Feels Like Family

I think I've made various mentions of my CrossFit work outs on this blog, so it should be no surprise that it's my preferred form of exercise. That's not to say I don't play sports or go running every now & then. Still, when it comes to keeping myself healthy, I like doing the CrossFit thing.

It's a great way to exercise, to be sure. I think most of us have noticed very positive results as a result of working out this way. But really, what makes it even more fun is that it feels like family. There's a bunch of camaraderie & we all root for each other. I don't think I've ever seen the last person finish their workout without someone else sticking around for encouragement. There's friendly competition against each other, too; if one person uses heavier weights, you'll usually see at least 2 others up their weight, too.

The best part about it feeling like family, though, is that it also means we bicker like siblings. And THAT is flat out fun. It's never malicious, and half the time we're cracking jokes while gasping for air, but it makes things way more interesting. For example, we've had the following exchanges:

• Lady: "Hey, any chance you can turn up the music?"
  Trainer: "Let me see. How come?"
  Lady: "The guy in front of me is making tons of noise. I don't want to hear that while I'm trying to work out."
  
  She had a big fat smile on her face when she said it, too. She's a trouble maker, that one.
  
  
• Lady: "Hey Sam, you look like you're slowing down. Weights too much for you?"
  Me: "Nah, I'm just waiting for you to catch up."
  
  This is where my "if you've got jokes, so do I" rule comes in handy. Of course, she finished before I did, so I couldn't exactly gloat.
  
  
• Guy: (counting reps) "There, done!"
  Me: "What? Lies! What'd you count by, 5's?"
  
  I don't really think he was counting funny, but he finished a lot faster than everyone else. It was a back-handed compliment, really. So I was doing good, thank you very much.
  
  
• Trainer: "Yeah, when you do these, make sure you come all the way up"
  Guy: "Yeah, you hear that, X? Come ALL the way up on those"
  
  X happened to be the same lady that was complaining about the noise, so we all cracked up. Incidentally, the trainer will also call us out for stuff like that. I've had him say, "yeah, don't cheat on your sit ups like Sam used to do" out loud.
  
  
• (This guy is jumping rope by rotating the rope twice around his body every time he jumps, and he's doing it really well)
  Me: "Pft, show off"
  
  Actually, that one has almost become tradition. Any time someone rips off a bunch of reps of any one exercise in a row, someone else will notice. And that's the kind-hearted way in which we compliment each other for accomplishing said feat. I might've been the first one to say it, but I'm definitely not the last.
  
  
• Lady: "Wow, you're taking a lot of breaks."
  Me: "Yeah, well, some of us do REAL reps"
  
  I think I've actually said this a couple of times, but the trainer has laughed at the both of us each time. In fact, at one point, he commented that this banter was why he liked teaching our particular class so much.

Usually, this ends up coaxing a laugh out of the trainer, and the people involved. I don't know if it actually makes the work out easier or tougher as a result, but it makes it a heck of a lot more fun. And I think the regulars in that class have probably become better friends as a result.
Really, I think this serves as further proof that being a smart aleck is a good thing. There's no avoiding it, I'm going to have to do everything in my power to keep it going for the sake of all involved.