Primed by Steam: Why a Long/Hot Shower Is the First Step in My Training Routine

It might not be part of your typical athlete ritual, but for me, taking a hot shower before training is as essential as lacing up my shoes. It’s not just about hygiene—it’s a mindset, a moment of preparation, and a physical trigger that signals my body it’s time to perform. No matter the time of day, but especially before early morning sessions, I cannot imagine walking into the gym without first stepping under hot water. It’s my anchor. My daily reset button. It’s how I flip the switch from half-awake human to focused, ready-to-move athlete. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve walked into an early morning class and seen other athletes still shaking off sleep, rolling out sluggishly on foam rollers or staring blankly at the whiteboard, while I’m already warm, loose, and mentally dialed in. And every single time, I think to myself: I’m so glad I showered first.

The hot water isn’t just comfort—it’s activation. It helps my joints loosen up, especially on cold mornings or after a poor night’s sleep. It increases blood flow, clears that early-morning brain fog, and opens up my lungs. I've had days where I woke up groggy and tight, questioning if I even had the energy to hit percentages or push the pace. But then I step into the shower, stand under the heat, start moving my shoulders, breathing deeply, visualizing my first few reps—and something shifts. The fog lifts. My spine decompresses. My wrists and knees start to feel like mine again. I walk out of that steam feeling like a different person. One who's ready to move, to lift, to lead if I need to, and to chase progress. I’ve even found that when I skip the hot shower, everything feels harder. I overthink movements, my warm-up feels twice as long, and I don’t move with the same intention. It’s like I’m starting from behind.

Believe it or not, to me it’s mental, too. That time under the water is where I rehearse the workout in my head. It’s where I run through coaching cues, strategize transitions, and remind myself what kind of athlete I’m working to become. It gives me a few quiet, undistracted moments to set my tone for the session—especially helpful when I’m stepping into a heavy lift, high-skill EMOM, or even a partner WOD where energy matters. On a deeper level, that shower is where I reconnect with why I train in the first place. It brings me calm before chaos, clarity before intensity. And in a sport like CrossFit where intensity is the baseline, any chance I get to center myself beforehand is a win.

I’ve had fellow athletes and even coaches ask, “You showered before this?” And I always smile and say, “Every time.” It surprises people. In a world where we glorify sweat and grit, the idea of getting clean before getting dirty seems backwards. But the truth is, I’m not doing it for appearance—I’m doing it for performance. It’s part of the ritual. Like chalking up, or taping my thumbs, or loading plates. It’s one more step in how I show up. And I’ve come to realize it’s a part of my identity as an athlete. It’s how I respect the session before it begins. It’s how I arrive—not just at the gym, but in my own headspace.

Of course, everyone’s routine is different. I know some athletes are fine rolling out of bed and jumping right into a warm-up. Maybe it works for them. But I often wonder—how much better could they move, lift, or lead if they added just 10 minutes of intentional wake-up before their session? What kind of breakthroughs might they experience if they arrived to class already in their body, not just going through the motions? You don’t have to be a morning person to benefit from a hot shower—you just have to be someone who values readiness. Someone who understands that great workouts don’t start with a clock—they start with preparation. For me, that preparation is rooted in warmth, intention, and ritual.

So if you’ve ever felt sluggish in a morning WOD, disconnected in your lifts, or simply not “on” until halfway through the metcon, try this: start your training in the shower. Let the heat soften your body, quiet your thoughts, and set your pace. Visualize how you want to move, breathe, and show up. It might just change your entire session. It might even become your non-negotiable, like it is for me. Because in this sport, showing up ready is everything—and for me, that readiness begins not with a barbell, but with a hot shower, a deep breath, and a decision to step into the day fully present.