Accidentally in Love

I didn’t mean to like CrossFit this much. In fact, when I first saw the CrossFit box (i.e., gym), I started thinking I had made a huge mistake committing to four solid weeks of three times per week training. While the training looked intense and very intimidating, the whole CrossFit atmosphere and culture seemed incredibly tacky to me. The veteran CrossFitters (I was there early, and the class before was just wrapping up) looked me up and down and then turned away, without so much as even a smile. The box was so minimalist in nature (as CrossFit is “supposed” to be), and everyone looked exactly.the.same. They all wore tall socks (supposedly, to prevent injury during box jumps and deadlifts), shorts, tanks (girls), and tees (guys), and all the guys were tatted up, and all the girls had their hair up exactly the same way (in a half-ponytail/half-bun) and wore identical headbands (in different colours at least). When people talk about the cult of CrossFit, these die-hards are who they’re referring to. The only thing missing was Vibrams (those creepy looking toe shoes!) and a Paleo food guide (although they did sell coconut water)! The trainers seemed nice and friendly enough, but even the other beginners were dressed just like the experienced CrossFitters. Did I miss the memo or something?

Once we began working out, I started to appreciate that the trainers really focused on form. I’m a huge proponent of training in a full range of motion and usually go through my exercises slowly and in control (even if that means I check my ego at the door and lift lighter weights than I could with poor form). I was actually surprised that I could do the exercises with ease and did not look half as exhausted as most of the other people in class! (I may look fit and have experience lifting, but I’m not the strongest person in the gym, I don’t do cardio, and my flexibility could most definitely be better!) And then came the WOD (Workout Of the Day).

WODs are metabolic conditioning (aka. metcon. These CrossFitters love their acronyms!) workouts that generally take from 7–20 minutes (I think) and usually involve doing AMRAPs (As Many Rounds As Possible) within a given time or timing how long it takes to get through a certain circuit (or many circuits). The WODs seem to all have names of people as well. We did a modified version of Cynthia yesterday (so we did 10 minutes instead of 20), which involved doing as many circuits of 5 pullups (using coloured bands to support us and make pullups in a full range of motion easier), 10 pushups (chest to floor), and 15 squats as possible.

When we went to grab our pullup bands, the trainers forced me to take one of the most difficult bands, while everyone else took the easiest band. They claimed that since the form on my pullups was so exceptional, I could handle the extra challenge. If they said so…

Anyway, we went through the workout, and afterward, they wanted to record how many circuits we were able to get through in 10 minutes (we’ll do the same workout at the end of my four-week course so we can see our improvements). When I told them how many circuits I had completed (10 and change), the guy next to me said he hadn’t been counting, but he’d done 2 fewer than me. This guy had also made a comment about being sore that he had to use an easy band (he thought he was strong enough to use the kind of band I was using) before the WOD, and now even with his easy band, he couldn’t even keep up? I’d never expected CrossFit to be an ego boost, but I left the class feeling not only powerful, but a little bit addicted as well. Even if headbands aren’t really my thing.

Update: I had my fourth CrossFit class yesterday, and I seriously love it more and more each time! Learning new moves is so empowering (like handstand pushups! Hello!), and the coaches are incredibly encouraging! I really love that CrossFit covers so many aspects of fitness (strength, agility, flexibility, and even cardio!), and I’m even embracing the competitive aspect of it! Let this be a lesson to my readers to try something new and venture outside of your comfort zone! You may just find something you LOVE (and maybe even are good at!)!