Discovering The Magic Of CrossFit And Loving It
Discovering CrossFit was a dream that came true to me. It caught me by surprise and I want to share about this awesome workout with you.
Some years ago, I discovered CrossFit on my Facebook feed.
It was the weekend of The CrossFit Games 2012.
I was amazed by the performance of all participants, mainly the women.
It blew my mind and since then, I watch it every year.
Even though it was love at first sight, I never dared even looking for a box in Belgium. I used to think it was not for me.
How could someone like me who has a hard time putting up muscle mass ever do something any close to what they did?
Never!!!
But guess what? I was wrong.
#CrossFit is as competitive as you make it and it's sure fun! #fitness Click To Tweet
My first experience with CrossFit
Thanks to my internship in Physical Coaching, I entered a box for the first time.
I did at CrossFit Aalst.
I was lucky that the owner is a NASM certified Personal Trainer.
So In addition to having the opportunity to discover CrossFit, I was learning from the best.
I have to admit that the first sessions I followed looked pretty confusing to me.
Therefore, if you ever stop by and feel overwhelmed by what everyone is doing, don’t let it influence your final decision.
It happens to most people.
Within a couple of days, however, the chaos started to get organized. To be sincere, it’s surely much more organized than in most gyms I have gone to.
For starters, people always put their weights back, and they learn how to do their exercises always with proper form.
Moving forward
I am still discovering Crossfit.
My internship ended in the beginning of 2015, and I had my very first official session.
There’s a whole universe of exercises and acronyms that I still have to learn, but I am enjoying every single step of the way.
Since my BJJ days, I haven’t been that excited about what my training is going to be since I always plan my workouts beforehand. There was no room for the surprise element.
One thing that has helped me get a grip of the training was understanding the terms used.
A couple of them you hear a lot and might confuse a beginner are:
- WOD: Workout Of the Day
- AMRAP: As Many Rounds (or Reps) As Possible
- EMON: Every Minute On the Minute
- Rx’d: as written
- PR: Personal Record (aka PB or Personal Best)
You will learn about “The Girls” and “The Heroes” as well.
You will also see the less discreet color combinations for gym outfits ever, and I have to admit that I ADORE this part. And I am so not afraid of going over the top.
Even though you can find tons of cool CrossFit related goods on the market, there is no uniform. You wear what makes you feel comfortable, and you like. There is no need to recycle your wardrobe.
The freedom is incredible.
I’m not really a fan of group classes. In CrossFit, we train together, but each person does their own thing. The exercise is the same, but you take as far as you can and want to. I love it!
#CrossFit is way much more about proper than some think. #fitness Click To TweetCrossFit before brain tumor surgery
My plan until my brain tumor surgery is to go to the box four times a week and do a WOD at home on Sundays.
I film myself whenever possible. Note that my vids should not be used as instructional because I need a lot of improvement on my form, to begin with. But just like progress pictures, vids can help you assess where you are and work on your proprioception to keep on improving.
There are no mirrors in boxes.
You need to learn how to perform exercises without looking at yourself all the time.
I see a lot of material online about the bad form in CrossFit, but that’s not what I experience.
I cannot say if it has to do with the quality of the coaches or if it is a general thing because my box is the only one I have ever been too.
In bodybuilding, I’ve already seen so many absurd things that they in no way are less dangerous than some stuff I see on the internet. So please use your judgment.
Check how I discovered the magic of #CrossFit and fell in love with it. #fitness Click To TweetOn CrossFit’s YouTube channel, you can find official CrossFit videos in which all exercises are described in details.
Don’t go for heavy weights if your technique is not right.
PRs are reached naturally and responsibility.
There’s no need to rush and hurt yourself.
With that said, I hope I helped you discover CrossFit and maybe also fall in love with it.
Feel free to ask any question and share your experience.
There is fit and there is #CrossFit. #fitness Click To TweetAre you interested in discovering CrossFit?
Read also these posts about my experience with CrossFit:
- My Ultimate 50 Fabulous Things To Do Before 50 List
- My Biased Impressions of the CrossFit Games 2015
- Make Time For CrossFit With These 3 Tips
Please check the list of link parties I join here.
