The holiday season is upon and many Crossfitters will be on the road visiting family and friends. While traveling, one of their concerns may be how am I going to keep up my workouts. The answer for many will be a visit to a local Crossfit affiliate in the city or town that they will be in.
Before you “drop-in” for a workout, you want to thoroughly research affiliates in the area you are visiting to see if they allow for visitors to stop in for workouts. You can find a map of local affiliates on the Crossfit website by clicking here.
Then, reach out to the affiliate via email or telephone ahead of time to let them know that you will be in the area and would like to catch a WOD at their box. You just don’t want to show up at a Crossfit facility for a workout without any warning to the owner. They may have special rules for drop-ins that will not know about until you contact them. For example, drop-ins may only participate in the 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. classes each day.
Once you confirm your visit with the box, arrive early for the workout; at least 15-20 minutes before. That way you can familiarize yourself with the box, its layout, fill-out any paperwork and chat with or be introduced to some of the members participating in the WOD.
There is no doubt that the Crossfit Community is one of the main benefits of the overall Crossfit experience, and for visiting Crossfitters, this sense of community is both reassuring and exciting. Reassuring in that the warm welcoming feeling that you have at your own local box can be experienced in nearly every box around the world, and exciting in that you get to meet new people with the same interest in Crossfit outside of your area.
Go into your visit with an open mind about the WOD and how the coaches may interact with members or offer advice during a WOD. You may learn something new that will help PR your next workout. Also, be prepared when you visit a box with your own personal workout clothes and accessories, such as your TuffWraps, knee sleeves, lifting belt or jump rope. You don’t want to go into a challenging WOD without your “support.”
When you finish your workout, as a courtesy to your host, please remember to clean up your workout space and put all weights, bars, kettlebells and medicine balls back where they were taken from within the box.
Finally, don’t forget to purchase a T-Shirt from the box. Collecting T-Shirts from Crossfit boxes that you have visited is common in the community, and sort of a badge of honor for Crossfitters worldwide.
If you can’t get to an affiliate, you can always make time for a quick Travel WOD. You just need a little space – a hotel room, hotel gym, or spare room at Aunt Gertrude’s house. And, visit the website The Traveling WOD for suggestions on WODs while you are on the road. Happy Trails, and keep WOD’ing!
