For me, CrossFit has been an epic story of doing something, that I did not think possible. It took over a year for me to give it a try and I loved/hated that first trial WOD. I knew I wanted to do it, but I didn’t quite believe that I could do it. I was intimidated and intrigued, but eventually curiosity won and I signed up for a month.
November 2011: I show up at the box for my foundation class early. I try not to look panicked or overwhelmed while watching the Saturday morning class finish up their WOD. I have no athletic background and have not being doing any kind of regular exercise program for over a year. I am so far out of my comfort zone and a nearly hyperventilating when my class starts. I make it through the next four hours completely bewildered by all the new terminology and ways I am supposed to maneuver my body around a barbell. I manage to not cry, throw-up or pass out- that is something!
I go home and hit up the ibuprofen and promise myself I will stick with this for 3 months, 3 times a week. I email or text all my friends this pledge and tell them to hold me to it. I plan out what days I am going to go each week and stick to the plan. On the appointed days, I drive to the box and literally sit outside in my truck and psyche myself to go in. Once I get inside, I try to look not scared, but my eyes are all fear.
December 2012: The first two months are pretty much like the first day. I become aware at how completely terrible I am at CrossFit. I learn what it feels like to be doing your absolute best and still be disappointed in yourself. The coaches are friendly, attentive and patient and that makes all the difference. They assure me my brain will create neuron paths, so that these movements become possible. The physical part is hard, but the mental part is brutal. No one likes to suck at something. I spend huge amounts of energy counseling myself through WODs, trying not to cry or quit. Then I go home and try not to think about how much I sucked.
January 2012: One random day about two and a half months in, I start sucking a little less. As I put my dumbbells away, a trainer says “you are doing MUCH better.” The way he emphasized the “MUCH” made me laugh, because I can only imagine what the first 2 months of WODs looked like (sometimes I wish I had video). I remember the reason I decided to do this in the first place- I like a challenge.
Just as I am starting to feel good about things, I met Angie and immediately go back to panic mode. Angie is benchmark WOD: 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats. The pull-ups terrify me and I immediate seek out the trainer for a WOD modification. He tells me to use bands and I calmly scream “I can’t do 100 pull-ups even with all the colored bands.” I must look on the verge of insanity because he gives me a modification- I am to do pull-ups with bands until I can only do one to failure and then I can switch to ring rows. Satisfied with my out, I start my pull-ups. When I get to 60, I start realizing 100 just might be possible. By the time I am at one to failure, I am at 90 pull-ups and there is no way I am not finishing this. So I knock out the last 10 one-by-one, stunned that I actually did it! This is a turning point for me- I just did 100 pull-ups- something I thought was impossible!!!! My brain nearly exploded from the neuron growth!
February 2012: I finished out month three with enough confidence to decide to start coming 4 times a week. This is when I really started to see results. The first thing I noticed is the warm-up is actually a warm-up- I am not getting winded. Next, some WODs are actually “easier” than others, whereas, before every WOD was equal torture. I am able to start pinpointing what I am good at (running, squats, jump rope) and what I am not good at (wall ball, box jumps, anything involving a barbell). Since I am less stressed about the physical part of CrossFit I am actually smiling more and making friendly chatter with others. CrossFit is becoming a fun challenge and a social spot.
March 2012: Doing CrossFit four times a week is going great! I am making noticeable progress and even have some definition in my arms. I can get through hard WODs, by becoming a robot. I turn off my feelings and just do it! At the end of the WOD, I am getting the “high” of a job well done. I am enjoying myself and want more, but going four times a week also hurts.
As I am debating going five times a week, I find an article that describes yoga as a yang to CrossFit’s yin (http://myathleticlife.com/2011/12/crossfit-yoga-definition-yin-yang/). I have never even had the slightest interested in doing yoga, but now I am thinking about it. Driving home, I notice there is a yoga studio opening across the street from my house. Unable to ignore that sign, I go online and see they have a $30 for 30 days promotion. So I decide to give it a try for 30 days.
April 2012: I am CrossFitting four times a week and doing yoga two times a week. I don’t suck at yoga. My natural flexibility, which is sometimes a problem at CrossFit, ensures I am never the worse person in the class. Besides being a much-needed ego boost, I find yoga is a wonderful compliment to CrossFit and definitely helps stretch out my sore muscles. I start to apply the yoga breathing to CrossFit. For example, burpees become “breathing exercises” inhale up exhale down. “Breathing through the discomfort” gives me another way to get through a difficult WOD.
I start doing the strength training days to become better friends with the barbell. I work on my “spirit breakers.” First up is wall balls. After five WODs with hundreds of wall balls, I get over my issues. Next up is box jumps, I start with the smallest box and am working my way up to the 20 inches. I talk about my “spirit breakers” and find that everyone has that something that they are trying to master. When the “Filthy Fifty” shows up as a WOD, I take a deep breath in and remind myself I did “Angie” so nothing is impossible. I turn the “Filthy Fifty” into a checklist and get all the items done in 35 minutes.
CrossFit has given me resilience- I can handle hard things. It has changed my mindset about what is possible. Some WODs still scare me, but that is now countered with the thrill of the challenge. I know I will have a bunch of people to go through it with and we will cheer each other on. Six months into CrossFit, I am an "athlete". I still have many things to work on, but now I actually believe they can happen. The past six months have been an amazing mental, physical and at time emotionally transformation. I look forward to the challenges ahead.
