Why CrossFit?

So there must be a lot of stalkers out in the Facebook world because I’ve gotten so many people asking me “what is this CrossFit thing you do?” It’s OK, stalk away. I’m pleased to share my journey with everyone and encourage everyone to try anything at least once. I’m damn proud of what I’ve accomplished since I started CF back in June and will gladly answer any questions. I’m also proud to say that I’ve gotten a handful of people to join CF because of my success and how awesome it is. Not that I’m bragging or anything! :) So anyway, because I’ve received so many questions about CrossFit I’m going to share with you what I think the Pros and Cons are of CF and why it’s better than anything I’ve ever done before…

Pros

(Not in any sort of order)

1. Different every day – there are so many movements in CF, that no workout will be the same two days in a row. Some WODs (Workout of the Day) include moving a lot of weight, some are just bodyweight movements, some are long, some are short, the rep scheme is always different, some are for time, and some are for total reps. YOU NEVER GET BORED!

2. Scaleable – No matter what age, physical shape you’re in or no physical shape, male or female, injured or healthy, EVERY workout is scaleable so you get a workout that fits you. Depending on the workout you can scale the reps, the weight, sub a movement, rowing for running, do leg workouts if your upper body is injured, etc. It’s infinitely scaleable to meet your capabilities.

3. It’s FUN – working out…fun?! HELL YES it is. Because it’s varied everyday it never gets boring. You don’t have to force yourself to go, like you do when you realize you have to run on the treadmill for an hour. And the people you work out with are fun too. I look forward to going to the gym every day and I never said that before!

4. Trainers/Coaches – you always have a coach around to help you improve your technique, scale a WOD, ask a question, encourage you, push you a little harder than you would push yourself. My coaches have pushed me further than I thought imaginable and have helped me achieve so many goals in the last 8 months. They care about YOU!

5. Community – the people you work out with on a day-to-day basis become your friends. You share with each other your personal life with family, work, relationships, school, etc. They push you to achieve your goals and they are some of the most supportive people in your life.

6. Socialize – you make friends with the people you work out with and end up hanging out outside the gym. You plan weekend adventures, have dinner parties, play sports, go on trips, try new restaurants, etc.

7. Competitive – not only is CF competitive with the people around you, but it is with yourself. Working out with people pushes you harder to stay up with them and push yourself to new limits. You want to get a new PR (Personal Record) every time you walk in the door. And maybe one day you’ll be lucky and get on the record board. I personally try to focus on setting my own PR’s and pushing myself a little harder every time I’m in the gym. And if I happen to make a record board, that’s a bonus, but not everything.

8. Motivational – you look forward to working out every day, to see what’s in store and how much ‘fitter’ you’ve become. That’s motivation in itself, but if you lose that, there’s plenty of people who care about you and check up and get you back in the gym.

9. You get results – Holy cow, a workout that works?! Because CF is constantly varied and work every part of your body and lift heavy stuff mixed with short cardio intervals…YOU GET RESULTS!! I haven’t been in this good of shape, well, ever! I’ve lost 15lbs and 3 dress sizes since I started and I’m constantly seeing strength gains, you can’t beat that!

10. You lift heavy shit – when do you get to lift so much heavy shit and work on Olympic lifting? Never! Unless you’re training for the Olympics or do CrossFit. No more lifting 5 lb dumbbells to see no progress, start snatching 40kg (88 lbs) overhead!

11. Traveling CF – you can go to other gyms across the world and WOD it up with different people that share the same passion.

12. Movements translate to everyday life – all the movements preformed in CF translate to everyday life. Squat – you pick something up. Clean & Jerks – picking something heavy up and putting it on a shelf. Sit ups- getting out of bed in the morning. Etc. You’ll find that you are more efficient at every day activities when doing CF.

13. You do what you couldn't dream of - you learn to push yourself past the suck and harder than you ever imagined. When you're finished with a WOD you realize you ran over a mile on top of wall balls, box jumps and more. The first day you walk in seeing all these shirtless muscular people working out and you think to yourself "I'll never be able to do that". Then months later you find new people walking in and seeing you with your shirt off (I'm not quite there yet, soon though, ha!) doing the stuff you never thought was possible! It's an awesome feeling!

14. You're entire family can do it - LITERALLY! My whole family CrossFits. My mom and dad come to the Fort with me and my brother and sister-in-law do it out in Virginia. And there are even CrossFit Kids classes, so you're kids can do it too. I see a lot of the kids at the Fort imitating their parents, it's a good example to look up to! :)

15. Gain Self - Confidence - this may be one of the most important ones to me. I've always had a low self esteem and was very down about my weight. But ever since joining CF, my confidence is soooooo much higher. Yes, I have my days where I'm down, but don't we all? I have made so many gains physically and mentally, that I'm unstoppable! Bring it on!

Cons

1. Cost - When you first take a look at the cost you'll think "OMG! I can't afford that!" But if you make your health a priority instead of putting it on the back burner, YOU CAN! If you compare a single personal training session for an hour at a globo gym, let's guess $80/hour to the $150/month unlimited classes, it's a no brainer. You can't really compare them. It comes to about $15/hr per training session. Now THAT's a steal!

2. Class times - Some gyms don't have classes at ideal times for some people. You may have to get up a little earlier or go a little later, but make it happen. If you and a bunch of people at the gym would like another class time, ask the trainers and see if they're willing to add it.

3. It's competitive - yes, I said this was a pro, but it's also a con. Sometimes you or the people around you get too competitive and lose focus of the point of CF. Just always remind yourself that you're in this to better your health and fitness abilities. Strive to be the best you!

So obviously my Pros outweigh the cons by a landslide. And this is clearly my personal opinion, but I have a good feeling that many fellow CFers feel the same way. And I'm sure I've missed some points, so those of you that do CF add them to the comments! Everyone remember that you can do anything if you push yourself and believe to achieve! CF is an amazing community and I'm proud to say I'm a member. I hope everyone who reads this will take something away from it. Thank you to my bro/sis-in-law for introducing me to CF, thank you to my coaches Bill and Jennie, and thank you to my fellow CrossForters for being such an amazing addition to my life! :)