I first walked into a CrossFit gym – usually called ‘the box’ (a warehouse-type set up rather than a gym packed with conventional machine equipment) in June 2019. My main personal reason for doing so was to improve my upper-body strength in order to get better at the aerial hoop, and my plan was to join for six months and then go back to my aerial studio. Needless to say, it’s been a year now and I have no intention of leaving the box. CrossFit seems like a strange cult to those who aren’t into it. Curious? Then read on for my personal account in CrossFit: My Journey So Far…!
CrossFit Provides a Welcoming Fitness Atmosphere
The beauty of CrossFit isn’t how much you lift or how quick you row, it’s the community. Everyone is incredibly friendly and welcoming, no matter how you look, your size or your age. This is what makes CrossFit so great.
A CrossFit class consists of two main parts, one that focuses on improving one particular movement, and metcon (metabolic conditioning) which is a high intensity workout. During the first part, the class works individually on either a strength, like squats or deadlifts, or a gymnastics skill, like handstands or pull-ups.
Everyone has their preferences; I personally enjoy a lot more working on the gymnastics skills. I like seeing and feeling improvements in bodyweight exercises and I also think it’s a lot more fun. I am quite far from where I would like to be, and unfortunately with the lockdown and the gym closing for so long, I feel like I have probably lost a lot of strength, but I can’t wait to get back to it. My goal for 2020 was to do pull-ups. I have always admired people who can do them, but they’re really hard.Now, I’m not saying that if you do them you’ll end up with a back like Franco Columbu, but some is better than none!
The metcon is what makes CrossFit so addictive; it’s fast-paced, it’s chaotic and it’s tough. The workouts are never the same and usually they are around 12-20 minutes long, depending on the exercises. What I like about them is that it’s a competition against myself, and once the clock starts, I feel like I’m alone in the room, and adrenaline shoots through the roof. At the end of the metcon I’m usually drained of all my energy, but nonetheless I feel great and powerful.
Despite not following any particular diet, I have seen my body change during my first year doing CrossFit, and I feel a lot better; I am stronger and feel better with the way I look.
