Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Finding the WTF sweet spot

As I write this, I've got some pretty sore arms. Not "can't move" sore- but that kind of sore that makes you proud, you know you worked hard- you earned it. There are muscles in my legs and butt that will be pretty sore by tomorrow. I like it.

In the past 2 years- I've come an amazing way on my journey (so far) to lose weight, move towards getting fit and never stopping. 75 lbs down (and maintained loss for a year)- I hit a plateau about this time last year. I think my body was not getting enough muscle confusion. In training for the half marathon last year, I focused so much on my running that I let my strength training slide. Then as it slid further away, my strength wained and so did my running intensity. I never stopped running, just wasn't improving and increasing like I had been. Then winter came.

When we switched gyms in January- I left behind a great trainer as well. He really helped me know fitness again but schedules and money. . . .well, it just didn't make sense anymore. As it is, I need a second job to fund my race fantasies (half-kidding). In the winter, I started to psych myself into getting back to that really fit, ever improving, state I had been in a year ago. I WANTED to feel that great again and I knew I craved it- but yet, I couldn't get it kickstarted. I needed my muscles to scream WTF at me for awhile- because that's how I know greatness is happening.

So- I started looking around at options- martial arts, kickboxing, group fitness classes, CrossFit, cycling, back to swimming. . . . . .CrossFit was the one that caught my attention.
If you don't know what CrossFit is, there is a ton of information on the internet- and I'm not about to regurgitate it all - but I found a great video to explain it to some of those close to me- so I'd like to also share it with you.

The great thing about CrossFit is that it can be customized to fit anyone's level - there are modifications to any of the exercises you see here that make it manageable. I was apprehensive at first- because most of the people you see in these videos are ultra fit. Which is EXACTLY how I knew I had to try it.

Thing is- it isn't cheap. It isn't a $9.99 gym- it's a work till you want to puke kind of exertion that you pay someone a lot of money to teach you. Sounds great, right? I thought so too.

But given that I left the last gym and trainer because of money- I didn't have the chance to try it yet. I even wished, publically on Twitter, that Groupon would offer a CrossFit offer soon. Lo and behold, less than 2 weeks later- my dream came true. A Groupon for CrossFit at a box with a schedule and location that work for me! Heaven! Church of Iron- here I come!! (you can find them on Twitter at @Church_of_Iron as well).

After having a few questions answered over email, I made the plan to start today at 6am - and so I did. Planks, side planks, push ups, squats, pull ups, sled pushes were all part of my reality today- modified to my current ability so I NEVER felt like I couldn't do anything. The group was welcoming, challenging and definitely a place I'm looking forward to spending more time.

At this point- I see myself doing a pretty hard core beginner schedule for the first 4 weeks (to use the Groupon as much as I can!)- and then hoping to take advantage of it 2-3 times a week after that, in order to keep up my running training as well.

I definitely have the plan now to move forward in the next phase of this journey- I couldn't be more excited!

(While I know barely anything about CrossFit at this point- I'm happy to share my experiences and answer any questions you might have and I am looking forward to documenting this tranformation)

1 comment:

  1. this is a great point of view because most people can relate. Thanks for your take on this, I'll be sharing it with my clients who have expressed interest in crossfit. Keep the blogs coming about your experiences!

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