When it comes to working out, I usually don’t like people yelling at me. I don’t know if it’s because I don’t like being told what to do or because for the first few years of opening RNFCrossFit I did a lot of workouts by myself. I mean a lot. When you’re working out alone, it’s easy to do only the things you want, to not push quite as hard, or to skip the stuff you don’t like. And if I’m being honest, a big part of it is I don’t want to fail in front of other people. I don’t want to not meet expectations. All those thoughts just run through my head.
The funny part is, I’ll be the first one to cheer someone else on. I’ll be the one yelling “you got this” when someone is in the middle of a tough workout. But I’m not the best at receiving that same encouragement when it’s me.
The Power of Encouragement
That all changes at Friday Night Lights. The lights, the music, the crowd! It’s just different. You can feel it. When people are screaming for you to keep going, you almost forget about yourself and start doing it for them.
I’ll never forget 23.1. It was 60 calories on the rower, 50 toes-to-bar, 40 wall balls, 30 cleans, and then 20 ring muscle ups. The first four movements went smooth. I didn’t stop. I just moved through them steady and controlled. And then the ring muscle ups came.
I had about four minutes left to get just one. One rep. My arms were shot, my head was spinning, and I kept telling myself, don’t fail in front of everyone, just get one, just one. A few of the guys came over and started yelling for me. They believed I could hit it. They wanted me to hit it. I fought for it, but I didn’t get a single rep.
But here’s what I’ll never forget, they weren’t disappointed in me. They were disappointed for me. They would have lost their minds if I had nailed one, but that wasn’t why they were there. They came over because they knew it was a weakness and they wanted to pick me up no matter what.
The Gift of Belonging
That’s what community does. It pulls you out of your own head. It gives you a reason to keep going when everything in you wants to stop. And it shows you that even when you don’t get the rep, you’re not alone in the fight.
At RNFCrossFit you’re not just another member. You’re family. Every high five, every cheer, every “keep going” matters.
Why Community Matters
CrossFit is tough. That’s the truth. But community is what makes it different. It’s not just about workouts. It’s about people who won’t let you quit, who celebrate with you when you win, and who stand right there with you when you fall short. That’s why community matters. That’s why RNFCrossFit matters.
