Six months ago my knowledge of CrossFit was limited. I had read all of the horror stories and creeped on CrossFit websites to see what the fuss was all about. It looked like something for serious athletes.
When the coaches at my school started posting workouts on the board, I would look at it and immediately jump on the elliptical. But that wasn't getting me the results I was looking for and I was bored. I figured, what the hell? I might as well try it out. I am now addicted...to my own over the counter version, not the serious kind that requires a prescription.
This is where the counterfeit part comes into play. I don't actually go to a CrossFit gym. I pick and choose workouts from a CrossFit website or just do whatever happens to be written on the board. I have yet to use the weight assigned. Honestly, I only added the ten pound bumper plates so that I could drop the bar without smashing my feet on power cleans. Rounds for time do not exist. It is rounds for completion. Don't feel like rowing...find an alternative. I have only two actual recorded times. One my coworker timed and wrote on the board for me and the other because my husband was there and wanted a time.
There are some skills that I do the right way. All of those years of gymnastics make them kind of fun. Toes to bar, kipping pull-ups and handstand walks are a breeze. In gymnastics conditioning, "kipping" your pull-ups was considered cheating. I was four months in before I was informed that in CrossFit unless it states "strict" anything goes. It does not necessarily take super strength to do any of these skills. It just takes technique from years of training. The only time strength comes into play is when the number of reps gets out of control. The guys all give me hell about being able to do toes to bar (with straight legs and pointed toes) and kipping pull-ups. If they had done thousands upon thousands of them during football practice, they wouldn't have a problem either.
Cleans, squats and deadlifts...oh my! I have a love/hate relationship with all three. The same goes for burpees, box jumps and wall balls. Snatches are pure evil. There is no love there, only hate.
Then there are those awful "benchmark girls." Fran led to my inability to lift my arms high enough to wash my hair or put on a shirt. Annie introduced me to monkey butt (you can find more on that here). Angie is a bitch. Who in the hell thinks 100 pull-ups in a benchmark is a good idea? And, I'm pretty sure it was Barbara that made me cry.
I will never compete in the CrossFit games because I don't train that way. I CrossFit because every day is different and I don't get bored or dread repeating workouts. I CrossFit for strength and stamina. I push myself, but not to the point of killing myself. And okay, fine...it also helped me get my pre-baby body back. Results like that are always worth dealing with a few benchmark bitches.
And you can call me a cheater all you want...I can still probably do more pull-ups than you.
No comments:
Post a Comment