By far and away the single biggest reason given for NOT choosing CrossFit is that it’s too expensive. When someone says this to me my response is usually, ‘… too expensive for what?’ What are they comparing our program to? Compared to … say … a garden variety group fitness circuit training session? Yes … CrossFit costs more.
If all you want is an excuse to get your sweat on with a large group of strangers then you can get that experience for as little as $10 a session. But that’s not what we’re doing here at CrossFit Kantok or any other CrossFit affiliate for that matter.
CrossFit is personalised coaching in a group setting. I also call it group personal training sometimes. The whole thing is based on the idea that one-on-one coaching or personal training is always going to yield the best results. That’s the gold standard. A program is written for each individual, and the trainer is responsible for ensuring that the program meets that client’s needs and that they continue to make progress.
But there are only so many hours in a week. Many people want this kind of service but satisfying the demand in a one-on-one approach becomes impractical and more expensive. Many people really do want to have access to the benefits of one-on-one coaching. But they simply can’t afford it.
So CrossFit is a kind of trade-off. It’s a way of providing the benefits of personal coaching to a lot more people at the same time, for a fraction of the cost they would pay, were they to monopolize a coach’s time and attention on their own.
And when we say ‘coaching’ we mean it. We keep track of everyone’s progress and we’re constantly looking for ways to keep people engaged, and experiencing success. A coach is someone else who is fully engaged with you and your personal fitness journey no-matter what happens. A CrossFit trainer or coach has a multi-faceted job description. Standing out front of the group and running a WOD represents less than 50% of the responsibilities that come with the role.
So CrossFit training in a group setting is a way of sharing the attention and time of an experienced, professional trainer /coach at a discounted rate. But there are other benefits that actually increase the value of that proposition. It turns out that many people actually train harder, are more accountable, and experience bigger gains when they work out with their buddies. The coach facilitates this. The result is that the coach ends up delivering much more to the group, than they ever could to one person at a time.
This is just one example of the extra value that’s wrapped up in a CrossFit membership. There’s quite a few more I could talk about. I won’t number them off here because the point I’m making is about depth.
The CrossFit program can take you as deep as you want. This is important to remember when comparing what we do, to other so-called group personal coaching programs. In our program it’s not uncommon to find someone doing the same weight-lifting drills with a PVC pipe for weeks on end so that they completely assimilate the required movement pattern. That’s what I mean by deep! If the mood takes you and you have the inclination, you can also go deeper and learn how to develop and change your mindset around a whole range of topics. There’s no end to this stuff!
And all for the same weekly or monthly membership fee.