Before You Drink the #Crossfit Kool-Aid...

There is an article in Men's Health titled "Inside The Cult of Crossfit." I tracked it down from an odd tweet that I read. It said something about this guy quitting Crossfit because he couldn't beat the 11 women he was working out with and this guy was shaking his head. Of course that sparked my interest and I had to hunt it down and read it. It's an interesting read that's for sure and if you do read it please do so with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own unique experience.

Recently I've had a few people tell me that I have inspired them to begin Crossfit. They see tons of photos posted by my trainer Shaun McCrary on the CrossfitUnity.net facebook page. My facebook friends have lots of comments to make about these photos but let me give you the real inside scoop.

1.) Not all Crossfit boxes are the same. They may have the same equipment but they are run by different people and each area of town has it's own crowd. If you are new, check out a couple of gyms before you make your decision. My "box" is air conditioned and CLEAN. In that article the author specifically talks about filth and staff infection. Yuk!

2.) I work out with a trainer. He has a long list of credentials. He and I have a long history of working out. I followed him over from a boot camp class that he taught at a YMCA. There is a trust factor there. I don't worry about getting hurt because I'm working with a professional. He is constantly learning and keeping up with the fitness industry. This is a good thing! If you are new you will also want to work with someone who knows how to push you, call you out when you are not doing your best, but also knows when to back off because you're having an off day. Make sure you find out about the person who is teaching you so that you can make an educated decision whether or not you want to train with this person.

You are NOT going to look like this after a few Crossfit work outs. To look anything like this would mean you would have to be consistent with your work outs. You would have to show up and be ready to do anything. You might also have to go strictly Paleo to look like this but I don't know. I don't look like that. You will find girls that look like this all over the web who are doing Crossfit.

Can you benefit from doing Crossfit? Of course you can. You will become faster, stronger and more confident with each work out. Are you going to be sore? Yes! But there is a difference between soreness and actual pain. You will come to know the difference.

Some days you will work so hard at trying to do your work out that you are exhausted at the end. You might just want to hang out and catch your breath. It's not glamorous but that's the life of a beginner. You have to start some where no matter what your work out.

Other days you are going to have a hard time and you might need to scale down. Box jumps are my nemesis! Some times the jumps get in my head and I over think it and I just can't seem to do it. I'm not a fan of those days but those are obviously the things that I need to work on the most. The box on the right is what I can do but the box on the left is what I had to do on this day. It happens.

Then there are those days when you reach a personal record. This was a 195 pound dead lift. You can't help but smile when you reach a new level. That is part of the fun of Crossfit. You can measure your progress with every work out. Someone tweeted me today and asked me if I "Love Crossfit?" Some days I love it (when I do well) and some days I hate it (when I have to scale down). I love our community! I really enjoy seeing all the photos on facebook of our members. It's great to be able to cheer them on in that way.

The big question I have been asking myself, especially after reading that article is if Shaun were to leave the gym would I stay? Would I stay on to do Crossfit? After all I have a Crossfit gym right around the corner from my house. I know the owner, why not go there? It would save me time, gas and it's supporting my local community.

Here is what I do know, Crossfit can be very difficult. The Olympic lifting is no joke. It's really hard for me and it takes a lot of demonstration and a lot of practice. Some days I will forget as soon as he demonstrates a lift. I'm not sure if I just get nervous or what??? It happens. I would have never crossed over into Crossfit without the encouragement of my boot camp friends and knowing the trainer running the gym. So my advice to a new Crossfitter? Be comfortable with the gym you are in and be sure to ask as many questions as it takes until you are comfortable with what you are doing. If you work well on your own then a trainer may not mean that much to you. If you need a trainer then find a gym that has one so your comfortable that you will stay free from injury due to lifting. Good luck on your journey!

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