Box frustrations

learning2fly4

Hi All, really just needed somewhere to vent this.
I love my box, generally speaking, i normally love the programming, love all my peeps. But... lately there was a gym meeting and we determined that we were changing the time schedule, and including mobility/group warm up with Skill reviews, and making the classes 1.5hrs in stead of an hour. This was supposed to start 9/2. We were adding a Powerlifting/strongman programming in, etc. We haven't done any of these things and im starting to feel like its going against the goals many of us have discussed with our coaches.

This is all mainly due to my coaching saying, we got strong enough collectively as a gym the last few months but we are behind other boxes with cardio type WODs at competitions.
Heres the thing, this summer, i committed to CF 4x a week, went running 2-3x per week (2miles per running, at least), and i still came in last place in two Comps. I am probably in the best shape I've been in a long time, including my Cardio. And now im stuck doing basically all MetCon for a month!
Its too expensive to not show up or put my membership on hold but, its frustrating to go, when all i want to do is work on my lifts and get suckered into a 1.5mi Medball run (BARF!)
Hate when people don't follow through on their words. end Rant.

okulyd

Try another box. I find when I visit another box I suddenly like my box a lot more. Or maybe you'll find a new home that is more inline with your goals. Either way you win!

kelly_e_montana

I feel the same way about my box. I would love more strength programming. I love, love, love my peeps. I really feel that strength is the foundation of your pyramid and technique and conditioning are above it. The more strength you have, the wider base. I love the conditioning aspects, and I am happy to do them...mostly because I go to an oly class and powerlift outside of CF. Optimally, I wouldn't have to do all that in separate environments, but right now, I do.

Regarding competitions, our best female Crossfitter kicks my *kitten* every day at the box on the type of metcons they design 80% of the time: no barbell, light weights, longer time frame, more gymnastics moves. If we have a short AMRAP with heavier barbells and sprints (running, box jumps, du's) with few movements, I always come in ahead. Any comp I've ever gone to, I've placed higher than her at the similar point in her CF career. Why? Because I move heavy weight and have endurance for it and that is what is more prevalent in the comps I've attended or the ones I haven't attended but have read their events. So, I feel my box is training people to be good at training and not for competing.

I'm feeling the same way in terms of dealing with this powerlifting comp coming up. I flat had to tell my main CF coach: "I understand your points about conditioning, but I am not going to get to optimal strength levels for my compeition if I am getting sucked into cardio endurance wods all the time. So I am going to shorten my WODs and WOD less frequently til then. I believe in periodic cycling for your goals and I will be happy to work on my conditioning at the expense of my strength in the two months leading up to the Open but right now I'm focusing on strength." My box is the only one within 65 miles, so I have to make it work.

A lot of our more serious competitors have just moved to doing Outlaw Way during their normally scheduled CF times but your box has to have the space and your coaches have to be open to it. They are making big gains!

JeffseekingV

Its terrible that the measure of a box is with other boxes and not how your own members are doing. You are paying THEM and you are paying them to make you better. Not the box.

If they were paying YOU, then I can see how they could want to you to advance their box stats vs others

Aviation21

Its terrible that the measure of a box is with other boxes and not how your own members are doing. You are paying THEM and you are paying them to make you better. Not the box.

If they were paying YOU, then I can see how they could want to you to advance their box stats vs others

Totally agree!

At my Box those that are training for competitions have a special/ added practices which does not affect the rest who are either not into competition or not at that stage of CrossFit.

kelly_e_montana

I think it really breaks down into CF being two different things: a sport and a general fitness program. That being said, we have lots of women in my box who have been CF'ing for several years who can't use Rx weights on any WODs. Are they fitter than before CF? Sure! Are they getting what they want out of it? Probably. Could they be stronger? Yes! Do they care? Maybe not as much as me.

But, they're having fun and getting fitter than ever before...all good things.

learning2fly4

Good thoughts all. We actually have 3 training programming Competitor, Gomad, and GPP. Competitor is for the RX people for sure, including our one female who has won a number of comps in the northeast, and is hoping to make regionals this year. Gomad is supposed to be the PL/SM, but it hasn't changed over yet, and gpp is the regular WODs for anyone. Lately we have just been doing an escentially scaled version of competitor. It's just strange for our coach to push so much cardio, bc I chose this box bc of its drive for strength, and lack of cardio crap. I'm not nor will I ever be good at it, even my best was a 4 min 1/2 mile in a comp.
hopefully this is a phase or I might leave in Nov when my contract is up for a stint at another box. They seem to be leaving the all metcon only behind and adding a lot of strength, but I know walking in there I would be stronger than just about all the people, so it would be harder to push myself. IE the female coach just squatted 205# as her 1RM. I hit 185 in a comp last year after 4 month back to the gym after being on and off for 7yrs. Guessing my max is north of 225 now.

bostonwolf

Is there no open gym time where you could just go and do strength work?

learning2fly4

Is there no open gym time where you could just go and do strength work?

There is but its not the greatest timing for my work schedule currently. IF we switched to the new time schedule, it would work. I am typically going to the 730 or 830 pm classes, the open gyms are early in the morning, like 6 and 7am or 430-530pm timing, which leaving work on time at 530 is a stretch 99% of the time.

I just want to be a teacher sometimes like most of the Women at my gym... haha

gweneddk

I can definitely relate. When I joined my box they were halfway through a strength cycle and I feel like the programming matched my goals. Now one of the primary goals is essentially preparing for the CF Open (skill development and practice on the skills used in the previous Opens) which I don't give a rat's *kitten* about. I love the people at my box and I am planning on staying through at least Nov but after that point I'm not sure.

gweneddk

I can definitely relate. When I joined my box they were halfway through a strength cycle and I feel like the programming matched my goals. Now one of the primary goals is essentially preparing for the CF Open (skill development and practice on the skills used in the previous Opens) which I don't give a rat's *kitten* about. I love the people at my box and I am planning on staying through at least Nov but after that point I'm not sure.

Oh, and also our open gym times went from 4x/week to 1x/week and yoga went from 2x/week to 1x/week.... when I joined I didn't think the monthly fees were a bad value, but I feel like this new schedule is a lot different than when I joined.

ascrit

I love most of the people at my gym and it is super convenient but if I ever felt like it was no longer a good fit for me I would not hesitate to leave.

bostonwolf

I can definitely relate. When I joined my box they were halfway through a strength cycle and I feel like the programming matched my goals. Now one of the primary goals is essentially preparing for the CF Open (skill development and practice on the skills used in the previous Opens) which I don't give a rat's *kitten* about. I love the people at my box and I am planning on staying through at least Nov but after that point I'm not sure.

Oh, and also our open gym times went from 4x/week to 1x/week and yoga went from 2x/week to 1x/week.... when I joined I didn't think the monthly fees were a bad value, but I feel like this new schedule is a lot different than when I joined.

I feel pretty lucky in this regard. Our box is inside of a regular gym. I won't call it a globogym, because it is a one-location business and the owner is in there almost every day and knows everyone.

In any case, the gym is open (5am-10pm most nights, 8pm Friday and Saturday, 6pm Sunday) and there are no classes I can go in and do whatever I want.

I also will use the ellipticals after a particular intense workout (like Fran last night) to bring my heartrate down instead of just stopping after the workout.