As I travel around the world, the most difficult part of it for me is continuing my health & fitness routine. Traveling itself makes it difficult to workout and often the workouts you can do, pale to the full routine you’d get with heavy weights, barbells and pull up bars. Pushups and running is still very good, but I miss the ability to lift heavy.
On a trip to Seattle, I gave myself the goal of doing at least one single workout at an actual Crossfit. I always wear my Crossfit515 t-shirt, which was a gift from the team there when I lived in Iowa. There’s usually not a shortage of Crossfits when I travel, but coordinating schedules and then paying the drop-in rate does get expensive. Crossfits as a whole are not always the most accommodating to those traveling for a day or so into town, which is understandable as they’re not meant to be.
Lucky for me though, I found Elliott Bay Crossfit on Bell Street in Seattle.
I had reached out to maybe a half dozen Crossfits in the Seattle area before I left, asking about drop-in rates, class schedule, etc. Each Crossfit really just shares the name and is managed differently from place to place, so you always get a different story. Some didn’t fit my schedule and others didn’t fit the price range. As I said, drop-in rates can be expensive and $20-$25 for a single hour workout gets real pricey real quick when you’re traveling and hoping to get in many of them.
One Crossfit in Seattle offered a drop-in rate for I think $25 and a note on the website to contact them about longer drop-in stats. I’d be in Seattle for a couple of days so I asked them if we could work something out if I came twice, as opposed to $50 ($25 per workout). The response I got was straightforward enough. They said no and stated they thought the rate was fair. I had no problem with that as they should charge whatever they could get, though of course, it never hurts to ask.
There was only a single Crossfit in Seattle that got back to me and was willing to offer me a drop-in rate not just for a reasonable price, but for free! I heard back from Rohan Joseph, the owner of Elliott Bay Crossfit. He said they loved to have drop-ins from fellow Crossfitters who were in town and he’d be happy to have me. A free workout? Sold!
Rohan had a good location with a very respectable space. He allowed me to take a bunch of pictures when I mentioned I was traveling around the world and trying to visit Crossfits along the way. The session was a max back squat and then a mix of medicine ball cleans, broad jumps, and kettle bell swings. The other guys I worked out with real friendly.
Afterward he talked with me, helped me through some questions I had on form, and advised me on ways to improve my technique for ring muscle ups. Then he demonstrated a few.
As I got ready to leave I offered Rohan some money for the time and workout session. I’m never going to turn down the ability to get in a workout and save money, but when I contact Crossfits I’m never looking for a handout. They’re running a business and they deserve to make money from it. I definitely could have left without giving anything since Rohan had said I could come for free, but I ended up buying a t-shirt to support Rohan and thank him for a great experience. I told him that when I had a free moment I’d write about the session and mention the box.
Overall if you’re living in Seattle and thinking about getting involved in Crossfit, or are a Crossfitter and traveling through Seattle and don’t want to miss a WOD, I’d highly recommend contacting Rohan and Elliott Bay Crossfit. As I mentioned, out of all the Crossfits I contacted in the Seattle area, they were the quickest to respond, most helpful, and the only one who went above and beyond to welcome me to come workout, offering a free session. I don’t expect businesses to offer things for free, but it certainly is a fantastic gesture to a fellow individual who is a part of the Crossfit community, (or cult as some would say.) Check out Rohan’s space in Seattle and you’ll be very much appreciated, welcomed, and well taken care of.
