll Find in the Box
The beauty of training at your local box, rather than a conventional gym, is that you'll get to train with many different types of people. Unlike the CrossFit Games, your box will be filled with athletes of varying abilities, commitment levels and personalities. Here are 8 types of people you'll usually find there:
The Whiteboard Warriors
The Whiteboard Warriors thrive on the competitive element of the sport, but they're far from ready to play at the CrossFit Games. Instead of competing to be the best they can be, they'll do whatever it takes to get to the top of that whiteboard and protect their ego; miscounting reps and ignoring movement standards are both fair game.
The Strong Mums
The best thing about training in a box is the diversity of people that train with you. The sport isn't just for the likes of Sam Briggs and Rich Froning, but for anyone who strives to be a fitter, stronger and healthier version of their former self. The strong mums are probably the most inspiring of the bunch; somehow juggling their careers and children with consistently training hard, and pushing themselves in every WOD. How do they do it?!
The Unwelcome Judges
Have you ever been mid-WOD, minding your own business, when out of nowhere you find another member in your face, screaming "NO REP!"? If you're nodding your head, chances are you've had an encounter with your box's resident unwelcome judge. Unwelcome judges get a kick out of telling everyone they're doing it wrong, even though they're not qualified to do so. Unless told otherwise by your coach, just keep doing what you're doing!
The Stash Junkies
The Stash Junkies are easy to spot. They're dressed head-to-toe in the latest kit: colour-cordinated Inov8 Fastlifts and Stance socks, compression tights, and a slogan t-shirt or vest. Their gym bag contains everything you'll ever need to get through a WOD, from tape to supplements, and you've started to wonder if they're surgically attached to their foam roller.
The Cherry Pickers
The Cherry Picker will only be found in the box when the WODs aren't too hard, too long, or too heavy. They avoid movements they find difficult like the plague, and can often be heard making excuses for changing the movements. This defeats the object of constantly varied WODs, and will limit progress. The methodology was designed to target weaknesses so, if you've been cherry picking, stop! Plan your training days in advance - and don't change your mind when the WODs are published online.
The Golden Oldies
When athletes turn 40, they're eligible for entry into the Masters' category at the CrossFit Games, but that doesn't make them any less awesome. In fact, the opposite seems to be true; the commitment and mental toughness of these athletes is unrivalled. They give their all in every workout, and know exactly what their body needs to recover.
The Forever-Injured
Poor technique, overtraining and lack of mobility can all lead to injury. The Forever-Injured are, as the name suggests, always injured. They ignore advice from their coaches and fellow athletes, shunning rest days and rehabilitation to train through their pain. Does this describe you? Instead of standing there, watching the Golden Oldies in awe, take a leaf out of their book and learn how to recover smarter.
The Enthusiastic Newbies
Do you remember how you felt when you first finished your foundation course? Whilst your enthusiasm may begin to fade slowly over time, there'll always be a new group of people to keep the excitement flowing. From the sheer horror of experiencing Fran for the first time, to what seems like never-ending PBs, everything about the box is new and inspiring for them - so don't let your cynicism bring them down!
What have we missed? What type of athlete are you?
Let us know in the comments!
Photos provided by Arctic Warrior.
