An Article Written By Games Athlete Julie Foucher

Improvement through Human Connection

I recently had the fantastic opportunity to spend a weekend with the Barbells for Boobsteam on their October Amazing Grace tour across the country.  I, like most CrossFitters, always jump at the chance to participate in all sorts of local events whether they may be fundraisers, competitions, or seminars. Do a workout or two, cheer some people on you just met twenty minutes ago, and then hang out and swap stories with these awesome, newfound friends? Yes, please!  And if we can raise money for a great cause, well that’s even better.  The events I experienced at CrossFit Chicago and CrossFit DuPage were no exception, epitomizing the camaraderie and power of the CrossFit community.

Not too long before heading to Chicago, I had watched a CrossFit Journal video in which Greg Glassman discusses the “Philosophy of CrossFit.”  Coach describes this philosophy as “The belief in the improvability of ourselves and each other.”  He goes on to describe the manifestation of this philosophy in one of the most common occurrences at any CrossFit event, or in any box on an average Tuesday evening for that matter.  As the last person to finish a workout fights through the last few rounds and repetitions, “The crowd goes wild. Why are they going wild?” Coach asks. He answers, “Because they know that the person out there hears them.  You’re believing in your capacity to improve someone by cheering for him.”

CrossFitters believing in their ability to improve each other by cheering at B4B CrossFit Chicago

Now that is a beautiful and powerful thought, and one that was on my mind throughout my weekend with B4B.  Heat after heat after heat of CrossFitters performing Grace, I saw this philosophy come to life.  Though an uninterrupted stream of cheers could be heard throughout the day, I couldn’t help but notice that these cheers amplified at the end of each heat, as the last few finishers lifted their barbells for reps 28, 29, and 30 faster than reps 1, 2 and 3.  Crazy, right? It’s not as if the cheers of the crowd suddenly changed these peoples’ physiological states, enabling their muscles to extract oxygen more efficiently so that they could lift the barbell faster at the end of their workout.  Then what happened? What was it about this mass of screaming CrossFitters that elevated their peers in this time of struggle?

The Doctor by Sir Luke Fildes (1887) - more like a CrossFitter than we thought?

As I ponder this question I can’t help but think about a painting by Sir Luke Fildes titled, “The Doctor.”  I was first exposed to this painting my freshman year of college, and it seems to be a favorite in the profession, as I’ve already run into it again at least three times in my first four months of medical school.  The painting depicts a physician in the 1880s watching over a dying young girl at her bedside while her parents despair hopelessly in the background.  In a time before antibiotics, there was nothing more this doctor could do medically for his patient.  Despite this fact, he sits with her deep into the night with the belief that in so doing he might somehow improve her condition, or at the very least, relieve some of her suffering.  It was the belief in his capacity to improve his patient by sitting with her that drove the doctor to do so.  I believe the physician-patient relationship, though different in its polarity, is in many ways reminiscent of the philosophy that Coach describes for CrossFit.  Even with the rapid advancement of medical technology, in many cases this image of the 1880s doctor is still seen in hospitals today – there comes a time when more cannot be done medically to improve a patient’s condition, and at that moment the best doctors depend on their ability to provide comfort simply by being there and connecting with their patients.  Again we see that it is the belief in improvability through these connections- between physician and patient, between two CrossFitters- that elevate individuals.  Magical, isn’t it?

One aspect of the B4B events separating them from other events such as competitions or seminars lies in their very purpose.  This event wasn’t about doing a workout and having a good time, it was for a much greater cause – raising funds for Mammograms in Actionand providing support for those affected by breast cancer.  The fact that we had all gathered for a cause much larger than ourselves or even the small community in which we resided at that moment seemed to amplify everything about the usual camaraderie of CrossFit events that keeps me coming back.  The cheers were louder, the Grace times were faster, and the conversations among complete strangers were deeper and more thoughtful.  At this event, it became apparent to me that maybe Coach’s philosophy extends beyond the improvement of the person standing next to you by cheering for him or her – maybe what unites the entire community, what allows us to walk into any CrossFit box in an unfamiliar city and feel welcome, is the belief in the improvability of “each other” in a much greater sense – maybe it’s the belief in the improvability ofhumanity.

As I thought more and more about the capacity of these human connections to facilitate improvement, I became eager to make more connections and share some of the crazy and often nonsensical ideas that float around in my head.  I’ve created this blog to do just that, and I hope you enjoy my musings in this exciting time of growth in my life- as I begin my medical training at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and continue my love affair with the sport of fitness.  Please feel free to tell me what you think and share your own ideas here!