Windy City: Unlike Any Other

My two-year coaching journey may be relatively short, but I have gained a ton of insight when it comes to seeing what makes a gym special or unique.    

I found my first gym job when I was a sophomore in high school working the front desk at Gator’s Gym. Gator’s was the local “globo gym”. I worked there until one of the trainers recruited me to come work for him at a small, semi-private training gym he had opened up. When I moved away to college, I found a job again working for the school’s workout facility After discovering CrossFit my junior year of college, I knew that was the path I wanted to take as a trainer. I soon got a full-time coaching position at my home box, CrossFit Carmel in Indianapolis as well as helping out part-time at Inner Strength Indy CrossFit.

When I made my move to Chicago last December, I was without a job and had no real plan. I called upon several contacts and references for leads on possible coaching positions throughout the city. I reached out and met with a few owners, but nobody was offering me anything full-time. I didn’t blame them. I was just some Indiana boy looking to jump into coaching regular classes full of people I had neither met nor earned trust from.  I had to start from ground zero, shadowing classes, and gradually work my way up again. The only feasible way at first to make decent pay was to travel between three different gyms: South Loop CrossFit, Atlas CrossFit, and Windy City CrossFit—that was until I settled in at Windy City, and I can’t be any happier with that decision.

In case you weren’t counting, I have worked for a total of 8 different gyms, 5 of them CrossFit affiliates! I have been exposed to a wide variety of training philosophies, business systems, and amazing clients in this two-year span Each gym was different and unique in its own way; each had its own strengths and weaknesses. However, when I walked into Windy City, there were three traits that truly stood out to me unlike any other gym. These three (though there are many more) are the biggest reasons I believe we are all drawn to the gem that we call Windy City.

1. Full-Time Coaches In my opinion, this point is often overlooked. A gym is only as good as its coaches. I have worked and visited numerous CrossFit affiliates where coaching is just a hobby for the coaches. They have other full-time jobs unrelated to fitness, and it shows. They may be capable of coaching a well-constructed class with good, corrective movement cues, but they do not eat, breathe, and sleep the same way a full-time fitness coach does. To full-time fitness coaches, fitness is their livelihood, passion, and profession. At Windy City, all of the coaches are full-time, and I think that is clear by the product they deliver to all the athletes that walk through the doors.
2. Hybrid-Style Gym Format (Both Group CrossFit Classes and Individual Program Design). This may be an unfamiliar concept, but it’s a very important topic. Some gyms only offer one form of training, be it private, semi-private, open training, or group classes. Very few CrossFit affiliates offer open training, and many rely solely on group classes. At Windy City, we offer both group classes and individual programming, making what some call a “hybrid” gym. In order to function as a hybrid gym, you must have competent coaches who have a ton of education on the topics of assessment, periodization, nutrition, and life coaching. (Refer to point 1.) Windy City offers a variety of training options to suit whatever your needs may be—individually or in a group setting. In addition, we have other speciality tracks and scheduled classes that are not typical CrossFit WODs. Who doesn’t like options?
3. #liveBIG. In other words, our mission statement. How many gyms have you been to that care what you do outside of the gym? I’m going to go out on a limb and say none. Far too often I have seen clients obsess over their metrics inside the gym, whether that be on the scale or barbell. With that unhealthy obsession comes unhealthy stress, which just makes the numbers even harder to reach, thus creating a vicious circle. At Windy City, we value training inside the gym, so you can experience life to its fullest outside the gym. Whether that’s a hike in the Grand Canyon, a local Ragnar race, or even a 5k walk for breast cancer, it does not matter as long as you are able to enjoy life to its full potential. And when you are “living BIG” make sure you use the official Windy City  hashtags so all of our community can see your adventures here on the Windy City Pulse. #WindyCityLivin #liveBIG

You may agree with the qualities that stood out to me, or you may have your own idea of what sets Windy City apart. Regardless, it’s important to consider what makes Wind City unique for you. It probably has something to do with the core mission and values of Windy City and how they resonate with you as an individual. Whatever it may be, take pride in the integrity of your box and take advantage of all it has to offer.

Coach Austin O'Neal