Crossfit – The Good. The Bad. And the Ugly.

I’ve completed two Crossfit sessions!

The Good:

1. The class was easier than I thought. Not that the exercises themselves are easier (see the bad and the ugly. LOL), but the class as a whole was not what I had in my head. I envisioned repeated HIIT sessions back to back for the whole class. (HIIT – high intensity interval training, forcing your heart rate to go up and down in short time frame.) But it wasn’t that at all. The class consists of a warm up, strength focus, HIIT for 8 or 10 minutes, and cool down. And everyone works, somewhat, at their own pace. The class moves from segment to segment together, but it’s only for the HIIT portion that is timed, that everyone starts and ends at the same time. Some people are finished their workout in an hour, some an hour and a bit.
2. There’s time for the coach to watch everyone, move around the room, and give individual pointers. Each person gets individual attention and coaching on form and technique. This is why Crossfit is more expensive than a regular gym membership, and it’s worth it. I think it’s the most bang for your buck between no coaching and paying for a personal trainer.
3. Everyone is SO friendly! Coaches and other members introduce themselves. There’s high fives passed around after the class. Words of encouragement. And lots of smiles.
4. I’m sore after and the next day and that’s a good thing. Sore good. Immobile bad. I’m not immobile. I was still sore going into my second class from my first class two days earlier. I’ve been assured this is normal. 😉
5. All those feel good hormones chip away at depression and winter blues, and it’s noticeable after workout #1.
6. There’s an app to register for classes. This creates a sense of accountability. The coach checks your name off when you arrive, so someone’s looking for you to show up. Over time, relationships will get built and then there really are people looking forward to you coming and people you want to see too.
7. I don’t know about you, but as soon as I workout regularly, I automatically eat better. I’ve been sloughing off a bit for a while now, and it was time for a change. Here’s my breakfast of champions after my first workout:

The Bad:

1. There really isn’t anything BAD about working out.
2. Except burpees… burpees are bad.

One step of a burpee.

The Ugly:

1. Also not really a true way to view things. There is no ugly… well, there’s burpees. Burpees are ugly.
2. I am finding it to be quite a learning curve. I can see why they insist that people take the On Ramp program where they teach you many of the exercises and techniques so you don’t walk into your first class blind. That would also put a lot of pressure on the coach. I find when I say, I just need a refresher of what something means and as soon as he/she starts to show me, I can say oh, yeah, I remember learning that. Everyone is patient and it’s important that I’m patient with myself.

Crossfit is a completely different style of workout, there’s a different mindset from “just going to the gym.” There’s connections with people, a sense of accountability, and of course there’s all the good stuff that happens to your body when you work it.

So after class two, it’s mostly good and I’m still enjoying Crossfit.