NEW HOUSE, NEW RULES
When we moved into our new space we finally decided to put some unwritten rules of the box down on paper making them….written rules. Which makes them way more official and binding, right? We had long talked about our expectations of our members and community both day to day and in general.
CHECK YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR
Work hard every day.
This one’s pretty straightforward. Come in, work hard, go home. Don’t shortchange yourself by not giving your all every time you come in. Push yourself, do the movements properly and completely including the warm-up, skill and the WOD. These are all a part of your training. There’s a method to the programming and the set-up, don’t skip out or think you’re too good to work on the basics. No one is.
THERE IS ONLY ONE COACH
And the coach is always right.
There is only one voice to listen to during a class and that is the coach of that class. Follow their lead and their instructions, not the person beside you.
TREAT THE GYM AS IF IT WERE YOUR OWN
Respect the equipment and clean up after yourself.
Put things back where they go when you’re done with them. Wipe them down when you’re done with them. Don’t drop empty barbells. Don’t throw things around. The equipment, the flooring, everything in there is expensive and is used by many people all day long. If we all take care of it, it will last longer. Pretty basic stuff.
THIS SHIT IS TOUGH
Introduce yourself to new people. Cheer on everyone.
Remember your first day? Nervous, apprehensive? Hopefully someone approached you and introduced themselves or offered some kind words. We are a community and we stand beside and behind each other. Introduce yourself to anyone you haven’t met before. Say their name, shake their hand, make them feel welcome. When you’re done your WOD, you don’t start cleaning up your area until everyone is done their WOD. This is your time to help others through their last reps. Cheer them on. Bring them home. When they’re done, you’re done. We grind together, we shine forever.
NO ONE CARES IF YOU’RE FIRST OR LAST
They do notice if you cheat though.
The scores on the board get us fired up from time to time but at the end of the day they don’t really matter. What matters is you pushed as hard as you could, with proper form, complete range of motion and the proper amount of reps. People notice when you skip a few reps or don’t break parallel on your wall balls repeatedly. You don’t get any better if you take shortcuts. You get better if you do the work.
NO DROPPING KETTLEBELLS
Or Dumbells or Barbells with less than 25lb plates on either end.
Not only is it dangerous and unnecessary but we’ll circle back to equipment being expensive. Unless it slips or you hurt yourself mid-movement there is absolutely no need to be throwing kettlebells or dumbells around. If you aren’t in control of them then you either need to scale the weight, slow down or not push for that one extra rep. Your Games berth isn’t on the line here.
THERE WILL BE SWEATING, PROFANITY, GRUNTING,
Bleeding and even Flatulence, get used to it.
This is a safe place. Let ‘er rip, literally. Respect the people around you but we’re all working hard and sometimes we need to go that dark place to get through a workout. No judgement, we’re in this together.
IF YOU DON’T KNOW ASK
Coaches are here for you, ask a question, get an answer.
Don’t ever be afraid to ask a question and don’t ever assume you know the answer. Classes can be busy sometimes and while our Coaches make their best effort to catch everything and cover everything, it’s often impossible. No question is stupid. If you don’t want to ask in front of everyone pull the Coach aside either during or after the class. They’re there for you. You’re not bothering anyone and it’s better to get the right info right away.
WE LOVE YOUR KIDS
It’s your responsibility to keep them off the floor, safe.
We are a family and we welcome your family. At the same time, we’re also not a romper room. Our box is not “kid-proofed”, there are heavy weights and dangerous objects everywhere so we ask that the kids stay in the designated kids area at the couches unless they are participating in a properly supervised kids class. There are no exceptions to this, as you know many kids are monkey-see, monkey-do so if you let your child run wild, guess what all the other kids are going to want to do?
HAVE FUN
Make this the best hour of your day.
This is the most important rule we have. We want you leaving here with a smile on your face. A sweaty, tired-out smile but a smile nonetheless. Leave the baggage of your day, your job, your stresses at the door and throw some weight around, break a sweat, high five some people and enjoy yourself while you’re here.
That’s it. New house, new rules but same old Fortis vibe. Have fun, be safe, respect the equipment and others and let’s keep killing it in here and out there.
CROSSFIT FORTIS