I had heard about Crossfit. It is popular in the paleo- and primal-diet community. Don Matesz (my co-author of The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook) had read about it, and he occasionally sent me emails about Crossfit facilities around the U.S. that recommended our book. I had watched videos showing women performing fitness feats that I aspired to do eventually.
The hesitation
I had some trepidation about trying Crossfit because I’m currently working to rehabilitate from athletic injuries I sustained in college--injuries I had not sought care for at the time. Then I incurred a slew of back injuries in my 20’s and 30’s. The resulting musculoskeletal imbalances have caused problems for me for years, despite therapies I’ve sought. I’ve made enormous progress over the past three and a half months with special stretching and strengthening exercises I’ve been doing (more on this another day), and I don’t want to do anything that could set me back.
Walking is where it’s at
I’ve been an avid walker for most of my life. I’ve walked 3 to 6 hours a week for decades and have done stretching or light yoga 3 to 5 times a week for many years. I also hike and swim laps periodically. I’ve mostly avoided weight training over the past decade because it seemed to aggravate my existing imbalances, leading to pain, muscle spasms, or, worse, recurrent injuries that made it hard to do my daily activities, much less exercise.
A new opportunity
Late last year my friend, Don, suggested I contact the local Crossfit studios around the valley; he sent me links to a couple of them. Since they advocate a paleo diet, and that’s my specialty, he thought I might find a receptive new audience for the products and services I offer.
Last week, I had a fruitful meeting with Coach Tiffany Divebliss of Crossfit Scottsdale. We set dates for a class I’ll be leading for their members and for my first one-on-one Crossfit workout. Tiffany wanted me to be on a par with her clients so I could relate to what they do and so I have a taste of what Crossfit is all about.
What is Crossfit
The premise behind Crossfit is that exercise should be functional (it should make you better at real life activities); it should be performed at high intensity (that produces the best results in the shortest time); and it should be constantly varied (that way it’s never boring, always challenging, and your body receives the stimulation it requires to continually get stronger).
Infinitely adjustable
Although Crossfit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide, it’s also practiced by recreational skiers, mountain bikers, teenagers, housewives, people recovering from heart disease, and countless others. It can be scaled to anyone’s needs and abilities.
Crossfit fun
According to the Crossfit Scottsdale website, “The mindset at the start of each workout is to be stronger, move faster, more efficiently, with better form than ever. This is why even after years of training CrossFit style, scores and times in workouts continue to drop and athletes continue to improve. It’s hard, fun, exciting, challenging, and will push you to be your absolute best!”
I did it!
Yesterday I met with Coach Tiffany Divebliss. I filled out a release form, filled her in on what I currently do for fitness, what I’ve done in the past, and what limitations I currently have. She listened to my concerns, took my workout and injury history into account, and helped me scale the workout to my abilities, reminding me that I know my body best and know what I can and can’t do.
What a rush!
OMG! I loved it. I worked out and breathed harder and got my heart rate up higher than I have in a long time. I did things I hadn’t previously been able to do, such as push ups and pull ups. The modifications for the push ups and the stretchy bands allowed me to actually DO pull ups and do them more comfortably than the ways I had tried in the past.
By the end of the workout my legs felt like jelly (a cool sensation if you ask me), and I had the most amazing rush of feel-good hormones! It brought back memories of running stadium stairs and training on the ergometer in college when I was on an intramural rowing team in Seattle, WA. I remember how high I used to feel after some of those workouts. My first Crossfit workout brought back those blissful feelings and gave me a better understanding of how and why people get hooked on Crossfit.
The morning after
When I woke up yesterday and stretched my arms overhead, I could feel a hint of soreness in my shoulders and triceps. When I stand up or go up and down my stairs, I'm reminded that I worked out hard yesterday. I’m amazed that an 8 minute workout (plus about 5 or 6 minutes of warming up, doing the same motions but more slowly) could produce the benefits that used to take many times longer to achieve with machines and free weights in a gym. I can see how 1-hour Crossfit classes could deliver the kind of results many people spend many hours trying to achieve with conventional cardio and weights.
Hooked on Crossfit
If I lived closer to Crossfit Scottsdale, I could see myself joining. In the meantime, I plan to take a beginner level class later this month and incorporate some of their principles and exercises (such as air squats and bent knee pushups) into the training I’m currently doing at home. I’m pondering the possibility of getting a chinning bar for one of the doorways in my townhouse, stretchy bands to help me do assisted chin ups, and a small box to stand on (so I can reach the bar).
If you’re looking for a way to get into great shape in less time, to make working out more fun, and to look and feel great (besides adopting a paleo or practically paleo diet), check out Crossfit. They have studios around the world.If you live in or near Scottsdale, check out Crossfit Scottsdale.
The hesitation
I had some trepidation about trying Crossfit because I’m currently working to rehabilitate from athletic injuries I sustained in college--injuries I had not sought care for at the time. Then I incurred a slew of back injuries in my 20’s and 30’s. The resulting musculoskeletal imbalances have caused problems for me for years, despite therapies I’ve sought. I’ve made enormous progress over the past three and a half months with special stretching and strengthening exercises I’ve been doing (more on this another day), and I don’t want to do anything that could set me back.
Walking is where it’s at
I’ve been an avid walker for most of my life. I’ve walked 3 to 6 hours a week for decades and have done stretching or light yoga 3 to 5 times a week for many years. I also hike and swim laps periodically. I’ve mostly avoided weight training over the past decade because it seemed to aggravate my existing imbalances, leading to pain, muscle spasms, or, worse, recurrent injuries that made it hard to do my daily activities, much less exercise.
Late last year my friend, Don, suggested I contact the local Crossfit studios around the valley; he sent me links to a couple of them. Since they advocate a paleo diet, and that’s my specialty, he thought I might find a receptive new audience for the products and services I offer.
Last week, I had a fruitful meeting with Coach Tiffany Divebliss of Crossfit Scottsdale. We set dates for a class I’ll be leading for their members and for my first one-on-one Crossfit workout. Tiffany wanted me to be on a par with her clients so I could relate to what they do and so I have a taste of what Crossfit is all about.
The premise behind Crossfit is that exercise should be functional (it should make you better at real life activities); it should be performed at high intensity (that produces the best results in the shortest time); and it should be constantly varied (that way it’s never boring, always challenging, and your body receives the stimulation it requires to continually get stronger).
Infinitely adjustable
Although Crossfit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide, it’s also practiced by recreational skiers, mountain bikers, teenagers, housewives, people recovering from heart disease, and countless others. It can be scaled to anyone’s needs and abilities.
According to the Crossfit Scottsdale website, “The mindset at the start of each workout is to be stronger, move faster, more efficiently, with better form than ever. This is why even after years of training CrossFit style, scores and times in workouts continue to drop and athletes continue to improve. It’s hard, fun, exciting, challenging, and will push you to be your absolute best!”
I did it!
Yesterday I met with Coach Tiffany Divebliss. I filled out a release form, filled her in on what I currently do for fitness, what I’ve done in the past, and what limitations I currently have. She listened to my concerns, took my workout and injury history into account, and helped me scale the workout to my abilities, reminding me that I know my body best and know what I can and can’t do.
Next she walked me through the Baseline workout, something everyone goes through initially, and then revisits periodically to gauge his or her progress. We went through each of the movements, so I knew what to expect and could warm up before my timed workout. Then she set the clock.
The photos on the right show me going through the exercises. TIffany took them after I ran through the timed workout listed below. It would have been too distracting during the workout, where she was focused on me and the clock.
Here’s what I did in 7 minutes and 57 seconds:- a 500 meter row
- 40 air squats
- 30 modified sit ups (crunches)
- 20 push ups from my knees (girl style)
- 10 pull ups with a green stretchy band for support
OMG! I loved it. I worked out and breathed harder and got my heart rate up higher than I have in a long time. I did things I hadn’t previously been able to do, such as push ups and pull ups. The modifications for the push ups and the stretchy bands allowed me to actually DO pull ups and do them more comfortably than the ways I had tried in the past.
By the end of the workout my legs felt like jelly (a cool sensation if you ask me), and I had the most amazing rush of feel-good hormones! It brought back memories of running stadium stairs and training on the ergometer in college when I was on an intramural rowing team in Seattle, WA. I remember how high I used to feel after some of those workouts. My first Crossfit workout brought back those blissful feelings and gave me a better understanding of how and why people get hooked on Crossfit.
The morning after
When I woke up yesterday and stretched my arms overhead, I could feel a hint of soreness in my shoulders and triceps. When I stand up or go up and down my stairs, I'm reminded that I worked out hard yesterday. I’m amazed that an 8 minute workout (plus about 5 or 6 minutes of warming up, doing the same motions but more slowly) could produce the benefits that used to take many times longer to achieve with machines and free weights in a gym. I can see how 1-hour Crossfit classes could deliver the kind of results many people spend many hours trying to achieve with conventional cardio and weights.
Hooked on Crossfit
If I lived closer to Crossfit Scottsdale, I could see myself joining. In the meantime, I plan to take a beginner level class later this month and incorporate some of their principles and exercises (such as air squats and bent knee pushups) into the training I’m currently doing at home. I’m pondering the possibility of getting a chinning bar for one of the doorways in my townhouse, stretchy bands to help me do assisted chin ups, and a small box to stand on (so I can reach the bar).
Here's a more rigorous group Crossfit workout (I went more slowly, scaled to my needs).
Check it outIf you’re looking for a way to get into great shape in less time, to make working out more fun, and to look and feel great (besides adopting a paleo or practically paleo diet), check out Crossfit. They have studios around the world.If you live in or near Scottsdale, check out Crossfit Scottsdale.
Good job at CF! I worked up to pullups on my own using jumping and box pullups. I have the pullup bar that goes in your doorway and don't need a box for it (I'm only 5'1"). If you are 5'4" or taller, it likely would be fine without a box. If you really need to do box pullups on it, a little step works, but you may be able to jump up to full flexion and then lower down to work on them. Regardless, it's a great goal. Guys are always impressed I can do pullups :)
Posted by: Alex | March 17, 2010 at 01:46 PM
Hi Alex
Thanks! Now I'm jazzed about adding pushups and freehand squats to my program at home. I'd love to have an erg but it would really stand out and take up a lot of space in my bedroom or living room! ;-)
A friend of mine said he couldn't see a way to put one of those chinning bars in my doorways that I'd probably need to buy a freestanding chinning apparatus, which is fairly bulky and if I recall runs about $100. I'll have to do some research.
Posted by: Chef Rachel | March 18, 2010 at 09:12 AM
That is great you found CrossFit! I love CrossFit, it and nutrition are definitely my two passions in life! Infinitely scalable and variable, you can always find something new and challenging at ANY level. Glad you had such a positive experience! I love CrossFit because I can always walk away with a feeling of success, exhaustion, and triumph. And I always want to get better and accomplish that next goal--keeps me coming back!
Posted by: Kristy A. | March 26, 2010 at 05:35 PM