I've recently read two amazing blog posts/articles by a couple of influential members of the CrossFit community: one titled
CrossFit Curmudgeon Cares by Pat Sherwood and another titled
Training CrossFit vs. CrossFit as a Sport by Chris Spealler. This past summer I struggled with where I fit into CrossFit and these two blogs helped put it into perspective for me. I started my journey from not knowing what the heck CrossFit was, to being obsessed with it and wanting to try to be a bit more competitive to wondering if there was even a place for me still. I was agonizing over the fact that if I couldn't be competitive with it, should I even be doing it? But why was I getting so stressed out over a fitness program?
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My first debut on crossfitbrio.com in the
Spring of 2011 doing 55 lb back squats. |
I have been doing CrossFit for almost 3 years now. In January of 2011 Curtis and I both knew it was time to get our acts together and get back on the fitness train (typical New Years resolution, right?). A Groupon came up for CrossFit BRIO which we had seen a sign for and always wondered what it was. We took the plunge and bought a $50 Groupon that entitled us to 3 introductory classes and an unlimited month of CrossFit classes. What was the first thing I did after I bought the Groupon you ask? I Googled "What is CrossFit". The first video
(click here to watch it) that came up was of two CrossFit athletes, Dutch Lowy and Jessica Langford, doing a workout called 'Helen'. Helen consists of a 400m run, 21 kettlebell swings (35lbs) and 12 pull-ups done 3 times as quickly as you can (which is actually one of my favourite workouts now). I hadn't run 400m since I was in track 10 years before that, and I think even at that time I barfed at the finish line. I DEFINITELY could not do a pull-up... and embarrassingly I didn't even know what a kettlebell was. Good god I was out of shape. I had never heard of this style of training and after watching the video I wondered if I had just wasted $50.
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My first attempt at handstand
push-ups in December 2011. |
I don't even know if Curtis knows this but I was super nervous when I booked our introductory
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| 20" box jumps for the CrossFit Open in March 2012. |
classes with the owners of CrossFit BRIO so I booked him in for his and booked mine a couple days later so I could get the low-down before I went. I don't remember a whole lot from those intro classes (or on-ramps as they're called) except that the coach made us scale all of the movements back so much. It was a small group class at that time and he had all of us doing push-ups from our knees up against the side of a bench, squats until our butt touched a medicine ball, etc. We did these exercises for 20 seconds and then we would rest for 10 seconds for 4 rounds each (I would later learn that this time structure is called Tabata). When I left the building I felt ok; no wanting to barf, not too sore. I would even go as far as to say the workout seemed relatively easy. They tell each of their newbies to keep their intensity level at about a 3 out of 10 when first starting so I went home feeling slightly skeptical of the training we were going to be doing in the month to come.
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35 lb kettlebell swings at the Spring Fling
competition in Regina May 2012. |
I woke up the next day and I was sore as hell. In the days to come sitting down on the toilet and
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| 115 lb snatch at the Spring Fling competition in Regina May 2012 |
walking down the stairs were a challenge. My skepticism of the program drastically changed within days. (And no, I did not have rhabdo. If I see another goddamn post about rhabdo from people who have no idea what they're talking about my head may explode.) After I completed my on-ramps I did about 10 classes during that first month and then signed up for a 2x per week CrossFit membership. It seemed expensive at the time but I knew it was working from the way my muscles were responding to the training. Eventually my 2x per week membership turned into a 3x per week membership which eventually turned into an unlimited monthly membership. Not only was I enjoying the workouts and the results I was getting from them but I was meeting some really awesome people and even making some close friends. I didn't really have an 'ah-ha!" moment, I just kept enjoying the program more and more until I was in the gym obsessively.
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Doing pull-ups during the hero WOD 'Murph'
with a weight vest on in July 2012. |
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| 14' rope climbs in August 2012. |
On a side note, people always wonder why CrossFit peeps go so mental over it: A) You're doing things you never thought possible; B) People are cheering you on like a rockstar over all your personal bests; C) The people you're working out with genuinely care about you; and D) You get to have muscles! I get that we're annoying. We talk about it, post statuses on Facebook, take pictures on Instagram, tweet it on Twitter... it gets in our heads. People tend to post things on social media that they spend a lot of their time doing or are proud of whether it be their kids, dogs, parties, selfies, whatever. We just happen to spend a lot of time doing CrossFit.. it could be worse!
I learned terminology and movements that I had never heard before and I started to learn my way around the gym and gained a little bit of confidence. I've used words like traps, lats and hammies more in the last few years than I have in my whole life. I had outgrown the 15 lb beginner bar and graduated to the pimpin' 35 lb 'big girl' bar. I started using the 14 lb wallball, did push-ups from my toes and even had my first encounter with a 24" box jump. After a couple of unlimited months of classes (about 6 months since my on-ramps) I finally got my first unassisted pull-up! Pull-ups are like a beginner CrossFitter's unicorn. Writing my name on the 'Chicks Who Chin' list was super exciting for me, I felt like a total badass. Gradually I even got to finally start Rx'ing some workouts (doing the workout exactly as it was meant to be done without needing to scale back any of the movements). My cardio and endurance still faltered but it was getting better and I was getting stronger and loved getting my hands on anything barbell related. I was starting to look less like a fat kid chasing chocolate cake and people noticed - it felt great. This year I even did a 5km run without stopping to walk. Way to not be totally atrocious, lungs!
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155 lb power cleans x5 at the Bridge City
Beatdown in Saskatoon September 2012. |
Just over a year after I committed myself to the sport I decided to take the CrossFit Level 1 certification. I was given an amazing opportunity to start my CrossFit coaching career doing bootcamp workouts for the place that all started it for me, CrossFit BRIO. About 6 months later I eased my way into coaching regular classes in the gym and can now be found there regularly on Wednesday and Sunday nights. I've never been short on words and I love teaching the athletes new movements and watching them do things they never thought possible. Who knew that the out-of-shape 27 year old that had meekly Googled CrossFit would turn out to be so crazy over it?!
I've had my ups and downs throughout my journey; from wanting to be slightly competitive, to getting injured due to my own stupidity, to wondering if CrossFit was the right fitness program for me. If you read the two articles I mentioned at the start of this post, I can say that I fit somewhere between doing it for fitness purposes to wanting to compete in local competitions for fun with no pressure. I like the varying programming that is offered to help me stay healthy and strong. I can come in, participate in an hour-long class and not feel stressed out if I don't have time to stay and work on my handstand push-ups or if I have to miss a workout because something came up. I don't work out everyday but I still try to commit to 4 or 5 times a week. I still like doing my best during workouts and although I may not be one of the beefiest beefcakes around the gym I can still make the athletes I coach proud by occasionally doing something inspiring or lifting something really heavy. I can continue to expand my knowledge on the sport and pass that along to the people that are interested in coming to one of my classes. It's not as intimidating as a lot of people think. I started out weak, with horrible cardio and some extra inches to lose. Over the years I've worked my way up so when I hear people say "I can't come to a class and work out with you, I'm so out of shape", they now know how I feel when I have to work out next to people that are mega CrossFit beasts. Everyone starts somewhere and who knows, you may even like it? Or you may not, and that's ok too. Whatever it is that you do that keeps you healthy and happy has my stamp of approval. Taking control of my fitness through CrossFit was the first step in a lifelong commitment to my health. And hey.. not feeling absolutely horrible in a bathing suit doesn't hurt either.
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| Spring Fling competition in Regina June 2013. |
