I know been awhile, but I think I have found what I want to do with this blog other than share personal experiences. I want a place to share my experiences with Crossfit in a way that does not spam everyone on my Facebook account.
What to expect, generally I will share at no particular frequency my work outs of the day, and even post some media regarding milestones I hit. This first posting is just meant to describe how I found Crossfit and provide a list of milestones I have already hit as I have found success in this program that has made me question almost everything I have learned about fitness.
I had been weight training 3 days a week for about 1- 1.5 hours a day for almost a year. One of my goals for 2013 was to get down to a 34 inch waist and be comfortable there. Being married, 5 kids, working full time I was not able to spend the time I have in the past to take care of myself so i thought a year would be plenty of time. By the time June had come and gone I had not lost much wait at all and my waist was still the same size. Another frustrating aspect of my situation is I was waking up each morning with a sore lower back with the only way to fix it would be to add another 15 min of lower back training. I was 255lbs and pushing a 38 waist with little to no hope of my waist slimming at all. This was even with super-sets and other workout condensing techniques. I wanted something different than what I was doing, because I knew what I was doing was not working.
So 4th of July weekend I searched the internet for "full body workouts" Came across many programs with 10 DVDs and others that sold for 3 easy payments. I did not want something so predictable though and repetitive. Even if it repeated itself every three months the idea of doing that same program every three months long term was not appealing. Also i wanted something that I could do on the road, in my employer's gym, as well as at home.
Then I came across a Crossfit games video. Immediately I loved the idea of the challenge to do something. After watching a couple more videos I explored the program more and learned that the program revolved around a community that contributed ideas for different workouts and that you could go almost a year before repeating a work out. I decided to give it a try after a week of research and with a 2 week beginner program I got started.
The first work out I did took me by complete surprise. (http://youtu.be/rZKe8gTt0bU) Within the first minute my heart rate was where it would be after 15 min of my previous weight training regime. Initially it scared me and with my first work out I also had another first and last. I did not finish the work out. The work out called for 3 rounds and I only did two. I could not get over the initial surprise of how quickly the routine winded me. I also had to live with the thought that I had let myself quit and from that day I promised myself no matter how slow I may be I would not quit again.
I went through the beginner program and then started following the workouts on crossfit.com. After a month of working out I weighted myself and was delighted to discover that I had lost 7lbs! Also I was down to a comfortable 38 waist. The next month was the same rate of loss, but I seemed to have lost a significant amount of body fat because I did not go down to a 36 inch waist. Instead I could wear 34 inch pants! In a little less than 2 months I had achieved the goal I thought would take a year to accomplish and had made no progress toward the previous 6 months.
Through this process I was also gaining functionality and mobility in my body. After a week of doing crossfit I no longer had back pain as I woke in the morning. I was excited again about working out. I was also gaining more self confidence about myself because of crossfit's focus on what I could do and not necessarily on what I looked like. Even now I find myself not looking in the mirror as much as I did when I was bodybuilding.
Crossfit has changed everything I thought I knew about health and fitness. It has been an amazing start to an adventure of discovery and learning. I am excited to see where I will be next month and even a year from now. In the short 3 months I have been doing crossfit I have been able to accomplish the following things.
- No more lower back pain
- Added 20 pounds to my dead-lift max (385lbs)
- I can now do kipping pull ups which has helped me develop the strength to do easily 5 strict pull ups without even thinking about it. Have not maxed out yet.
- I can jump up on a 30" box without fear
- I can do a complete GHD sit up with confidence.
I am excited to share my continuing journey as I know I have only just started. I know Crossfit is not the answer for everyone. I have not drunk that much of the Kool-Aid, but the results I am getting can not be denied that it is an effective program. Let me know what questions you have or feel free to make any comments. Thanks for reading and I hope I can be inspiring in some way to encourage you to live a little healthier and enjoy life a little more fully.
This is where the fun begins,
Chris Tucker
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