Fedon
CrossFit for me is something that just felt right. I have trained in conventional gyms for several years but I have never seen or felt anything that CrossFit offered. I found that through the high intensity functional workouts that CrossFit provides, I have become better at pretty much everything I do. This is true not only with physical tasks but psychological ones as well. CrossFit has taken me far beyond the limits of what I thought I could do and made me into a highly capable, adaptable individual.
I attended my first real CrossFit session in January of 2010. The first thing that came into my mind was “this is hard”. I had no idea what the workouts consisted of and how some of the people in the gym were doing what they were. But as with most things in life, it takes time and practice to become better at something. I began to notice significant changes within three months. I was shedding fat and putting on muscle faster than I ever have before! After about a year of consistent CrossFitting I decided to get my Level 1 CrossFit Trainer Certificate to further enhance my understanding of the CrossFit principles. It is honestly amazing how so many people have such misconceptions about what being “fit” actually is.
A few months into my new regime I began to experience the Nay-Sayers. These are the people who notice you changing and are quite frankly jealous of your progress because they do not have the drive or determination to do what CrossFitters do. The remarks and comments they make become repetitive and predictable. Once you talk a few Nay-Sayers it reaches a point where all you can do is tell them to do some reading and laugh knowing that you are the one who is in shape and not just chirping.
This January will mark two years of CrossFitting for me. I can’t imagine what I would be like if I didn’t start CrossFitting. My only regret is that I didn’t start sooner. I have friends and family tell me how impressed they are with the way I look but I always give a response along the lines of: “Yeah, but you should see what I can do now!” This is usually followed by a few handstand pushups or muscle ups on monkey bars but I don’t like to show off too much…
I read a quote once by Ernest Hemingway that said: “ There is nothing noble about being superior to some other man. True nobility is in being superior to your previous self.” This describes my CrossFit experience to a tee. CrossFit allows it’s patrons to quantify their performance with actual numbers i.e. load, reps, time. I found this to be the most useful tool because it allows you see gains and results via your own data. It’s never about what they guy or girl beside you is doing. It’s about beating your previous self. Everyone comes into CrossFit with their own set of strengths and weaknesses but I have yet to see someone who finds a workout easy.
In conclusion, CrossFit has made me healthier, stronger (both physically and mentally), leaner, faster, less prone to injury, less prone to illness, and has given me a new definition of what it means to be “fit”. I am a CrossFitter for life.
