Today I'm dusting off the old blog to talk about something I never thought in a million years I would try.... Crossfit. I'm not gonna lie, I've definitely called Crossfit a cult a time or two. I joked about people "drinking the kool-aid" and I even bought in to some of the articles saying it was just downright dangerous. However, a few of my friends have been crossfitting (I think I just made up that word) for a almost a year now. In real life, they are completely normal, rational human beings. They are not the crazy fitness freaks with bulging muscles who take gym selfies... but they do talk about Crossfit. And, there's no denying they have seen results.
The majority of my exercise routine consists of lots and lots of tennis. It's good cardio, and it's something my friends and I all enjoy. But with the temperature dropping into underage drinking numbers, I haven't hit the courts in a few weeks. My friend, Lisa, has been trying to get some of us to try Crossfit for a while, but until recently I hadn't taken the bait. It just didn't seem like something I'd be interested in. I pictured all these super ripped people lifting ridiculous amounts of weight all while grunting and yelling at each other to push harder. I'm not sure what finally convinced me to try it. Perhaps I was just sick of hearing about it (Sorry Lisa! Still love you!). So I decided to go to one of the free Saturday classes. I was so anti-Crossfit for so long, that I definitely felt like I was eating crow just by trying it out. But I figured if I hated it, I could finally say once and for all that it wasn't for me.
When I pulled into the parking lot, I got really nervous. I'm not typically one to get intimidated by others, but these people looked like they were in ridiculously good shape. Meanwhile, I can't even do a real push-up. So, I waited for Lisa to get there so we could walk in together.
I don't really know what I was expecting when I walked in, but it definitely wasn't what I saw. It looked like a completely normal work-out room with racks and racks of bars and lots of weights. But other than a couple of torture devices in the corner (read: a massive tractor tire?) it was pretty much an open room.
The first thing we did was run a lap around the parking lot. Did I mention it was 20 degrees outside? I gave Lisa a look and mumbled something like "it's no wonder people call you crossfitters crazy". It. Was. Freezing. But I just tried to focus on not falling. One crossfitter however was not so lucky. She tripped on the uneven pavement, but she got up so quickly I almost missed it. Someone noted that it looked like she was just doing a Burpee. "A what?" I thought. Unfortunately I quickly learned what a burpee is... more on that later.
When we got back inside, we were instructed to form four lines. We then did a serious of exercises such as "high knees" and some other things I can't remember the names for. This I loved, because it reminded me of high school basketball/track practice.
Next, I learned about the white board. The Coach had written four things on the board and above it said 20, 16, 12, 8. He explained that we would do one set of each for 20 reps, then 16, then so on and so forth. "Ok" I thought. "This shouldn't be too bad."
Something you should know about me: I like knowing how many things I have to do before I start. I can not stand workout classes where they don't tell you how many you have to do. I'm not sure why, but that's just the way I operate. I like having a goal in mind.
Lisa and Jamie recommended that I use the training bar which weighed 15 lbs. At first I was offended, but I took their advice. They had been doing this for longer than me. So, the first exercise (and forgive me I don't know any of the terms yet) we held the bar at our chest, and pushed it up. It didn't seems so bad, and I finished it fairly quickly and easily.
Next we had to do burpees. I'm not sure who invented these nasty exercises, but they should be in charge of interrogating prisoners. After just a few of these, I would tell you everything I know just to be able to stop. I think I did the very first one correctly. After that, I had to do a modified version. For those of you who have never experienced a burpee, you are supposed to jump down into a push-up position, do a push-up, jump your feet back into place, and then jump up and clap your hands. It doesn't sound that hard, but I'm here to tell you it is. I had to walk my feet in, instead of jumping (at one point, I was pretty much just wallowing around on the floor trying to get up), which made me feel like a failure. Until I looked around and saw that a lot of people were doing my version.
When I finally squeaked out 20, it was on to squats. These I had no problem with, so I can't really complain here. Last we did sit-ups, but of course not normal sit-ups. Cross-fit sit-ups are not normal, at least not to me. You have to go all the way back, touch your hands to the floor behind your head, and then sit all the way up and touch the floor in front of you. At first, it didn't seem so bad, but the more reps I did, the worse it got.
The set of 16 was a complete blur. By the time I got to the set of 12, my arms were shaking and I could barely lift that training bar. This was the point I thanked Lisa and Jamie for insisting I start out slow. Finally, the last set of 8 came. I was in pain, but knowing I only had to do 8 of each thing made it much easier. When you finish, you're supposed to write your name and time on the board, which we never did. But I'm super competitive and made a mental note that it took us 16 minutes. I looked around and noticed that a lot of people were still going. I felt so accomplished and proud of myself for finishing. I'm not going to lie; it was intense.
So, what were my thoughts on the whole experience? I liked it. I can definitely see why some people think it's crazy, but it reminded me a lot of my workout routine in high school. It wasn't uncommon for our coach to make us to do any of it, except for the burpees. Those belong in the seventh circle of Hell. For people who don't have any experience in a weight room, it could seem pretty daunting. Again, I loved the feeling I had at the end of the class because I felt like I had done something really hard and pushed myself to finish. I would've never done any of that on my own.
The next day, I was pretty sore. It kinda felt like somebody kicked me in the rib cage, but I'm a masochist and felt good about it. I'm one of those people who thinks if you're not really sore, you didn't do much. By Monday, I could barely move. Every muscle in my body ached. It was very uncomfortable, but again it was a good pain. The soreness didn't completely go away until the Thursday after. I'm not sure if this is normal, but I'm pretty weak and out of shape - according to Crossfit standards anyway.
The biggest lesson I learned: don't knock it till you try it. It's definitely not for everyone, but that doesn't mean it's wrong or bad for you. Also, I'm no expert, but I think a lot of the success has to do with the Coaches. The Coaches at the gym in Cleveland were great! They are much more worried about form than you trying to lift more weight than you should. And, I think that 's where some of the negativity surrounding Crossfit comes from. People feel pressured to do more than they feel comfortable doing, or their ego gets the best of them, and they end up hurting themselves. But I never felt pressured to do more than I could do, which is why I think I had a good experience.
So, will I go back? Yes. I plan to go again this Saturday to the open class. I want to try it one more time before I fully commit to it. I've even convinced a few of my friends to try it too! I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
xoxo,
JET
