How We Are Different

How We Are Different From Other Programs

Our program is based on functional movements that have been around for thousands of years. These movements, like the squat, have survived the test of time for one reason only, they get results. Whether you’re a beginner or have years of experience, functional training that closely parallels real life and sport movements, and that challenges your mind and body works the best, in spite of all the modern technology and machines you see at most gyms today. When we combine this with variation, movements that require skill, balance, accuracy, agility and power, you’ve got our program.

Our classes draw from gymnastics, weightlifting and cardiovascular training and they will present a workout that challenges you to your core, at whatever your level of experience.

We offer nutritional guidance. You are what you eat. Period. Hence, the food you eat affects everything – your mind, body and performance. Why spend time and money getting in shape if you continue to feed yourself in ways that don’t support your health and vitality? Our diet and nutrition program utilizes 3 key strategies for your success: 1. Simplicity. Our system is easy to understand and follow and is adaptable for your meals at home, out at restaurants, or while traveling. 2. Consistency. Eating well once-in-a-while or even one meal per day just doesn’t do it. Being consistent with meal times, food quality, and quantities are foundational to your success. 3. Accountability. Are you doing what you said you would? With nothing to be accountable for, chances for failure increase dramatically.

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How We Are Different From Other Crossfit Gyms

We recommend you visit or try out several CrossFit gyms before choosing one, and we hope you’ll choose us on this basis: CrossFit Bethesda provides the best quality CrossFit training available (If you’re price shopping, you can leave now). We’re fully committed to CrossFit as the best path to fitness.

CrossFit, Inc. does not franchise; they don’t grant territories; they operate on the basis of licensing the CrossFit brand name to affiliates. CrossFit does not specify anything about how an affiliate should run their gym. Thus, each CrossFit gym is unique. Each has a different vibe. It isn’t like McDonald’s or LA Fitness. Some will let you bring your dog, some won’t. Some won’t allow chalk (stay away from those!). Some will allow you to take your shirt off during the workout and after the workout flop down and make sweat angels on the floor; some won’t. Choose one that suits you, where you’ll feel comfortable and motivates you to stay the course.

Not so long ago, the CrossFit world consisted almost exclusively of folks who truly believed that CrossFit was the best general physical preparation regimen, period. Now, this is changing. Many established fitness businesses have felt threatened by the rapid growth of CrossFit. Viewing it as the latest fad, like Tae-Bo, Zumba, or cardio-kickboxing, they seek to retain or attract clients by adding CrossFit to a pre-existing hodgepodge of fitness offerings. Often, they do so without fully understanding CrossFit methods or believing in CrossFit’s efficacy. Questions you may want to ask prospective gyms include: How long have you had CrossFit? Is this a CrossFit-only facility, or is it just one of many methods you offer? If you believe that CrossFit is the best path to fitness, why do you offer so many other training options?

Gyms that are solely dedicated to CrossFit have a completely different feel and completely different culture than franchise gyms. In many gyms , the members work out alone. You see them focused inward with their headphones on, watching TV, or checking themselves in the mirror. At CrossFit gyms, you won’t see mirrors, and everyone interacts and encourages each other. Moreover, they have fun and make new friends.

We don’t sit on machines that take all the skill out of human movement because we believe that is the most ineffective method to getting fit CrossFit involves complex, multi-joint movements. Teaching involves recognizing and correcting movement faults. To that end, we teach people how to move correctly. Consequently, coaching expertise makes a definitive difference. CrossFit’s founder, Greg Glassman, states that even bad CrossFit training is better than almost all other training. Conversely, good CrossFit training is remarkably more effective. This is proven everyday in Crossfit gyms across the globe.

Why do we claim to be the best? Simply put, our trainers are second to none. After receiving a basic CrossFit Level One certification anyone can open a CrossFit gym or add CrossFit to their existing fitness business. However, a CrossFit Level 2 certification is an in depth certification designed to test the trainer’s ability to teach and to correct movement patterns. This is a difficult test of coaching competency with a 40% pass rate. CrossFit Bethesda has Level 2 trainers; moreover, all trainers must go through an extensive hands-on mentoring program before they are allowed to train clients.

We also pride ourselves on the quality of our Olympic lifting instruction. Olympic lifts are a foundational element in the CrossFit method, and most of our O-lift instructors are USA Weightlifing certified coaches. We host a USA Weightlifting Club, and we are the only CrossFit gym in Maryland that does.

Lasty, our members achieve results. The needs of elite athletes do not differ in kind from the needs of ordinary people; they only differ in degree. The results prove this hypothesis. We derive the most satisfaction from watching people without athletic aspirations transform themselves everyday with our program, as well as seeing athletes excel.