March 2018
Auxiliary Work Outs During Scheduled Class Times (Revisited)
All of us work out to better our lives. Each of you may have specific agendas to improve particular parts of your fitness, but ultimately you grind to become a better human. I appreciate that! Doing extra exercises in addition to the programmed work out is definitely a way for you to work on faults or improve lifts or movements. We want you to take control of your fitness and work on them! It’s like my kid asking me if she can do some extra reading or a few more math problems. I am not going to stop her! However, your coaches want you to be mindful and respectful to your EFC Fam and the scheduled classes.
Last February, I originally wrote this piece outlining guidelines for our athletes who would like to do additional or auxiliary work during class times. Since then, many of you have taken advantage of this benefit and truly used it as intended. A few others may have gotten too involved in their training and overstepped the boundaries. Instead of eliminating this opportunity entirely, we would like remind you what is expected of you as member of Team Manta Ray and ask that you take heed to these guidelines:
– CLEAR IT WITH THE COACH FIRST. Don’t assume since the class is small that you can set up and do work. Be sure to clear it with the coach EVERYTIME. Depending on the class work out, you may be able to get in work during the class metcon or something similar. The coach will determine what is permitted during their class time. Don’t get offended if you’re asked to stop or finish up later.
– KEEP THE NOISE LEVEL DOWN. We want you enjoy your time in the gym, but please keep the noise level down during a class, especially when there are general instructions or demonstrations provided by the coach. This includes grunting, groaning, clanging and slamming weights! The noise not only impacts the coach, but the athletes in the class may not appreciate the distraction. Don’t be rude.
– DO NOT INTERFERE WITH THE CLASS. If the class overflows and your space is needed, you MUST IMMEDIATELY stop your workout at the request of a fellow athlete in that class or the coach. The scheduled class has priority!
– OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER.
– Our gym is not extremely large. Finding space to do work is critical. Depending on what you plan to work on, we may not have the space to accommodate you. In this case, look at other areas available to you. If there is not a class in session in the annex, you may be able to work there. Or even go outside! Work on your tan while you work on your reps!
– Use some common sense. Working on heavy deadlifts or clean and jerks while a class is in session probably isn’t the best thing to do. Limit your exercises to movements that will cause the least amount of distraction to those in the class. We also ask that you don’t do a full on chipper metcon! Do not try and pull out fifty pieces of equipment, the ropes for climbs and set up in the middle of the room. Even if the class is primarily out of the way, this is unacceptable!
We want to accommodate you working out as much as we can, but we must focus on the athletes in the scheduled classes first. We hope that you understand and appreciate the guidelines we are outlining. Ultimately, we just ask that you be aware and respectful to your coaches and teammates! Stay on the Grind!