Assumption –

“A thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen without proof”.

A scene from one of my favourite movies, Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels sum’s this up beautifully, Assumption really is the mother of all… We all have things we assume. In fact, I’m doing it right now by saying exactly that. Assumption is one thing we try very hard to dispel here at The Friendly Gym. Here are some of the classic assumptions we encounter, and why they are doomed to failure.

Coaching Is Only For Beginners

We often see new members, especially those from other gyms, surprised when they receive coaching, even though they are experienced athletes.

We never assume you remember what we did last class, PT or skill session. Our role, as your coaches, is to reinforce what we teach every time we see you, meaning we’ll explain and demonstrate everything we ask you to do, in every class you attend. One of our members recently commented on how much she appreciated this.

After travelling home to spend time with friends and family, she dropped into a local gym for a class. On hearing that she was a current CrossFitter, the coach pointed her in the direction of a barbell and told her to get stuck in, the coaching in this class reserved only for those considered beginners, assuming that our member had all the tools to complete the workout.

This is one of the easiest ways to injury, and to breaking down the relationship between member and coach.

We always, be it to new members, experienced athletes or drop-ins, demonstrate the movements, explain the why of the workout and make sure every person is good to go before the clock starts.

 

CrossFit Is Expensive

One of the main assumptions about what we do, is that it’s wildly, ridiculously expensive.

“Expensive”, like hot and cold, soft and hard, is a relative term.

Expensive compared to what?

Expensive compared to the $60-$100 per month for a “normal” gym membership that allows you access to equipment alone, no coaching, or expensive compared to the Ab Circle Pro in your garage?

Not mention expensive compared to the cost of living our late years of life with one of a myriad of obesity-related diseases?

We don’t charge for access, we provide coaching, nutritional advice, and lifestyle change.

We provide accountability for your actions within a group of like-minded people. We believe your health and well being is worth it.

 

Women Get Bulky When Lifting Weights

The assumption to end all assumption’s when discussing strength and conditioning. Here’s a quick multiple-choice question to show how crazy this assumption is.

When women lift heavy weights, they:

A – Immediately get bulky and grow huge muscles

B – Their voice breaks, they grow a beard and turn into Thor

C – Eat only baked chicken and steamed broccoli

D – They lose fat, tone up and gain in confidence

Now, this is entirely dependent on the athlete in question, but we’ve seen this kind of outcome in dozens of women we’ve had the pleasure to train and help achieve their health and fitness goals.

So, next time you feel yourself applying assumption, apply a little logic, reasoning or find out more about the topic at hand.

You’ll be better for it in the long term.