So anyone who knows anything about CrossFit, knows that it is performance and community based... Or is it? Lets not jump to any conclusions yet! I love CrossFit and stand behind its results and community aspect. But does the community stop at just the performance level, just helping people finish the workout they came to do and then leave them on their own? No group warm up? No group post workout stretch?
The people who have come to drop in from other "boxes" (gyms) have said relatively, the same thing, "I really like how y'all get in a circle and warmup and stretch." Or "Man! Y'alls warm up is a lot longer than ours!" And they even attempt to start warming up on their own and would probably just leave if we didn't have a mandatory stretching session at the end of every class... This blows my mind! These things are being said from people at respectable crossfit gyms. Do they not implement it as part of their program? Or do they just tell people to stretch after their workout and leave it at that? Because from my experience, most people half ass stretch when its left up to themselves. And in doing so, increases the risk of injury!
Ok, So I realize that this may not be all crossfit "boxes" but our classes begin with a warm up, consisting of joint mobility, dynamic stretching, and then a couple rounds of movements which will prepare the body for the actual WOD. All that will last from 15-20 minutes. Then we start our WOD. After the workout is completed, everyone then circles up and proceeds to participate in a coach led stretching progression.
We, at Westlake CrossFit, believe the community of CrossFit should not stop at just encouraging someone through a tough workout! We should warm up, stretch, and teach them why we do it and why it is important! It should be an integral part of every gym, and even every trainer/coach personal sessions!
