Globo Gym Thoughts

What does it mean when someone says “Glo​bo​ Gym”? I have a personal, stereotype definition that I have created,​but I wanted something in more of an “adult-​ish” form, but when I  ​googled the definition, ​all I could ​find was (very) funny memes and jokes about defining “global gyms”​. For example:
Urban Dictionary (a dangerous site not meant for kiddos, but has funny stuff) defines it as: A typical big-box fitness franchise, where people more often than not don’t get in shape worth a damn. “You doing crossfit?” “Naw, I’m stuck at a Globo Gym with the rest of the pansies.”

The movie Dodgeball did a stellar example of your typical stereotype globo gym…highly suggest you watch it.

Due to ALOT of changes in my life recently I have become less consistent in crossfit and more consistent in a global gym. Having been fully submerged in the crossfit community (as a competitor, coach and co-owner​) for so long I’m still a big fan of crossfit as a sport AND

for​ fitness. It can do wonders for a persons health both mentally and physically and so many levels (I’ll save that for a different post)​.
Since I’m unable to attend a crossfit class consistently I have joined a global gym (yes my heart did sink and cry a little as I signed the membership agreement)​ I have to keep telling myself, “​I’m no longer trying to be the best at exercising I’m just trying to do my best to exercise.​”​ Just note I will forever be a crossfitter at heart.

However in my search for a “global gym definition” I did come across THIS article in Breaking Muscle. ​Breaking Muscle, defends global gym by stating, “don​’t​ judge a book by its cover”. I agree with them.​…cheesy comment and all, but I also call it like I see it…if it quacks like a duck, then its a duck. While I’m uber comfortable in almost any fitness setting/facility It was really hard for me to step back from (not out) of the crossfit community and into ​a global gym setting…I mean REALLY hard…come on, I’m a 100% cool aide drinking crossfit snob…what did you expect? In this article they discuss 5 misconceptions about globo gyms. Here are my two cents…

1. Everyone there is just to look beautiful. 
I think this depends on the facility/gym you go to. The one I go to, I think its a even split. The younger crowd (both male and female) is in there to look beautiful and the older people are just trying to stay moving. I think demographics of the city that you are located in determines a lot of what the motivation behind people’s globo gym attendance. I’m not going to lie I’m in there because its one of the few ways I can exercise these days and guilty as it sounds yes I do want to look good, especially for a vacation I have coming up at the end of October.
2. It’s full of no-neck meatheads who spend too much time in the mirror and not enough time on functional movements. 
There are DEFIANTLY a lot of “bros” and “bro lifting” (bad form lifting…things that make all decent coaches cringe) inside this particular globo gym. Yes sometimes I do have to walk away because they make my insides turn. On the other side of the coin, there are a lot of crossfit coaches that let athletes get away with bad form. However I have never been to a crossfit box where there are mirrors which I think is a good thing in my opinion (its weird watching yourself lift….I feel the need to make faces in the mirror, but that makes it more weird). But can you imagine if they put mirrors in a crossfit box…I would 100% want video. Come full circle, again I think it goes back to the demographic of the city to make this a valid statement.
3. There is no community.
I like to think it is how you define community (I know, back to definitions which is what started all this). Wikipedia defines “community” as: 
1. a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
2. a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.
I would like to think there is more to community than just attendance to a class, or in my case going to the gym at the same time. but I think those are more descriptive words like #squad or #tribe (both words that I like) which is a smaller, more tight knit version of your community. I think community is BIG and surface level. The “crossfit community” is large and spread out all over the world. You might know everyone by name at the box, but when you see them grocery store you do a casual wave or you might even go speak to them. I think globo/bro gyms are the same. If I see someone at the gym consistently because they go the same time I do, then I see them getting gas at the same place, I’m going to throw a casual wave. However if they are in my #squad or #tribe and I haven’t seen them in a while or they have skipped class/gym, you bet they are going to get a “nasty gram”. So to say globo/bro gyms don’t have a community I think is wrong.
4. Most people don’t know what they are doing.
Having done enough people watching in my new globo/bro gym setting…and watching following a lot of feeds on the insta, I would say this is true. Yes a lot of people DO know what they are doing in the gym which is why they can go in and be productive. They don’t need to read the machine stickers to see how to correctly load or sit in the machine (doesn’t mean they use it correctly). But a lot of people walk around aimlessly doing a rep or two here on this machine, a rep or two on that one…avoiding the free weights like its the plague. Which makes me feel all the emotions, I’m happy that they are brave enough to walk into a gym but it saddens me that they don’t know what they are doing and they are risking injury and could get seriously hurt.
I have to admit, this is a reason why I started this post. Because I can talk to a brick wall I have made friends with a lady named Susan who workouts out at the same time I do therefore we are in the locker room post workout together getting ready to go back to work (I have also made friends with Lisa the cleaning lady, she is wonderful). Susan use to workout with a trainer but stopped for unknown reason and now attends the class they have at the gym. In conversation, Susan made the comment that “she was late and didn’t want to walk into the class late, and she has stopped training with her trainer so she is just going to walk around and figure it out” (yes she said those words). I did my small talk and said “good luck, see ya out there” but that thought/idea stuck with me…most people, don’t know what they are doing in a globo gym…which kinda saddens me because even though I’m a HUGE crossfit fan there are some benefits and a time and place for a globo/bro gym (I wouldn’t get consistent weightlifting if I didn’t have access to one). I would rather you exercise, move your body in some form or fashion than not at all. So maybe you can’t go to a crossfit class now for some reason, but you can go for 30mins and walk on the treadmill on your lunch break…something is better than nothing.
5. CrossFit is better.
With the right coach and the right community I will agree with this 100%. If you have a coach that thinks more weight and shitty form is better than good form you need to leave and find another coach before you get seriously injured. Conversation over!
I’m really happy I found the article by Breaking Muscle, it made me feel less guilty about having to go to a globo/gym at this point in my life. It also motivated me to create this simple PDF for those that ARE just winging it in a globo/bro gym. Here is a plan for you to do. You can mix and match or just do all the ones listed in the muscle group or just do the machines listed in the muscle group. I just want you to use your time wisely in the gym.