I’ve been talking about trying Crossfit forever now. I hear so many people tell me they absolutely love it, but to be honest, I’ve been too intimidated by it that I’ve been putting it off.
You may wonder why I have been so intimidated. First, I don’t know all the crazy terminology they use (box, jerks, WOD…etc.). The terminology simply scares me! It sounds like people are talking in a different language when they talk about Crossfit. I have also been scared that I would get hurt. I’ve been warned by so many to be careful of getting injured by the sport. I made sure to research a lot first and pick a gym that had a good training class to teach the basics before diving in head first.
Well it’s a new year and I thought I would start it off by trying something new that scares me!
I found Crossfit Broadripple.
(Image Source)
Cool looking place, huh?
So I registered online for a free class at CFBR to see if I would like it. I didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on classes before I knew if I even liked Crossfit.
So we started the hour long class off with an assessment. The trainer girl (who was in ridiculously amazing shape btw) asked us about past injuries and any restrictions we may have.
We then moved into the technique of each exercise we would be doing that day. We were going to do one intro workout at the end of class with everything we learned throughout her session.
(Image Source)
We learned their specific technique for rowing, body weight squats, situps, pushups and pullups. The trainer came by and gave me a few pointers on my stance during squats and I took every bit of advice and LOVED it. I didn’t know that my legs should be a little wider than shoulder length because my legs are long. Interesting and thank you for telling me that!
At the end, this was our Workout Of The Day (WOD)
- 400 meters of rowing
- 40 body weight squats
- 30 situps
- 20 push ups
- 10 pullups
You start at the top and work all the way down with no break. She told us to not concentrate much on how FAST we could do it, but to focus on form since we were beginners. I focused on form but I’m too damn competitive to not try to do it as fast as possible too 😉
This Crossfit gym (also referred to as a box) made it clear that they are extremely picky about their exact techniques in regard to form. They want you to do it their way so there was less risk of injuring yourself. I liked that.
The pushups were my hardest. Instead of doing my normal pushups that I am used to doing, your hands had to be closer into your body and you had to completely touch your chest to the floor. This gives you the full range of motion and works your arms to the fullest. My arms were BURNING during my pushups.
You’re probably freaked out too about the pull-ups. I was terrified when she first said we would have to do pullups. Ahhh the scary “P” word!!! It wasn’t so bad though because she said if you can’t do a full body-weight pull up, you can put a box under your feet, use your arms as much as possible but jump up to build the strength in your upper body. EVERYONE can do these…I promise. Do not let the pull-ups in crossfit intimidate you. I’m glad I learned.
So….overall…..
My opinion on crossfit was a good one. I really liked the community feel of the gym. It seemed like everyone knew each other and it was a motivational place to be. I liked the competitive side of it where everyone writes their times on the wall. I love that you can compete against YOURSELF each and every week to see if you can beat your own time.
Am I going to continue with crossfit? I’m not sure yet. The main thing holding me back is the cost. It’s pretty damn expensive!!! At this specific Box (look at me using the real terminology now..I sound like I’m a crossfitter now, right?! haha riiiiight) It’s $110 for a month of crossfit (8 classes plus some free weekend ones).
I will have to admit..I haven’t been good about making it to the gym lately with the holidays and this INSANE snow storm..
Seriously..look at this crap! Our pipes even froze in my house and they even froze and BURST at my rental property. I’m beyond ready for this white crap to go away. THIS is why I plan to move South in 2014!
My car has been stuck in the driveway for almost a week!
Sorry…back on track…
Since I haven’t been making it to the gym much lately, I was sore after our little intro to Crossfit class so at least I know that it was a good workout!! I’m interested in giving more crossfit classes a shot..I just gotta work out my finances first to see if I can make it happen!
Have you ever tried crossfit? If so, what was your first impression of it? Leave a comment below this post.
Aside from that crossfit class, I’ve also been experimenting a bit…check it out…. I’ve been experimenting with screen printing to make my own workout gear. It’s MUCH harder than I thought it would be. It took me about 2 days to burn my logo onto this light sensitive liquid emulsion and then print it on my tank with this special fabric ink.
Overall I think it turned out great and I can’t wait to rock it in the gym!
I am excited to make some more!
Now…to end this post with a little holiday humor….
I hope everyone is staying safe and warm in this craaaaazy snow storm. It’s the worst one I’ve ever experienced..no joke!
XOXO
