After our time in Cookeville at CrossFit Mayhem, we moved to Nashville, where we would spend our time going to a country music festival and working out. The second gym we visited in the US was CrossFit East Nashville. This gym was on our radar because it was where Australian CrossFit champion Tia-Clair Toomey trained before opening her own place in Nashville, PRVN. Both were equal distances from our accommodation, but after a day of family activities, we ran late and decided to scout out the travel time needed to get to Nissan Stadium the next day. Which CrossFit East Nashville was very conveniently close to.
Having spent the previous week in Cookeville, we felt confident about enjoying our experiences. However, we also knew we had indulged in the American holiday lifestyle with daily beers and fast food, so we weren’t aiming to break any new records.
The facility was easy to find. It was in a port-style transit area reminiscent of a sheep yard or shearing shed layout, so you kind of get the idea of what the area looked like. After realizing we had to drive around the back, it wasn’t hard to find the facility at all because it was cleverly signed with directions everywhere. However, we were left to ourselves once we walked into the building, down a long hallway, and through the front doors.
With a class in session and the front door area far from the class position, we had to wander around, looking at loads of apparel and figuring out where to put the kids while we trained. After a few minutes, a member finally greeted us—not a coach, but a member! He said, “Oh, you guys must be visiting. You’ll love it here. The coach is a CrossFit Level 3 Coach.” Cool, but why wasn’t she there to greet us? I wondered.
Eventually, just before the class started, the coach greeted us. When the class started, the coach introduced herself with pizzazz. She explained the workout from the HWPO affiliate programming, which she assured us would be good since it came from Matt Fraser, and that it was a deadlift retest day, emphasised that it was a ‘lifting with good technique’ day. As someone who deadlifts with a rounded back yet has never been injured, I knew we were in for a rough time. The coach’s meticulousness and the aura of a CrossFit Level 3 attitude were apparent.
I partnered with Matt, who had moved from Ohio for work. It was a good opportunity to lift without getting too caught up in the numbers, especially since the pound-to-kilo conversion was still confusing to us at this point, and neither Madi nor I knew what was on our bars at any given point. After 20 minutes of lifting, a few sideways glances, and reminders to lift with perfect form, we moved on to the workout.
The workout was straightforward: a 1600-meter row, 40 box jumps (we were supposed to step down, but we didn’t know this and were advised against rebounding if we ‘wanted to look after our Achilles’), and 40-foot kettlebell weighted lunges. Despite the RX+ version, we decided not to push too hard and finished well within the 12-minute time cap.
What ruined the experience for us was what happened after the workout. With no scores taken, we cleaned up our equipment and were ushered into the middle of the room. The coach asked the group, “Who feels they lifted with great technique today?” Less than half the room raised their hands. She said, “Perfect technique is always most important; remember that.” My brain melted. Asking such a closed-off question is not in any coach’s repertoire, let alone a Level 3 coach!
After class, we met the nice owner. He explained everything and showed us how to purchase some shirts, check into classes and buy essentials. Without him, we wouldn’t have bought anything!
To say this was the most underwhelming experience we had in the US would be polite. Running any facility and coaching is not to point out people’s faults or alienate them. Excessive qualifications can dilute the experience if you get them to prove a point. While the coach executed her knowledge, coaching language, and class structure flawlessly, it wasn’t worth it if the room didn’t feel confident, competent, and comfortable from the moment they walked in. To be honest, as visitors, we did not.
The next day, we executed our original plan and visited PRVN, which did not disappoint. But that story is for the next blog. For now, here’s what I learned from this experience:
- Nobody cares how qualified you are until they know how much you care.
- Nobody wants to walk into a new building and not feel welcomed.
- Nobody wants to be asked if they did a good job; they want to feel like you helped them achieve a good job.
Experience is everything in fitness, and while this wasn’t our favourite training location, the best is yet to come in episode three. So, you will have to wait and find out what we thought of Tia Toomey’s own gym PRVN.