Why I Do CrossFit

Staying in shape isn’t a simple thing to do. It takes time, dedication, and a metric fuckton (please excuse my language) of effort.

Growing up, I played many sports - Bastkeball, Baseball, Soccer, Golf, and Skiing to name the main ones. I was a very active kid. I was also blessed with a very quick and strong metabolism. I could eat as much as I wanted, and once I stopped feeling bloated, I wouldn’t have gained a pound. I took advantage of it quite a bit (and still do). Though, even with this abundance of physical activity, I wasn’t particularly strong. I’d tried the gym membership thing a few times, but it never lasted more than a month or so, and I was never really all that interested in it.

It wasn’t until I started my second year at uWaterloo that a good friend of mine, Jon Best, managed to introduce me to a workout regime I could get behind and actually follow through with. He introduced me to many movements, and within weeks I was seeing noticeable and quantifiable differences in my strength and endurance. At the current point in time, Jon is running his own personal trainer business, Personal Best Fitness, in Waterloo, and if you are in the area, I would very highly recommend you contact him (jonathanfbest@gmail.com) if you are interested in a personal trainer. I was working out with Jon for about two and half months before I departed on an internship near San Jose, California. Before I did, he mentioned that someof the movements I was doing (e.g. wall balls) were very common in CrossFit, though he didn’t go into much detail about what CrossFit was.

After arriving in San Jose, I realized why I was having trouble committing to a fitness regime. Some of the problems I face include lack of motivation and accountability, and no desire to program the workouts everyday, while still wanting variety. When working with Jon, I was able to continue the regime because I am motivated by seeing other people put effort into their workouts, because Jon was holding me accountable for any missed workouts, and he was doing all of the programming while I was working with him. Once I moved to San Jose, I lost access to the programming, motivation and accountability. I was there for a full month before I even began looking into gyms nearby, which is when I stumbled upon a gym called (at the time) CrossFit Santa Clara. Having heard about CrossFit I was intrigued and decided to check it out. Luckily, most CrossFit gyms have a policy of providing the first class for free to any newcomers (new to CrossFit, or just new to the gym). I was instantly hooked.

In that one workout, I found a fitness program that would solve all of my hesitations and road blocks to getting into shape. That workout provided me:

• Motivation - Other members of the class (despite never having met me before) were actively encouraging and cheering me on after they finished their workout and while I finished mine. On top of this, their level of intensity throughout the workout made me want to push harder.
• Programming - Most (if not all) CrossFit gyms have their own programming. Every day is a different workout, with different movements, and focusing on a different skill. I could get variety without doing the programming myself (which, let’s be honest, wouldn’t have been nearly as productive as having a trainer)
• Accountability - Everyone else in the class was very friendly, but also very clearly serious about CrossFit. I knew that once I started, I would receive comments if I was to miss a class or two in which I had become a regular. Also, since I needed to sign up for the class ahead of time, I could hold myself accountable if I had missed a few days.

Since then, I’ve been a little on and off with CrossFit - not because I was tired of it, but simply due to lack of access in certain cases. Despite this, I can without a doubt say that CrossFit has put me in the best shape of my life. Because of CrossFit, I’ve run a 10km race, have plans to run a half-marathon, can walk several feet on my hands, can do several consecutive muscle ups, and am able to lift a significant amount more weight that I was able to 4 years ago when I started.

CrossFit has a bit of a bad name with some people in the fitness world, and (to some extent) rightly so. CrossFit has a reputation for causing athletes to push too hard and for injury among athletes. To some extent, this is a problem with CrossFit, and to some extent this is a problem with the athletes. As someone looking to get fit while still remaining healthy and injury free, when searching for CrossFit gyms, there are a few things I pay special attention:

• CrossFit is easily scaled to each individual athlete’s capabilities. Athletes who ‘push too hard’ and end up puking or have workouts result in injury or exhaustion are at least at partial (if not complete) fault for not respecting their own limits and pushing way beyond them instead of working up to it.
• Every gym is different. There are good gyms, and there are very bad gyms. Never commit to a gym before you’ve done at least one, if not two classes at the gym and paying close attention to how much the coaches are commenting on your form and trying to help you improve with movements. More specifically and bluntly, how anal are they about correct form during the movements.
• On the other hand, they have 5-20 students in a single class, so they can’t pay attention to what you do at all times. Ask questions about your form to the coaches. Pay attention to how much time they spend trying to correct your form, and how good of a job they do with it.

Don’t join gyms that aren’t very particular about ensuring that members use proper form for the movements.

While I’ve grown and gained a lot from doing CrossFit in the form of motivation, strength, accountability, programming, and friends, to name a few, it definitely isn’t for everyone. Specifically, I wouldn’t recommend it for people who feel self-concious at the gym working out with others nearby. Unfortunately, this isn’t the opinion that everyone has with regards to CrossFit. There are many people who do CrossFit that I can only classify as elitist. These people will tell you like “If you aren’t doing CrossFit, you aren’t really working out”, or “If you don’t like CrossFit, then the issue lies with you, not with CrossFit”, or others things along these lines. It’s unfortunate that these people are out there, but my suggestion is to simply ignore them. I would recommend that anyone who thinks CrossFit might be a viable fitness program for themselves try a class or two, and then make that decision on their own.

Personal fitness and health is now one of the most important parts of my life. And this is because I have many ambitions, some of which include things that require a minimum amount physical capabilities. I don’t want to be limited in what I can and can’t do as a result of my strength or health.

I would urge everyone to take a step towards improving your level of fitness. To help, here is a list of some resources I’ve come across that might help:

• Fighter Pull Up Program
• Hundred Push Ups
• Couch-to-5K
• CrossFit FAQ

There are many other programs (e.g. P90x, Insanity) out there to help you get fit. And if you want a workout buddy, let me know, because I’d be glad to join you.

Cheers to physical health - mine and yours.