Success Begets Success:
Northshore’s CrossFit Brigade Community,
and the Power of Healthy Competition
By Emma Smith
CrossFit Brigade owner and coach Emily Griffith says that the need for what her gym and others like it can provide – improvement in one’s physical fitness, enhancement in overall wellbeing, and a sense of community – has never been greater.
“A CrossFit gym is a place where people put down their phones and interact with one another on a deeper level. It’s a bonding experience. That human connection piece is something that is becoming more and more rare, and it’s something that’s very potent at CrossFit gyms,” Griffith explains.
While the country shifts toward remote job opportunities, food delivery services, and Netflix binge-watching as entertainment, the need for human connection is becoming increasingly apparent, and Chattanooga is no exception. This need, in addition to the other benefits that regular exercise provides, is something CrossFit Brigade helps to fill for its Northshore clientele.
Anyone who has completed their first CrossFit workout is likely to say that classes build camaraderie almost instantaneously. Pushing oneself to the limit involves a level of vulnerability that can intimidate newcomers, which is why fostering a vibrant and uplifting gym community is so important to Griffith.
“I like to make it as accessible as possible,” Griffith says about Brigade. “I really want to take out that intimidation factor and to show people that we have, in our gym, people ages 8 to 74 working out in any given class.
“We have… athletes in college or high school, and also people that never played sports, but have found that they enjoy functional fitness, and getting stronger and empowering themselves.
“We modify our workouts to meet people where they are. No one is expected to come in off the street able to perform push-ups or pull-ups, or even a full range squat. We are going to guide them and help them to get moving well.”
Once people get past the initial hurdle of starting CrossFit, the workouts tend to become pretty addictive, Griffith says. A unique aspect of CrossFit as a form of exercise is that participants are encouraged to track their workout stats publicly, so that they can mark their own improvement over time and observe how they stack up against other CrossFitters.
A healthy level of competition, first and foremost with oneself, but also with one’s fellow CrossFitters, can help participants achieve levels of physical and mental fitness well beyond their initial expectations, and community celebrations around those individual successes are what keep people coming back to Brigade.
“Success begets success,” Griffith contends.
Whether you are just starting your fitness journey, have been working out for years, or are simply looking to join a fun, supportive group of people, Northshore’s CrossFit Brigade may be great fit for you!
www.crossfitbrigade.com
(423) 401-9379