GET SOME!

"Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things." - Lawrence D. Bell

I found Crossfit through a buddy, on active duty in 2007. We were actually in Iraq, and we began doing some investigating into what Crossfit was and how we could adopt it into our routines. I've since transitioned to the civilian world where Crossfit has become wildly popular among the masses. You can probably walk into any Crossfit-style gym these days and see athletes, civilians, veterans, and active duty all working out together, in the same room, at the same time. This is one of the great things about Crossfit, it's appeal has brought many like-minded people together in pursuit of a better self.

As with anything that draws good people together, it will also draw in some folks from the fringe (the ying and the yang). It will draw in the introverts, and the extroverts. The ones who keep to themselves and the ones who do not have a filter between their brain and their mouths. After my transition from active duty to the civilian world, I was eventually able to join a Crossfit gym and get feedback from a coach. In these Crossfit style workouts, many times you push well beyond your comfortable ability, and explore an uncomfortable area, as a means to improve yourself both physically and mentally. Push back against the resistance to quit, the desire to stop and just walk away.

Regularly, you see people push beyond their predetermined limitations, both physically and mentally, reaching new levels of ability and confidence. Some people equate this push, into new space, to being at war. They're "at war" with themselves to get another rep, to sprint instead of run, to keep moving instead of stopping, to silence their inner voice. People equate this to war, and they start saying things you'd only hear in actual combat, seeming to convince themselves that this inner battle is analogous to actually being at war. For some, this may be the closest they come to war, which is alright, war isn't something everyone needs to experience. People can feel almost any way they want to about their physical training, but they should not being drawing correlates between war and their last attempt at Fran.

My problem is less about how people view their workouts and more about their actions before, during and after their workouts. People will check in at a gym with some motivational quote and then end it with "GET SOME!!!", or they'll post about how they PR'd (got a Personal Record) on a benchmark workout or a lift, and they're "Killing it!".
I look at these and think to myself, "they have to see that what they're saying is inappropriate, right? Their workouts have nothing to do with killing, why would they choose those words?"

Where did you hear "Get some" and why would you use that for a workout, or "killing it" for spending time in the gym?

My feeling on the phrase "Get some" is this; don't fucking say it!

There are some hard to earn qualifications one must pass to say that phrase, and it should only be used in the correct setting. (If you pass the qualifications, you'll know when that is.) 1- You have to know what a blue cord is, and what it takes to get it. 2- You have to know what it means to "make the grass grow" and how to make it grow. 3- You have to know why the sky's blue. 4- You have to know why the grass is green. 5- You cannot be a fobbit.

These are just some of the qualifications, and there are more. If you are/were in a different branch of the military (other than Army) there are similar qualifications. The point I'm making is that this phrase is not for the masses, it's for those who know when to use it, and because of that, they do not use it!

It is not alright to haphazardly say things that sound cool, just because you think they sound cool. You're an adult, you are an example. You must be responsible and account for the words that you choose to say or not say. You shooting off at the mouth is showing impressionable people around you that it's alright to say whatever, regardless of context, meaning, or weight. It's showing that you don't hold yourself accountable for what comes out of your mouth, so details are not important to you. You're showing people that you do not calculate the weight of your actions or words. That you operate on half-thoughts, and you are flippant with intentions. This cannot keep going, we need to be slightly more calculated with the words we choose and when we say them. Just because we have the internet and cable does not mean we're allowed to regularly use things out of context (even if someone else does).

Have the pride to know the meaning of the words you use. Have the pride to select the right words, even if it's tough. Have the pride to shut up and say nothing, instead of voicing a compulsion at the wrong juncture. Have the pride to learn new phrases, words, and meanings. Have the pride to stop a wrong when you see it over and over. This is our world, we are responsible everyday for maintenance and upkeep. Have the pride to take the hard right over the easy wrong.