I Tried Cross Fit For the First Time

I was super apprehensive about trying cross fit for the first time

And then I read posts about trying cross fit online… those made me even more terrified. The blogs told me that I would suck, 60-year olds would be passing me, and I’d basically be dying the entire time. I expressed my concerns to Ryan, who signed us up for a free cross fit class. But we went anyway. AND I’M SO GLAD WE TRIED CROSS FIT.

The Blogs Weren’t Totally Wrong

Yes. It’s really hard. Yes. I’m not as strong as any of the guys there and 60% of the girls. Yes. You feel like dying during the workout. But No- there weren’t any 60 years passing me (that was an easy feat to accomplish since there weren’t any 60 year olds in our class 😉 ) But it is amazing. The workouts are short, intense, and to the point. The people cheer you on and are not judgmental of your fitness level at all. Basically, I did one WOD (workout of the day) and I was hooked! This blog post explains why I’ve been converted from a cross fit sceptic to a cross fit advocate. (I have officially signed up to do cross fit!- I’ve been going for 3 weeks now!)

Why Cross Fit is Great

1. Cross Fit Pushes You Cross Fit pushes me more than any workout I’ve done before. Not only does cross fit encourage me to lift heavy weights and become stronger, it is also SUPER cardio heavy. For example, yesterdays WOD (Workout of the Day) was 18 minutes of AMRAP (As many reps AND sets as possible in this case). The workout: 1.assault bikes until burning 9 calories (the logo of this bike is: the bike you love to hate… if that tells you anything) 2. 12 snatches (it’s a type of lift, google it) 3. 15 wall balls (a squat followed by throwing a large ball at the wall) 4. 9 toe ups (hanging on a bar and pulling your toes up to said bar) We were supposed to do at least 4 sets of this in 18 minutes, but more if possible! This whole thing is a competition against yourself and others… so you CAN’T SLACK. You’ll complete the sets more quickly than you think you can when you reach that first wall of “I can’t do this anymore”. You’ll push further than you think you can. Crossfit teaches you just how strong your body really is.
2. People At Cross Fit are Beyond Friendly Okay, so no joke… within an hour of attending cross fit Ryan and I were invited to stay in a cabin for a weekend with a few of the cross fitters and run a spartan race. While that might not happen to everyone, I can almost guarantee that at cross fit you’ll meet some of the friendliest people in the world. (This is probably why some people think of cross fit as a cult) They are supportive, friendly, talkative, and will CHEER YOU ON. Do you think you are tired and can’t do another rep? With 10 people yelling at you to GO that have already finished… your limits extend further than to what you think you can do. Plus, you’ll want to come again since you have other people to support you and hold you accountable to showing up.
3. Cross Fit Gives You Fitness Goals Cross fit is tailored to help you become better and stronger. You keep track of your progress through an app called “wodify”. Through the app, you can track your workout and see the progress you’ve made! You also build up your skills through weightlifting and gymnastics. I’ve already progressed in the 3 weeks I’ve been at cross fit. It’s fun to compete against other crossfitters, but the most valuable part of cross fit is the self improvement.
4. Cross Fit Teaches You Proper Form I am learning how to PROPERLY lift weights before adding super heavy weights, which is awesome to prevent injury. Learning proper form will help for years to come- even if I’m not always doing cross fit.
5. Cross Fit Motivates You To Eat Healthier If you want to make a workout harder, try doing burpees, rowing, and power cleans after eating a pint of ice cream and cookies the night before… HA. Not the best idea. Since starting cross fit, I’m more motivated to FUEL my body with the proper nutrients and whole, unprocessed foods, so that I can preform, recover, and workout in the best possible way. Cross fit has a whole diet that they advocate, which you can learn more about here. The diet is really nothing crazy… eat real food. Don’t eat sugar. It’s what most people think of as a traditional, healthy diet. While I can’t promise I’ll never eat sugar again (ya gotta live a little sometimes), I feel better all day long by eating less processed (& more real) foods! Plus, I hope to see results from cross fit more quickly from eating this way.
6. Cross Fit Makes You a Stronger (and Healthier) Person Overall, this is what’s most important. I want to be a healthy person who is active and treats my body well. Cross fit is allowing me to become a stronger, healthier person, which allows me to live life to the fullest! It even makes me happier-endorphins are a great thing. I challenge you to try cross fit, even one free session, and see what you think. You might just become the next cross fit advocate. 😉

Have you tried cross fit? What did you think about it? What exercise program works best for you? Comment below I’d love to hear from you!

PS: *Just a side note in my defense* 😉 In the picture, Ryan and I’s weights on the bar is actually the SAME amount of weight. They have huge weights and tiny weights at cross fit that weigh the same amount (atleast they do at our cross fit)…. I should’ve gotten the huge ones for the sake of looking swole but I didn’t… BUT I just wanted to say that in my defense I AM lifting almost as much as Ryan (his bar is a little heavier)… yeah idk if you can tell but I’m very competitive… probably one of the reasons I enjoy cross fit! 😂

Xoxo,

Kiersten