Take full advantage of this unique opportunity.

CrossFitting on the road is an amazing opportunity to improve your skills and meet new people.

CrossFit NYC: The Black Box | New York, NY (2009)

Working in finance means you may find yourself in NYC, and I’m there ten times a year.

Back in 2009, I was a new CrossFitter, but my ego and pecs had swelled after losing 25 pounds over the first few months. Things were different then – there was maybe one CrossFit in Manhattan, and if you could deadlift 225 for reps or hit Fran in 5 minutes, you were pretty legit. Or at least you thought you were. And I thought I was.

So I decided to drop in for a WOD at CrossFit NYC, the largest box in the world. I met some great folks right away and marveled at their facility on the 3rd floor on 26th St. The WOD was Barbara, a solid body weight workout, and I was ready to crush it.

Until Coach Court (Wing) took exception to my pushups, at which point I took exception to him. He refused to put my time on the board due to my form, and I was hot. Unfortunately it took me a while to realize two things:

1. I was getting unbiased feedback from a professional with a fresh set of eyes, who actually took the time to observe my movement – that’s golden.
2. My pushups really did suck. Court, if you ever see this, I thank you for your coaching. You were right.

To this day I feel badly about that incident. Be humble when visiting another CrossFit, and take constructive criticism for the fantastic opportunity it is.