Confession: I'm a CrossFitter

By Jen Sinkler / April 23, 2010 6:44 PM

More than a month ago, I posted a somewhat vague entry hinting that I'd found an exciting new way to push myself out of my fitness comfort zone, and then I promised to talk about it in greater detail the following week.

Well, I lied. If you're a regular reader (as regular as you can be when your writer is this dodgy), you already know I do that sometimes, especially when the Next Post is supposed to be Important. There's never enough time to make that Next Post as eloquent and organized as I want to be, you see, but it takes me forever to get to the point I'm ready to splat it onto the page however it lands, just to get it over with. We are now to that point, however -- welcome.

LET'S START WITH SOME BACKGROUND: I've played rugby for one million years. Give or take. It's something I've tried to retire from several times, but I could never quite kick the habit. (Damn you, rugby, I can't quit you.) Mainly because I wasn't creative enough to figure out what else to be, if not a rugby player. 

But I don't want to be tackled every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (and sometimes Sunday) for the rest of my life, so after Keystone's fall season ended, I decided -- again -- to try quitting. And this time, I had a crutch. A crutch called CrossFit.

If you're not familiar, let Wiki tell you what CrossFit is:

CrossFit is a strength and conditioning fitness methodology that promotes broad and general overall physical fitness. CrossFit combines weightlifting, sprinting and gymnastics. CrossFit says that proficiency is required in each of ten fitness domains: cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, agility, balance, coordination and accuracy. It defines fitness as increased work capacity across all these domains and says its program achieves this by provoking neurologic and hormonal adaptations across all metabolic pathways.

CrossFit athletes run, row, skip, climb rope and carry odd objects. They frequently move large loads quickly over long distances, using powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting techniques. CrossFit athletes also use dumbbells, gymnastics rings, pull-up bars, kettlebells and many bodyweight exercises.

In short, the emphasis is on creating complete, balanced athletes -- fitness generalists, as opposed to specialists. The idea is, train for everything, so you can do just about anything you want to pretty darn well.

Sounds delightful, no? It is.

It is also, however, a fitness methodology that's often heavily criticized within the strength and conditioning community for its constantly varying, seemingly random programming; its inclusion of movements normally done in low-rep sets (Olympic lifts and plyometrics) in higher volume; and its sometimes-relentless insistence to go harder, harder, harder -- even if you shouldn't (yet).

Those things are true, too...in some CrossFit facilities. Best I can tell, it's a case of quality control -- with somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 affiliates and counting (each of which pays an annual fee in exchange for the right to use the name), CrossFit headquarters has struggled to keep tabs on what exactly each gym is doing in the name of CrossFit.

Another source of the controversy, it seems, is CrossFit's outspoken founder, ex-gymnast Greg Glassman, who's more than willing, it seems, to cut ties with those who take issue with his approach. For more, T-Muscle author Chris Shugart does a well and balanced job of checking out the trend in "The Truth About Crossfit."

THE POINT IS, "CrossFit" isn't executed the same way at all facilities. Some wield it well, others not so much. The facility I haunt, CrossFit 215 in Philadelphia, uses its powers for good. The programming exhibits a strength bias (which means, along with the workout of the day, clients follow a periodized weight program); the coaches are well-versed and encouraging; and everywhere you look, there are fun toys to play with (bumper plates! kettlebells! rings! pull-up bars!).

It's like a playground for adults, and since I began in earnest this January, I've realized several things: 1) I hadn't done handstands in far too long (and I'd never done a handstand pushup prior to walking through the doors of 215). 2) I should have been doing more pull-ups. Waaay more pull-ups. There's something eminently satisfying about being able to do them. And also knowing you can do them. 3) I hadn't moved serious weight in forever, and I was missing out: Olympic lifting is some of the most fun you can have in a gym. I had no idea what I was capable of, and the idea that I'm in the process of finding out is nothing short of thrilling. As is the feeling of setting new PRs regularly.

 
[Zach Mariacher, Micah Macbeth, Angie Brambley and Jay Ross demo handstand pushups.]

And yet, it's not all success all the time. There are plenty of exercises I haven't yet mastered (stoopid muscle-ups!), much potential I haven't tapped and workouts I'm downright terrible at (namely, anything lasting over 16 minutes). Which makes every breakthrough mean that much more. It's rewarding work because you're acutely aware, every step of the way, that you earned it.   

Technically, you don't even need a facility. CrossFit workouts are available for free on most affiliates' Web sites, and also on the CrossFit mainpage (www.crossfit.com). Meaning, you can do CrossFit workouts at any gym, any time. Say, for instance, at your local Life Time Fitness (the fabulous publisher of one Experience Life magazine). ;)

But for many, the point is not the workouts themselves, or the accompanying results. It's the sense of community that comes with gutting out a hard workout with your peers, picking each other up during the toughest spots (sometimes literally, sweatily), and bonding afterward over your shared survival.


[Friend Angie Brambley and myself postworkout...OMG that was hard.]

And that, friends, is why I'm hooked. It's become my new rugby precisely how rugby became my rugby to begin with (ya dig?): the people. I cherish the camaraderie of every class. 

OK, that's not the entire truth. I cherish the camaraderie, and the tacit agreement that we are all trying to beat each others' asses in the workout of the day (or WOD, as they're called), even as we encourage and push each other. It smacks of sport, and that's exactly what it's becoming.

ALONG WITH THE IN-CLASS COMPETITIVE VIBE, local, regional and national CrossFit competitions have increased in popularity over the past few years, snaring crossover and newbie athletes alike. Each competition consists of several WODs, and the winners are those who complete the most reps, use the heaviest weight or have the fastest time, depending on the set-up. The best of the best compete in the CrossFit Games, an international competition that takes place each July.

I didn't intend to start competing. I even managed to avoid the first in-house competition my gym had. But eventually, through a mixture of peer pressure and curiosity, I decided to give it a try, signing up for the PA/MD/DE sectionals event in mid-March. (It was right around that time I posted here on the value of experiencing discomfort.) I excelled at the short, power-based workout (tied for third!), then absolutely suffered through the longer workouts, finishing squarely in the middle of the pack. Though I finished 11th overall (out of 35 women) and won a bid to move on to the next round of competition -- not bad for my first time out -- it was a humbling experience. To even watch some of the feats of athleticism exhibited that day was impressive and enviable, and it made me want more. Even though I was downright average at two of three workouts. Perhaps because I was average. Because there was much room for improvement, there was much room for success. This was not only something to do, but something to once again be.

I'm not sure I'll ever be a good CrossFitter. But I am pretty sure I want to find out.

 
[Jumprope double-unders with a 15-pound weighted vest during one of the PA/MD/DE sectional workouts...fun for the twisted.]

215 has entered a team (consisting of three men and three women) into a regional competition in May. I'll probably document our adventures here at Survival of the Fittest. Below is a photo of our first outing, where we won the Cup of the Beast at CrossFit Dover in Delaware.

        
[From left to right: Terrence Fenningham, Becky Geiss, Micah Macbeth, Angie Brambley, Jay Ross and myself.]

Call it a tangent or call it a sidebar, but here are some of the pros and cons of CrossFit, as I see it:
Pro: I'm always having to defend the CrossFit portion of my training regimen (it's a great opportunity to have conversations about what it is, what it isn't and how widely facilities and programming vary).
Con: I'm always having to defend the CrossFit portion of my training regimen (it can get old if someone is just looking for an argument).

Con: Some call it a cult. CultFit, to be exact.
Pro: If it is, it's a really cool one where you get to talk about workouts and nutrition to your heart's content, all while wearing LuluLemon pants and American Apparel t-shirts.

Pro: I get to see what I'm made of. 
Con: I don't always like what I see. It is, in places, pretty flimsy stuff.

Con: Many female CrossFitters wear pigtails, which I abhor.
Pro: My side ponytail and Jersey-Shore-esque bump (which are no less ridiculous) fit right in.

Pro: Daaaang, you start to look and feel good.
Con: You have to start carrying your facility's cards on your person at all times for baristas, strangers in bathrooms (emphasis on strange) and anyone else who asks where you work out and what type of training you do.

Con: Much in the way every article about rugby mentions blood, every article about CrossFit mentions puke. 
Pro: Misunderstood cultures tend to be more tightly knit (triathletes, rugby players and CrossFitters are all peas in slightly odd pods).

Additional Reading:
The New York Times: "Getting Fit, Even If It Kills You" 
The Wall Street Journal: "Fitness as a Full-Time Pursuit"
MSN Health and Fitness: "CrossFit: The Fast, Furious Workout Craze"
Men's Journal: "Get Fit or Die Trying"
Muscle & Fitness: "Sweat Storm"
CrossFit: "How to Start"

Below is a video shot during the Cup of the Beast competition and compiled by Tim Moyer, owner of the bangin' performance gym Aspiring Champions Elite in King of Prussia, Pa. Tim managed to edit out most of the bits where I look really tired, which makes him A-OK in my book.

If you have experiences with CrossFit-style workouts, questions, more pros and cons to add to the list, contentions or the like, speak up in the comments.