Strong > Skinny

As a new Crossfit participant, I am intrigued. It's a lot of fun, and a great total body challenge every day. This workout style is not just a gym. Not just a place you go to miserably sweat out every bite of the cheeseburger you had for lunch that day. As I type this, I am reminded of that girl I saw in the base gym last week:

She was drenched in her own sweat, head down as she read a book, just pedaling away on a stationary bike for an hour. She was dressed in a skin-tight underarmor workout top, and some snug workout pants. She was not fat, but the top was not flattering and showed every little lump and curve created as she hunched over the handlebars on the bike. The gym doesn't have air conditioning or a good way to get an air flow- turning it into a sauna no matter what you're doing. The first thing I thought of when I saw her was "Wow, she looks miserable." If you aren't having fun, why do it??!!!


Word.

For me- crossfit it is a lifestyle change. Makes working out fun, and takes the thinking out of it. I'm not creative enough to stick to a plan of my own.

For some, it's a lifestyle of getting healthy and comfortable in their skin as a strong person NOT focused on being a certain size. But it makes you think about yourself and why put garbage in your body when you work so hard? (this group is me) 

For others, it's a changeup from the iron slinging you see at traditional gyms...

And for a few- it's just a new identity. They wear the shirts, the shoes, talk the lingo, take pictures of their bleeding blistered hands like badges of glory, and usually overdose on testosterone. No matter the reason, we are all there together... sweating, cheering our classmates on [minus the spirit fingers], and getting strong.

There is no prize for bleeding blisters, or for finishing 5 rounds of kettlebell swings and box jumps first. Today for example (week 2), I finished 3rd of 7 folks... and instead of stopping, I jumped up on the box today for round 6- I just kept going so my classmate nearby wouldn't feel like we were all just staring at him while he pushed through his last set. It felt good. And to think that 45 minutes prior to that I felt like a zombie and wondered if I could muster the energy to get through another crazy workout... Martha said to me "You look like you're moving slow" as I dragged in the door at 5:55am. Yep. And at the end, I had so much energy that I rowed 1000m before I stretched and left.

People who make fun of Crossfit for being lame or stupid should try it. If you don't like it, fine. But don't hate on what works for someone else. My point here is not to sell you Crossfit- which is I think what I am starting to sound like I am doing. After reading another blog about it, I felt compelled to share my experience with it which has been absolutely fantastic.