One of the things I really disliked about living in Southern California is that people are always late to things. Yes traffic in Los Angeles is terrible but this is no secret. Here’s a crazy thought: if you know traffic is bad, why not leave earlier?

But does punctuality even matter or is this just my uptight east-coast upbringing coming out? I think punctuality matters a great deal, particularly if you are a CrossFitter. Here are some reasons why showing up is not as good as showing up on time:

1) There is no better way to demonstrate lack of seriousness than to be late. It says that details don’t matter to you. It’s okay to be casual about details if you’re knitting a sweater. You’ll just end up with an ugly sweater. The gym is different. When you don’t pay attention to details in the gym you can hurt yourself or worse yet, someone else.

2) You’re missing the good stuff. The start of class is when we do introductions. If you show up late you’re sending the message that you don’t need to know the names of your training partners which is rude. Being late also sends the message that you don’t think you need to do the warmup, which is arrogant.

3) Being late is disruptive. Nobody cares when you show up at the globo gym because everyone is just watching TV while plodding on a treadmill. There’s nothing to disrupt. Group fitness is different. When you straggle in late, it causes a disruption. Do you really want to work out with people who aren’t focused?

“There is no method without punctuality.” ~ Richard Cecil