crossfit death or glory

LOCKDOWN

It had been coming for a couple of weeks but as the official news broke of a nation wide ‘Lockdown’ it was still a shock to the system being given such short notice to basically close our doors and not know when we could open them again!

With the best planning in the world you still don’t know how it’s going to go. How long will this last? Will members stay with us? Will we survive? How am I supposed to coach and train people in their own homes? No one has the kit they need to do CrossFit classes at home!?.

But there is only one way to combat fear and that is through action. So act we did. Without a fucking clue how it was actually going to turn out!

Fast forward 9 weeks and the rollercoaster keeps rolling! But we’ve improvised, adapted, and overcome. The fears are still there to a degree but the panic is long gone. The workouts are still getting pumped out and the members are absolutely killing the game daily. Kit has been loaned out. Pretty much the entire contents of our box that has been lovingly built up over the past 2 years is now sitting in people’s homes. Which is a bit scary to be honest!

But it feels right as it goes some way to repay the loyalty shown by our amazing members and means workouts can now be adapted accordingly and options given every day for anyone who wants to train no matter how much or how little they might have.

Gardens, garages, sheds, kitchens, and even attics have been transformed into mini Death or Glory boxes! It’s incredibly humbling to see and feel. The loyalty, support, and all round collective effort is something I’ll never forget or be able to repay in full. And the motivation it provides us too is immeasurable. Because we all struggle at times. Without exception.

The way we decided to ultimately approach things as a business and box during this lockdown period was from the point of view of what we would like to see as a member. After all your members are what make you. And members are what will save you. And what do we all want!?.. We want to train and we want to feel we are a part of something. Our members will never be just a number. They have invested in me and I am invested in them. Whatever they want to achieve through being a member of CrossFit Death or Glory I make it my personal duty to help them get there. Some of my best and oldest friends are here, but also people who had been with us only weeks before we closed the doors and have shown a loyalty that I will continue to repay in whichever ways I can.

Community. Family. Whatever you want to call it. Its amazing. And I’m immensely proud of it.

So the kit loans were arranged. Programming immediately adapted and like I say options were and still are given daily. Activity and chatter in the WhatsApp group increased tenfold and the general positivity has and still is absolutely incredible.

In house benchmark workouts were set and crushed, weekly quizzes arranged and provide a wind down and chance to have a beer and a laugh with our mates! Zoom and FaceTime weekend wods provide some entertainment, competition, and motivation to train when sometimes we just don’t feel like it.

The main thing is we’ve stayed connected. And I’m proud of what we have created. I’m even prouder of the collective effort shown by each and every one of the members we have here at CrossFit Death or Glory!

Corona virus has seemingly put life on hold, put some businesses to the sword, and sadly continues to take many lives each and every day.

But as a CrossFit community in a lot of ways it’s brought us all closer together even if from afar. For me personally as a human, father, coach, friend, and business owner, I’m determined to make this as positive an experience as possible through all the difficulty. The glass is always half full with me. It’s the way I am.

I’m still learning. Still winging it to be honest. Because we are all dealing with the unknown a little bit. But most of all thankful for where we are and where we are heading.

To anyone reading this. I’m thankful for that too. And I hope you’re winning your own personal battles. Remember there are strength in numbers no matter where those numbers come from. Reach out. Stay connected. We will all get through this.

The video that runs with this blog was created by the main man @madebyjonny and is a massive virtual high five and thank you to our awesome members and the efforts they continue to put in. I’m so proud of you all. And you inspire me to keep doing what i do!

And also If you find yourself with a spare 20min then I have something else for you to watch. I hope it helps some of you like it has helped me since I watched it some years ago.

Stay safe. Keep grinding. Be strong.

Big love.

Mark ☠️👑🖤