Where ever you might live, you know what a "Globo" gym is. It's the big commercial gym with a warehouse full of treadmills and endless rows of machines with group classes such as, Combat Cardio, Kick n Sculpt, and other really funny names. We also know that this is where all the meatheads go to pump weights and flex in the mirror to prove their manhood. And now … wait, what?? They are now offering CrossFit classes?!? Could this be?
Before I go on, let me first say that as a CrossFit Affiliate owner, we welcome and embrace other affiliates even if they are nearby and therefore “competition” because the support of the Crossfit community is one of the most unique and cherished aspects of Crossfit. Most of the CrossFit gyms are very friendly towards each other and we help and support one another. The more CrossFit gyms there are, the more awareness grows among the general public about how great CrossFit is, which in turn helps us all.
What doesn't help the community are these big commercial or chain gyms that open up a CrossFit class SOLELY because they want to capitalize on this “hot new trend” called Crossfit for the sole purpose of making money. Because we as a real CrossFit gym are taking their customers by opening their eyes to what real fitness is, and what workouts should be. The difference is, to us, Crossfit isn’t a “hot new trend”. It’s a way of life. I don't mean to say that CrossFit can only be opened by independent small gyms but what I am saying is that CrossFit should be offered by those that truly understand and have the passion for CrossFit. How can you as a general public know the difference? Here are few things to ask yourself or the gym:
1) Is the gym committed to the CrossFit program or is it just another class stuck in between 5 other totally different fitness classes?
2) Do they have what it takes (properly trained staff, correct equipment) to give you what the CrossFit program has to offer in its full capacity? Or are they running the class in their "cardio" room? Don't be fooled by these so-called CrossFit classes where they have you do bunch of pushups, situps and air squats and tell you that you are doing CrossFit. True CrossFit has principles, a reasoning behind what and how we do things and most of all, correct coaching and programming. It also has 3 modalities. Weight lifting, Gymnastics, and Metabolic/Cardio. A proper CrossFit program or facility should be able to accommodate all these things at the same time and not stick you in a "cardio" room that they happen to have open for an hour until the “Pump, Step, Stomp” class starts.
3) Does the staff themselves do CrossFit or do they just come tell you to do a bunch of reps like a typical personal trainer and than go back into the weight room and pump weights? How long have they been doing CrossFit before they started coaching you on how to do CrossFit? Do they truly have a passion for it, constantly train at it, and have multiple certifications in various aspects of Crossfit representing years spent dedicated to gaining as much knowledge as possible to impart to their students? At your local "globo" gym … it’s probably not the latter.
If the answers to any of these questions don’t add up, think twice. Crossfit can be a truly life-changing experience, if done correctly and taught by someone with a true passion for Crossfit and a firm belief in the principles behind it. As you can read, we take CrossFit seriously because we take you as our client and your fitness seriously. You should take your decision serisouly on where to trust your well being and your hard earn money. To close, here a qoute from the founder of CrossFit, Greg Glassman.
"The magic is in the movement, the art is in the programming, the science is in the explanation, and the fun is in the community." - Coach Glassman
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at 7:17PM 
