A common question that lingered throughout my last blog post was, “how did you get into Crossfit in the first place.” The answer to that leads me back to my junior year of high school. In late fall during football season, a family friend of ours was going to the Crossfit gym and recommended it to me. Of course, at the time I was playing football so I didn’t have much thought about doing it… Long story short I ended up hurting my knee in the last game of the season and I completely forgot about Crossfit. About a year later I got stuck in a late night YouTube binge when I stumbled upon a Crossfit video. It immediately intrigued me. I had never really seen such high intensity cardio movements with also a strength aspect using the barbells. Then just like that the next week I was off to first class to get started.
Since I was a beginner I was extremely anxious and nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. Luckily with the past experiences in weightlifting I picked up on a lot of things faster than I expected. It also helped that the coaches there are extremely friendly and want to help people get better. That kindness and will to help others leads to both beginners and advanced weightlifters success in Crossfit. Don’t worry if you’re a beginner the coaches teach you everything that you need to have a safe effective workout. At the gym I go to, there is usually a class that teaches all of the barbell movements that will be performed. As for all of the non barbell movements (Kettlebell swings, butterfly pullups, etc), those will be taught whenever they show up for a Workout of the Day.
A Workout of the day, also known as WOD for short is the programming that Crossfit coaches use to give everyone a baseline of what to do for the day. There is usually a recommended weight option to use for that workout, however most people, including myself who are newer to Crossfit use whatever weight they/I am comfortable with for the exercises. This is extremely important because it allows people to be safe and maintain solid form, while also pushing themselves a little bit further each day. Plus the coaches are always there to give that little bit extra motivation to get you through a workout.
I am very thankful for my family friend who told me to give Crossfit a try. It has gotten me so much stronger than just normal weightlifting. Don’t get me wrong though weightlifting isn’t bad by any means. Weightlifting can get you strong just like any type of physical exercise. I just never had the form, coaching, or motivation that Crossfit has given me. So I would say that If you’re looking to get stronger, whether advanced or a beginner definitely give Crossfit some consideration.
Hunter Boland 