Why I like Crossfit, specifically Change Now

Last summer I’d joined a Crossfit-esque gym run by a woman who’s a national expert in exercise for cancer survivors. I loved the classes, loved the atmosphere and was gutted when she decided to retire early and travel around with her husband.

I knew I wanted to keep this kind of workout going so I looked for other options. I found a Crossfit gym that’s a lot closer to us plus it has 5:15 AM classes 4 days a week, which our previous gym did not (plus it was a good 20 minute drive away). I am most definitely a very early morning workout person so Kent and I decided to check it out.

The woman who owns this box had been out of shape and overweight most of her life. Then about 9 or 10 years ago, she decided she wanted to get in shape. In 2019, she opened her own Crossfit box.

What I love about this box has a lot to do with her:

• Form always over hitting achievements
• Encouragement but also pushing when needed
• She never gives up on us

I also really like it that I am doing things I’m horrible at doing. Case in point: 

• Jump rope. Let me tell you, the first workout of the day that used jump rope about did me in. As I told the coach that day, it had been well over half a century since I jumped rope. I’m terrible at it. But I’m going to get better.
• Also things like pull ups, or a devilish push up variation called an Archer ring row push up (we did those today, I most definitely modified it).
• Oh or the work out that had a total of 350 air squats. Boy I felt those for nearly a week.
• And Saturday we did 50 Romanian split squats with weights. Hard but good.

I relish the challenge, I love that I’m getting stronger and best of all, my left wrist is improving.

Back to basics

In physical therapy, I did a lot of very basic, fairly boring exercises. I’m sure my PT (Diana) started me on the same set that everyone gets when they’re being seen for the issues I had:

• Standing bent arm rows with a resistance band
• Standing straight arm rows with a resistance band
• Toe dips
• Bridge

And so on. Even though my level of fitness had slipped by the time I started PT, those exercises were ridiculously easy. So she changed some and took away or added others:

• Still did the rows but got a resistance band at the top of the resistance chart (so now I use the stretchy one for doing hamstring stretches)
• An 8-count toe dip For this one, you bring your left leg to table top (1), then the right leg to meet the left leg (2); keep the right leg up and dip the left toe to the ground and bring it up to table top again (3 and 4)—repeat on the right side (5, 6) and then place each leg back on the ground in the starting position (7, 8). That’s one rep. Do that 20 times. 
• Bridge variation: while in bridge and with your knees together, straighten the right leg and then place back on the ground. Repeat on the left side. That’s one rep—do 20 reps. 

And then I got a lot of upper body exercises to do on my half noodle—again, none of these were new or exciting but they were quite effective. That got me thinking about how often we gussy up workouts or think we need some special equipment or supervisor when really, no we don’t.

I remember going through a fitness assessment about 15 years ago when I joined a gym. The assessment consisted of stepping up on a stair and then down again, as fast as possible for three minutes (I think, it was a fairly short interval); sitting on the floor with my legs straight out in front of me and reaching for my toes several times (to check flexibility); I believe I also did timed sit ups. That was all there was to it, and at the time I wasn’t in very good shape so I was sore afterwards. I remember thinking that I ought to just do those assessment exercises and save my money but of course I didn’t do that. I didn’t really use the gym either.

Think about how the military tests fitness: for the Army, you do a two mile run, then timed sit ups (two minutes) and timed pushups (from your toes, not your knees and also two minutes). Talk about low rent, all you need is space and a place to run.

So I’m trying to refocus my idea of exercise and workouts. If simple gets good results, why do I need to go chase the newest shiny routine? Other than boredom, which is real and definitely the enemy of staying on track with fitness, why do I need to shake things up all the time?

I haven't got time for the pain

I’m so incredibly sore, and it’s a very good thing.

My biggest complaint with so many exercise DVDs is that they don’t offer a solid, must-try-hard work out. You’ll get, say, three ab exercises and maybe do 12 each. That’s just not going to do much in the way of toning and strengthening your abs.

But I stumbled across Cathe Friedrich’s workouts on Amazon and figured I would try her abdominal DVD. Oh my word, it’s hard. I’m sweaty and tired after doing any one of the three routines on there.

Intrigued by the first DVD, I asked for another one for Christmas – the core cardio – and got it. That one is also super hard for me, I am flat out exhausted after it and can’t do a couple of the exercises without modifying.

So I asked for a third DVD, this time for my birthday. Kent obliged and so now I have the Cathe Friedrich's Low Impact Series: Total Body Tri-Sets. Good thing I know he loves me and isn’t trying to kill me because OW! I did the lower body workout yesterday, and folks I am incredibly sore. As in so sore, I didn’t run today because I didn’t think I’d be able to make it back up the big hill. This workout completely got my hamstrings, my glutes and even my inner thighs.

Yes, I’m sore, but I’m really happy. And I'm such a fan of her DVDs. I want more.