Below is a post I made on FaceBook on October 26, 2011. I thought I would add this to my Blog since I will be trying another CrossFit gym next week once my half marathon is over. I want to see the variances of CrossFit locations. Stay tuned for more!
Many clients and acquaintances ask me what I think about CrossFit, so I thought I would finally try it for myself to see what this craze is all about.
I decided to try CrossFit twice before commenting about my experience since my first session was only 1-on-1; my second experience was a group class. Please note this is only based on me attending one CrossFit gym and I don’t know if other CrossFit gyms work the same way, but my guess is that they all follow a standardized system.
Thus far, I think CrossFit is a good challenge and intense workout for me, but can be very unsafe for individuals not in-tune with their body like I am. I know proper form and what my body should be doing in various exercises, but the general population doesn’t. No assessment was completed prior to starting and I was not asked if I had any limitations or medical/health risks. I offered this information to the trainers on my own because I knew I should. However, even after knowing my limitations, I was still “thrown-in” to doing exercises that are not ideal for my limitations. Hence, why I stopped myself a few times in various exercises knowing my body was starting to activate muscles it shouldn’t to complete the exercise. The general population doesn’t know if inappropriate muscles are activating or not, and this can be dangerous.
I love the competitive atmosphere CrossFit presents as I thrive on competition, but there were quite a few improper positions and form being displayed amongst the others, which can reek havoc on the body, especially under such intensity and weight loads. Another thing that surprised me was that we ran down the street to the corner and back as our warm-up and then immediately jumped into dynamic exercises without doing any active warm-up beforehand to make sure our body was warm and our muscles were ready for the workout at hand. Some of the other individuals really struggled with the movement of these beginning dynamic exercises, and the people that showed-up late just jumped right into where we were at in the workout.
I did learn a couple new exercises, so that was fun. In the 2 sessions I performed Kipping pull-ups, box jumps, overhead squats, machine rowing, Kettlebell snatches, front squats, American Kettlebell swings and jump lunges. Overall I liked the challenge, however, I do have a few deep internal bruises from the squat bar while doing front squats as I don’t have a lot of “meat” on the top of my shoulder area. That doesn’t feel too good right now, but I have no problem with “battle wounds.”? I have a handful more classes to use, so I plan on going until they are finished. Tomorrow morning will be the next one and I’m a bit excited for the new challenge. And I, like many of my clients, like to be pushed and challenged in a workout.
