Trying out CrossFit - Great Way to Get Motivated for the Work Day!

My wife wrote a great article on our blog VigorousBodyVigorousMind.com

A short while ago, I fell a little bit in love with the CrossFit Games after watching Fittest on Earthon Netflix. I mean, have you SEEN it?! These athletes are simply amazing. Their versatility, strength, and agility are inspiring, to say the least.

I had heard about CrossFit a number of years ago, of course. But the initial context in which it was presented was more or less negative:

"Yeah, it's a big fad right now, but there's a really high rate of injury, because it's all about lifting super heavy stuff as fast as you can, so people don't watch their form and end up hurting themselves."

Maybe you've heard something similar?

So I shrugged it off and said No, Thank You.

Flash forward to recently when I happened upon a few CrossFit documentaries and was drawn in. But of course I was--that's the point of a good documentary.

I ended up doing a bit of research on the roots of CrossFit, and wound up listening to a few interviews with its founder, Greg Glassman, and some of the top Games athletes. Then I happened upon the book Chasing Excellenceby Ben Bergeron, who coached the 2016 fittest male AND female athletes in the world, Katrín Davíesdóttir and Mathew Fraser.

I downloaded the book and listened to it in a day. Then I listened to it again the next day. And then the next. It was that good.

My obsession continued after that, as I subsequently devoured a number of other books written by games athletes and winners, such as Firstby Rich Froning, and The Badass Lifeby Christmas Abbott (yes, that's her actual name).

The more I learned about the sport, the workouts, the dedication, and the spirit of it all, the more I fell in love with the idea of CrossFit. I learned about the benchmark workouts, named after fallen soldiers, performed by the athletes as a way to both measure their functional gains as well as honor those who have lost their lives serving our great country. I learned about the "Nasty women of CrossFit" workouts: benchmark workouts named after women that will kick your butt, despite looking deceptively simple, short, or easy.

I learned about Murph and Fran and toes-to-bar and a bunch of things that seemed impossible to perform, but somehow I still wanted to! There was even a poignant remark Greg Glassman made in an interview I listened to between him and Lewis Howes on the School of Greatness Podcast, where he addressed the skepticism regarding the risk of injury while performing CrossFit.

To sum it up, he essentially said that even if you do every exercise absolutely perfectly, you're eventually going to get injured. Maybe a sprain, maybe a pulled muscle; that's the nature of taking risks and pushing yourself. But you can stay at home and keep it perfectly safe and die of cancer or a heart attack or a stroke instead. You can hop in your car on the way to the gym and get in an accident.But 70% of Americans are dying of chronic disease today, which is a lot scarier than a pulled muscle or a sprain from the gym.

Noted.

So there we were. I obsessively shared everything I was learning with Tyler, and eventually we decided to "test" out one of the CrossFit website's Workouts of the Day (WOD). We weren't part of an affiliate, but the gym we currently belong to has all the equipment needed and is relatively empty when we go, so we thought we'd give it a try.

As it happened, our first workout was a hero workout.

Otis:

Complete as many reps as possible in 15 minutes of:

1 back squat, 1 shoulder press, 1 deadlift

2 back squats, 2 shoulder presses, 2 deadlifts,

3 back squats, 3 shoulder presses, 3 deadlifts,

etc.

There were weight specifications for men and women, and I modified it as a beginner and went from there. As I read the workout description, I recall thinking "this looks pretty easy. And only fifteen minutes?? OK!"

Well.

It was incredibly challenging, and by the time fifteen minutes was up, I was sweating bullets and radiating heat. I couldn't believe such a quick, seemingly easy-looking workout could leave me feeling so fatigued. The next day I was SORE, too.

So we kept trying out the WODs from there. I've been modifying them, because there's a lot I can't do yet, like pull-ups and handstand push-ups. But the workouts all have detailed, beginner-friendly adaptations that are still very challenging.

We've yet to time ourselves during a workout, even when it's called for. Right now, at least for me, I'm focusing on moving with proper form and just getting it finished. I have no times to beat, and I realized very quickly how unconditioned I was, despite already working out four to five times per week.

Even Tyler, who consistently works out six days a week--and has for years--has been supremely challenged by these workouts. And we LOVE them. I've been continuously surprised by how sore I am the next day, and I find it hard to work out more than a couple days in a row before needing a recovery day to stretch and recoup. In fact, I've found myself lately asking what the heck I've even been doing in the gym five days a week up until now, because I'm so under-conditioned it's embarrassing!

It just goes to show how limiting the stereotypical "gym" workouts can be. They may improve your aesthetics, but are they improving your functional fitness? And are they actually challenging you when you've been doing the same tired exercises week after week, year after year? Are they EVEN improving your aesthetics? Maybe that's not important to you, but I'll admit it is for me.

On a side note, I once listened to a Chalene Johnson podcast where she discussed how she and a co-instructor monitored the number of calories they burned during this super-intense fitness class they had been teaching for hours a day and weeks on end. They were always drenched in sweat by the end of the workout, but when they actually tracked calories burned, it turned out they were barely burning anything, because their bodies had become so efficient at maneuvering through the workout.

Point being, even a good sweat isn't necessarily an indicator your tired old routine is doing any good for you.

So as for now, we plan to continue the WODs and stick to our current gym membership. I know community is a huge component of what makes CrossFit so popular and keeps people committed. I would definitely be interested in joining an affiliate when I feel a bit more conditioned and not like I'd be dragging everyone else down to my level...but I also enjoy my "me" time at the gym in the mornings. Just me. As much as I enjoy my day with Jude, having time in the morning to do my own thing without having to interact with anyone else is really nice for me. I can just get in my zone with my music and take my time.

For those who are unfamiliar with CrossFit, here are some samples of the workouts of the day from the official website we've done so far (with some modifications):

(1) For time:

1,000m row

100 box jumps

1-mile run

(2) For time:

15 dumbbell thrusters

250m run

12 dumbbell thrusters

250m run

9 dumbbell thrusters

250m run

6 dumbbell thrusters

250m run

3 dumbbell thrusters

250m run

(3) For time:

10 ring rows

40 overhead lunges

10 ring rows

30 dumbbell snatches, alternating arms

10 ring rows

20 overhead squats, 10 each arm

10 ring rows

10 Turkish get-ups

10 ring rows

I'd like to hear others' experiences with CrossFit! What are your thoughts? Have you tried it before? Do you belong to an affiliate, or do you fly solo? Please share in the comments below!

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