Everything you wanted to know about the (Holy Church of) Crossfit.

Howdy! We are on the slippery slope toward Chrissy! I hope you are all feeling cool (ha) calm and collected.

So I have blogged a bit about CrossFit here. Naomi said she didn't know anything about it, and it can sometimes draw quizzical glances from people.

Some people think I spend I lot of time on this kind of contraption.

That is a Cross Trainer.

Ha! They are sooooo 2003. But seriously, very gentle on the joints and a good way to get a good cardio workout.

The whole idea behind CrossFit is as such: constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity across broad modal and time domains. It is performed in specialised affiliate gyms, called "Boxes". The owners of the Boxes pay to use the CrossFit(TM) name. The coaches have specific CrossFit certification, and usually some other form of fitness qualification. Hence, while the philosophy is the same the world over, there is variability in what goes on in different Boxes.

Each Box has a timetable with multiple classes per day, it is not like a gym where you just rock up and slog it out in your own time on the equipment.

The classes go for an hour, and are formatted roughly as follows:
1. Warm up - can be skipping, running, rowing, mobility or light strength exercises, or plyometric exercises (burpees).
2. Skills - usually concentrating on strength training - for instance we do bench press, dead lifts, pull ups, clean and jerk and snatch.
3. The Workout of the Day, or WOD - a high intensity cardio or mixed session, usually of between 8 and 20 minutes duration. For instance, last week, we did a 500 metre row followed immediately after by a 400 metre fast run. 3 rounds of that with rests as needed in between. It may utilise weights, or  High Intensity Interval Training, or Tabata.

I try and go 4 or 5 times per week. I have noted a big improvement in my speed and strength. I can lift heavy things safely. I know more about my body than I ever did.

CrossFit is heavily associated with the Paleo movement. Hence there is sometimes a religious fervour of participants.

First rule of Fight Club....

They are also very anti "big soda" and "big sugar" and "big food".

There has been a lot of criticism of CrossFit, mostly in terms of its safety. I actually thoroughly researched it on the internet before I started. Some websites said that injury was inevitable (how scary). I had a chat with the owner/head coach before I started and outlined by concerns. He effectively put them to rest. The gold standard of exercise safety is whether the exercises can be scaled to suit pregnant women, and yes, definitely they can. In fact, given the fact that I have been trying to get pregnant, that was one of the first things I asked. I also have issues with the back and knees that occasionally niggle, and that is always taken into account with the programming.

Anybody's experience in exercise is very dependent on those who coach them, and the environment, unless of course they just like to slog it out in the gym in solitude. I have to say that my CrossFit box is very highly regarded in the area (shout out to Charge Crossfit) and I love going there.

Here is why I feel this is the best health related activity I have done in a long time (or ever):

• The exercises are scalable to everybody, and can progress to a full movement. We are encouraged to scale back our exercises as necessary, for practical purposes and for safety. We are never ever made to feel bad for scaling. For instance, there was no way on earth that I could do a pull up, so I started with a ring-row. I am now onto pull ups assisted with bands, and the band is getting lighter as I get stronger. There is an exercise called a box jump which I am working on. I am very scared of the box, so I jump on weight plates, and I am building up the height slowly. I have made significant gains in strength and speed.
  
  

• The coaches are brilliant, they know their stuff, are friendly and approachable, and are always on hand to suggest adjustments to the exercises. They are liberal with their praise when we improve, and this is something I respond well to.
• The environment is friendly and supportive. Everybody cheers everybody else on. The last person to finish a workout will be encouraged until they finished. Some people don't respond well to this attention, but again, I do. I have made some good friends at the box as well.
• The environment is body positive. The focus is, in the main, getting you performing to the best of your ability. Occasionally we have 6 week "challenges" where there are points given for healthy eating, exercise, stretching etc, and the person with the most points wins a prize. This is a great motivator to getting me eating well, but it is not about weight loss. There are people of most shapes and sizes there, and I have learned that athleticism is not always related to a certain body type. As a result, I have become more confident in my own skin, and proud of what my body can do. 
• Getting "out of my mind and into my body" is very therapeutic. There is nothing like a fast workout, or a complex movement to do this. It has helped me managed the stress of the year.
• It puts me in touch with my masculine side. It feels good to lift a heavy weight, grunt, drop it loudly and swagger off. It feels good to "smash" a workout, and give it everything you have.  The macho blokes are onto something. However, I always check myself before I wreck myself.
• The movements are highly functional. I used to do distance running, at the expense of other modalities of exercise, however I can see no reason why I would ever need to shuffle 10 kilometres. Instead, I can lift, I can jump, I can push, pull and sprint. If ever I needed to, I could run 5 kilometres without any stress. For the first time in my life, I have guns (biceps).

So that's me on the topic.

Any questions?

If I don't get Fit, I'll get Cross.

Or: CrossFit.

I am fairly consistent with my exercise. That is something I have been getting right. The difficulty is finding the time nowadays, with busy work and PhD demands.

I had been working out with a trainer in a group situation, for about 18 months. Over the last few months, she has become increasingly shouty. There have been the odd threats of more reps if we don't do the ones she said fast enough. If things hurt, we were doing them wrong, rather than her modifying the exercise. There were a few subtle points made about my weight, and she was puritanical about eating and drinking.

One day, after a particularly shitty day at work, I went to her session. It was really the last thing I felt like doing, but I know that I usually feel better after a good sweat. Sure enough, she threatened extra reps if I didn't run up a large flight of stairs quickly enough. So, I started the steps a bit up from the bottom. One of the group dobbed me in. I got accused of cheating, and told me to do it again. I said "no", and looked at her defiantly.

She did apologise and explained that she yelled at everyone to get us to work hard, but I explained that some days are just about ticking things over, the things in your mind too heavy to focus too hard on exerting yourself.

But that was it. I haven't gone back. I don't want to be yelled at. Fuck that.

I had been a bit intrigued by crossfit for a while. I like the idea - broad athletic competence, functional and varied movements. However, it gets a bit of a bad rap on the internets. Inevitable injuries, risk of rhabdomyolysis, overzealous coaches, paleo diets.

There is a crossfit gym (or "box") near my home. My curiosity outweighed my fear, and I gave the boss man a call. I told him about my niggles, asked a few questions. He was super friendly and sensible. I booked in for a trial session, which I did last night. The coach was friendly and knowledgeable, and a stickler for technique over reps.

The trial session was tough but enjoyable. I did a session tonight.

I rocked up at the "box" tonight. There were about 25 others there.  I was greeted by a shirtless young man, with bushy beard, mohawk and a chiselled 6 pack. He smiled broadly and shook my hand hello. I met the trainer from the previous night who greeted me warmly. It was very friendly.

The exercises were very reminiscent of the things that the other kids did at school while I had my nose in a book. Plus pushups (difficult ones). There was skipping, hanging off a bar and bringing knees up (hard on my girly hands) and a trial of handstands. I have a bit of a mental block to throwing myself at the ground headfirst, however the coach staged me through it. I was never any good at monkey bars as a kid, but I shall soon be swinging on a bar.

It was fun. I grunted and sweated and I felt better for it. I look forward to more.

What about you? What would you like to try?