Tuesday 22 December 2009

A CrossFit Affiliate Members Guide to The Globo Gym.

With the holidays upon us, many CrossFitters who are used to training in an affiliate may be forced to temporarily purchase the services of a commercial gym, more commonly referred to in CrossFit vernacular as a Globo Gym. With the rapid expansion of CrossFit there are probably some folks out there training in an affiliate who have never been to a Globo Gym. Others may simply have been away from the Globo Gym for so long they've forgotten how it works.

Fear not! We at EYF are veteran Globo Gym CrossFitters. Indeed, before opening CrossFit Monterey we infiltrated Globo Gyms from California to Washington D.C. to London, England, and managed to avoid getting kicked out (though we may have been warned a time or five...) We're here to help! Follow these five simple tips to make your travel training experience as painless as possible...apart from the WOD, that is.

1) Don't hog equipment. Okay, so in your affiliate, you can do the "Filthy Fifty" while someone else is doing the "Twisted Twelve" and three other people are doing the "Hungry Hundred" (alright, I made that one up.) But most Globo Gyms will have a couple of barbells and squat racks, a few benches, dumbbells, maybe a couple rowers, and if you're really lucky, a decent pullup bar. That's about all that you'll find of use to you. And believe it or not, you're not the only person who wants to use that equipment! Maybe the guy who wants the squat rack is going to do quarter squats, but the fact is, he paid just as much money to be there as you did. He can do all the quarter squats he wants. I'm not saying don't use the squat rack for as long as necessary: I'm saying don't take 10 minutes between sets just because you can. And I'm definitely saying don't use more than one piece of equipment at once. Globo Gyms are not the kind of place where you can take the squat rack, the bench, and the pullup bar all at once. If you don't think you can get a nasty workout with one piece of equipment, you probably haven't been CrossFitting very long.

2) Have your workout planned before you arrive. I own a gym, and this means I can show up whenever I want and play around with all the toys until I decide what I want to do. But my athletes show up and know what they're supposed to do. It shouldn't be any different in a Globo gym. You should at least have an idea of what you want to do, and modify it as their equipment allows. Don't waste time dicking around with equipment other people may want to use.

3) Play by their rules. If they say no chalk, don't bring chalk (okay, so the pot is calling the kettle black here, but it was Russ' idea!) Don't try to lift barefoot – trust me, they won't like it. If they say no Olympic lifts, don't Olympic lift. You will be okay if you don't snatch for a couple of weeks, I promise.

4) Be respectful of non-CrossFitters. Here's what I want you to do when you get frustrated with the guy doing bicep curls and half range-of-motion bench press: Look at him...really look at him...take a deep breath...and then say to yourself "I used to be that guy." Because you did. You know you did. And you sure as hell wouldn't have wanted some douchebag telling you that what you're doing is totally useless and non-functional. Play nice. And if people ask you "what the hell are you doing?" try not to come across like you're terribly superior. I've had CrossFitters do that to me, another CrossFitter...I can't imagine what those assholes would have said to someone who had been doing leg presses.

5) You can do plenty of your training outside of the gym. Ideally, you should use the Globo Gym for your heavy lifting and maybe some monostructural metcon (rowing and swimming come to mind, if you're lucky enough to find a Globo gym that has a rower and a pool.) If you bring a jump rope, a pair of rings, and an empty sandbag with you on your trip, you'll have plenty to get you through a couple of weeks worth of workouts. Or even invest in a cheap pair of dumbbells once you're there...it probably won't cost much more than going to the Globo Gym every day. I recommend 30-45lbs for guys and 20-30lbs for gals, depending on your fitness level.

Happy Holidays from Evolve Your Fitness! Don't forget to set at least one PR on New Years Eve!

10 comments:

Unknown said...

I disagree.

I can not go weeks without snatch.

However Jacob's comments are credible- he can go weeks, months, years even without snatch.

ben b said...

It really depends on the kind of snatch you are used to having. If you've got a loose, sloppy snatch taking some time off might let you practice the necessary skills to improve.

If on the other hand you are regularly enjoying a nice tight, powerful snatch, you don't want to take a break from it pretty much ever.

Unknown said...

sigh*

adam said...

""

Also Merry Christmas to y'all out in Monterey

Anonymous said...

Nice article. I have a jump rope, a pullup bar (with a band), and a med ball. Plus, I am in sunny FL, so running outside is especially nice!

Kit said...

Workouts like cindy work too! Treadmill Murph or Treadmill Helen are also favorites of mine for the globo gym WODs.

I recently purchased my own 55# KB too...A little early x-mas present to myself. That wont make it in my bag for traveling, but I can drive with it.

Happ holidays. Get all the snatch you can before you leave your box! I got some tonight.

traucer777 said...

being a globo crossfiter myself (not out of choice, but its either that or no gym at all) i have a few extra tips.

1. buy tite grip, its basically liquid chalk. works just as good as regular chalk IMO. 10$ a tube, and it will last 6 months even when used in every WOD.

2. if you can, go on a saturday or sunday. most globos are EMPTY, except for the few other people who are actually training for a reason. these people are usually way cooler. ive even asked a guy to switch bars with me becuase his had better knurling and he was only doing curls, and i was deadlifting. He said yes...

3. Hang your rings. its one of the best ways to start a conversation about crossfit...

osatts said...

I guess I quite lucky, the Globo that I have access to allows Oly lifting, dropping weights, chalk, grunting...you name it! I've even managed Linda there, hogging 3 bars and the bench press for 15mins!

Merry Christmas ya'll

Bulldog9 said...

Also remember, no grunting, groaning, screaming, or yelling. It scares everyone. Tabata mashups on the treadmill are fun. Even better if you can get a bike and treadmill together. Sign up for a spin class, yoga class, zumba, boot camp. Fun and a great break from everyday crossfitting. Also gives you a chance to check on the 21 year olds in tight spandex and tank tops.

Anonymous said...

I train at a globogym twice a week (when I can't get to my local affiliate).

I've been "talked to" a few times, but nothing serious. I found developing a good reputation with the trainers (no matter how shitty they are) allows me to get away with a lot. I drop bars occasionally, but try to be a little respectful.

I gave up on correcting people. It's pointless and not worth my time. Hell, I'm in there to get work done.

I'll take off my shoes for deadlifts but only the head manager tells me to put'em back on. The key is to get in good relationship status with the trainers and they'll leave you alone. They also see the hard work you're putting in and respect that.

Occasionally, take off your shirt ... just to see what you can get away with.