New Member Guide

 

Waiting to Clean Up until everyone’s workout is complete: CrossFit is well known for being the port that cheers the loudest for the person finishing last. It is standard practice to wait until everyone is done before cleaning up. There are of course some instances when you need to get out asap; you can signal to a coach and move ahead. This is part of why it’s important to try and stick with the intended stimulus of workouts, so as to keep everyone within the estimated timeframe. There will also be other times when you can move on, and the coach will tell the class.

 

Barbell and Plate Care There are two super helpful things all new Olympic Lifters learn through time, aside from generally loving and being kind to the bar:

1. Please don’t drop an empty Bar: Inside the barbell are little ball bearings that enable it to spin with weight on it. This is key in our fast turnovers for the lifts. (Try to spin the end of the bar next time you’re in. The more it sticks, the more you’ll get pulled by the bar when you lift. Then also move the bar a bit, you’ll hear the shaking of the bearings.) If the bar is dropped without rubber weights to catch it, the ball bearings get damaged and the bar eventually won’t spin well. Hence, please don’t drop an empty bar.  Note- This impacts when putting the bar down OR when removing weights from the end. Since dropping even one side can damage the tender inner workings, when taking weights off the bar, take a hold of the inside of the barbell, lift the end you want to remove weights from, and push them off. Or, put a small weight under the last weight on the barbell to lift that side and allow you to push or pull the weights off without having the bar drop

2. Try not to drop a Heavy Barbell on light Weights (within 10# of the Bar). Women’s Bars (35#) and Men’s Bars (45#), when they are dropped on 5/10, even 15 pound plates weigh less than the barbells, so it ends up bending the rubber and loosening the rubber from the center rings. Over time they break and can’t be used, you can see some in our plate graveyard in the corner ;).

 

Recording Scores: We encourage you to record your score daily on the Whiteboard as well as in the TRIIB app. Why?

First and foremost? The whiteboard is a great way to bring our class together and celebrate each other's efforts. Did you PR (get a personal record) on your deadlift? Maybe it’s your first time doing box jumps instead of step ups?

Second, it’s a great tool for scaling the workout! Maybe there’s an athlete with similar strengths to you who you’re always chasing after in the wod. Use their score to help guide you in making the best scaling decisions.

Lastly, a healthy dose of competition can be a great thing! Knowing someone’s time can make you push a little harder and give the workout all you’ve got!

We also encourage our athletes to log their scores in TRIIB! Scores on the whiteboard don’t stay there forever so we use TRIIB for your workout tracking needs. There, you can reference all your past workouts, get gym announcements, and fist-bump fellow classmates on a job well done.

 

TRIIB App Signing in for class: You can sign up (and in) for classes on the TRIIB app. You can also do this online. Please do sign in, not only to get your committed awards and clubs, but also in case we have to cancel or change class, or if (hopefully not but here comes winter) we have to notify anyone in class re: Covid close contact.

 

Videos in TRIIB: In the daily workouts, most days I post tips, tricks and information about the movements or the workouts the next day. It’s a good way to get some extra coaching via video or find out some interesting things about the movements before the next day.

 

Committed Club, 100 Club & 500 Club - We have a few "Clubs" at the sym. Committed Club is reviewed monthly and includes anyone that signed up and checked into class 16+ times in 1 month. 100 & 500 Clubs are based on attendance. When you hit that milestone you'll receive an email and then we ask you to sign our Club Pillar in the gym to be a permanent part of our community.

 

PMC Online Store - Did you know we have an online store to purchase gear? It ships directly to you. You’ll find a link to the store right on the top of our website.

 

How to Buy Gear at Gym - We do have some gear, protein, snacks and drinks available at the gym as well. To purchase these, you can fill out a line in the form on the clipboard next to the gear with your name and what you purchased. I’ll process and add to your account.

 

Pre-Post Workout Options: We have a number of programs you can follow or review as options to enhance your workouts and skills. 

• Lifting: In TRIIB under the Strength WOD program area, we post weightlifting program workouts. These are planned programs you can use or join at any time, even if it’s the middle of a cycle. There is a full workout there, but you can also just do the lift after class. It’s generally about 10 minutes.

• Work Your Weaknesses: In the weekly programming email we list additional skill, endurance or accessory work you can do on your own.

• Sit Up, 5k, Squat, Handstand and Pull Up specific programs are all also available with eron a chalkboard or with a sheet at the front desk. Ask Tara any time.

 

Telling the Bars Apart: It can be hard at first to tell barbells apart. Here are some hints on how to tell:

• 15# Bars: Shortest and often the shiniest. Rougher grip usually. Hollow inside.

• 35# Bar: Middle Height and thin bar vs 45. Often yellow on ends. Standard for Women.

• 45# Bar: Tallest and thickest bar. Often blue on ends. Standard for Men.

 

Sanitizer: There are Black Round Cylindrical Tubes on each side of the gym with sanitizing wipes. Please use those to write down equipment after use. We also have Hand Sanitizer in various places in the gym. If we are out, please ask a coach and they’ll refill.

 

Feedback: There is an anonymous feedback box now in the Blue Room. Please feel free to drop a comment/note at any time. Direct feedback is also always welcome and appreciated. We may not be able to act on all suggestions, but we do take them in and appreciate your input.

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Gear

• Sneakers: Cross Training shoes are helpful for CrossFit training, as these often have less heel to toe drop, which allows you to got more of an even/sturdy grip on the ground with lifts, squats and other movements. Running shoes tend to  push you forward and have a bit too much cushion, which forces balancing of the foot/ankle. CrossFit shoes also have adjustments to help with Rope Climbs and to stand some of the other stress we put on shoes. Here are some of the most popular, CrossFit specific shoes:

  • Reebok Nano: fairly structured and sturdy.

  • Nike MetCon: wide feet can find this hard

  • No Bull: harder sole

  • Inov-8

  • Vivo-Barefoot - zero drop shoes

• Hand Wraps: used for Rig work. Most common: BearComplex, JerkFit, Rogue. Or, common gymnastics wraps

• Jump Ropes: Working those single unders into double unders! Rogue, RMP Rx (Free $20 Gift Card for you at desk if you like), NEXO