I am a Crossfit snob

I am a Crossfit snob. I admit it and don’t hide my feelings about it. This is my explanation of Crossfit – the training, the community, the feeling of giving it your all (and then a little more).

I started going to Crossfit because my fiancée Shannon was going. I liked some aspects of it and used them during my ‘working out’. Yet, some of them seemed stupid and I wasn’t going to do them. However, I always say that I am open to new things.

The truth is that I am stubborn and somewhat set in my ways. I liked going to the gym when I wanted and not being told what to do or how much time I had to do something. After some prodding, I decided to go to a few classes.

What I discovered was that it was awesome. More than awesome, actually. The exhilaration of the feeling of finishing a wod. The feeling that is was not only you that found it goddamn hard which left you gasping for air and crumpled on the ground. And… the feeling that I am not too bad. However, I still had a lot of work to do on my cardio; a ton of work on my lifting technique and, I had to figure out what the hell a muscle-up, a kip and a double-under was.

The basis of Crossfit involves training with functional movements. Being able to lift a lot of weight while mixing in some cardio (often a shitload of cardio – read: hero wod). Aspects like Olympic weightlifting and gymnastics are the core of these exercises. But Crossfit is not only about training. Mix in recovery and repair from these intense workouts. Properly warming up and properly stretching and massage are key to keeping one’s body in top form. Nutrition is also key to feeling good. Knowledge about nutrition – what is good and what is bad as sustenance for a Crossfit athlete (as well as a normal, healthy, active person…….HEY! I told you I am a snob!) are crucial for growing muscle fibres and fueling up for the next day and the next wod. The last, and probably best aspect of Crossfit is the community of people involved. You want to go back – not to beat the next guy and girl (although there are those who have little inner competitions amongst each other – you know who you are! Ok, we all have them. Shhhhhhh!). This is not like a regular gym. You don’t go in, change, workout and leave. You drive up….you see who is there….uh oh….then you go in and say hey to everyone. They know you. You know them. You care about them. They care about you. You want to find out about recipes? Ask. You say, “dude, you hear that Froning PR’d his squat snatch?” And someone will know. They care about Crossfit. They are as crazy about Crossfit as you are. Crazy? Obsessed? No. It’s passion. It’s about improvement. It is about making yourself a better person. Clean, strong, healthy, passionate.

Unlike the GoodLife, Snap or ClubFit, the coaches are there daily and you get coaching daily. They make sure your squat is complete and done properly. You want to figure out how a kettlebell swing is supposed to look like – they tell you, show you and you get better. I appreciate their help and guidance. They appreciate us getting better, stronger, faster.

I do not have personal goals. I know I love the way I feel after a workout. I want to go every day. I want to get to the point where I get to the games average weights lifted (see the attached picture).

I know I need more practice doing double-unders, pull-ups, snatches, and generally every movement. I need to improve my cardio too. I am cramping far too much. Therefore, my general goal is to get stronger, faster and smoother. I hate leaking performance.

Do I see myself going to the games? I will do the open. Check back when I am 45. 🙂

I have removed my Livestrong wristlet

I take back all I said about Lance Armstrong…..well, most of what I said and thought. I was a massive supporter of his. I am not any longer.

Actually, I had him classified as a hero of mine. From the outside, without the proper knowledge, without positive test results, without knowing the background, he is amazing. Imagine winning all those races, surviving cancer, then winning the Tour seven times. With all the speculation of doping and performance-enhancing drug use, I just figured he was just one of those extremely driven, special individuals who could push just that much harder, recover that much faster, be on top of his game every morning.

When the latest info came out about Lance stopping to fight the charges from USADA, I wondered why he would quit. He is not a quitter. Right?? I immediately thought that Livestrong would suffer. Did he lie? Did he cheat? The latest book by Tyler Hamilton ‘The Secret Race’ made me rethink my hero-worship. I believe that he did lie and cheat. That is the way it was (is?) done. Just look at how many have been caught over the years. Just look at the amazing speeds going up those insane mountains.

This has nothing to do with the organization called Livestrong. I support this amazing cause and I hope cancer can be cured or controlled with their efforts. Yet, I do not wear my Livestrong bracelet any longer.

I still love cycling and will continue to follow it. I am just disappointed in Lance. Actually, I am disappointed in myself for being so gullible.