...and one common bit of BMF member feedback was that the class has become like their “second family.” We bond by sharing unique, challenging and - often - hilarious experiences! For instance:
While the agony is real during that Devil’s Circuit, the (very) warm glow you feel when you get through it is awesome. So, when you’re back at home or work, you know you can get through the task you’re facing. You've just conquered the seemingly impossible! You’ve also made at least 10 BMFing friends you can share your pain with on social media.
BMF instructors carry refreshments for you in their day sacks and (occasionally) offer you a water break. So, all you need do is share it in a hygienic way. But how? After trial and error with the angle and pressure, you'll become adept at squirting bottled water in the right orifice without choking or drenching yourself. A supreme bragging skill!
You may be wearing a bib for the first time since you could only drool and crawl, but that bib gives you a sense of pride because it marks you out as part of The Club – along with that telltale t-shirt tan! There’s further pride in moving up to the next bib colour – especially when you realise that you’re not embarrassing yourself among your new super-fit bib buddies because you’re actually quite fit yourself.
Picture the scene. You’re halfway through a class and hit the ground for some agonising core work. Just then, THAT unmistakable whiff wafts towards your nostrils. You tiptoe around tentatively, find the ‘landmine’ causing the problem and move away...thus gaining heroic status amongst your group for helping them avoid a smelly near-miss.
You’re lined up at the start of a race or mud run and see someone wearing an old Major mud run t-shirt. There’s silent acknowledgement that you’re brothers or sisters-in-arms via a nod or a thumbs up. You know that you’ll be able to count on them if you need a swig of water - squirted from the bottle of course.
After using them as your moving mental target at Run Club for weeks, you finally beat that smug red bib BMF member. Not that you’re competitive or anything! And because of this thing that you’re part of, you also get to witness newbies at your park, who really struggled initially, make big strides in their fitness and confidence!
You start to loathe work – not because you don’t like your job, but because it means you’re missing out on that morning’s BMF sesh. You’ve used up your alloted “working from home” allowance so you lurk on the BMF Facebook pages instead. You even start bringing BMF to work instead by using phrases like: "If it ain't raining, it ain't training" or "There’s no such word as can't...” If you’re a teacher, you might even get your pupils in ranks and files!
If Keith Lemon was to make a show about your home, the evidence would all point to you being a BMF member. There's the wardrobe full of technical t-shirts and running tights. Trail shoes and muddy trainers line the hallway. The washing machine is always on the go. There's a medal hanger laden with goodies, protein bar wrappers in the bin and the bookmarks on your web browser are mainly about sports shops, upcoming races and BMF Facebook groups.
You stretch off as the sun is setting, hearing only the birds tweeting and the rustling of leaves. It’s so scenic it's almost heavenly. Your eyes might be stinging with sweat but your heart rate is slowing down and the endorphins are roaring. You've earned your dinner and perhaps even a pint. Then you hear your fellow fittees grunting and groaning and you’re brought back to reality. Time to go home – the best part of any BMF class!
Once you do get home after a class, your partner finds grass in your hair and friction marks on your knees and elbows. Cue lines of: “Erm… what’s this?!”
Whether you're guilty of anything your Nan wouldn’t approve of or not, you’ve got the perfect excuse in them being caused by all your planking around and general BMFing fun!