A Crossfit Review

Like many people, I've been intrigued with Crossfit. I hear so many good things about it and have seen people experience so many fantastic results from joining Crossfit, so I really wanted to check it out for myself. Each box (what they call their gyms) offers a free introductory class, so Chris and I took advantage of one a couple weeks ago.

The introduction class started with a description of what Crossfit is and a description of what a typical workout looks like. Crossfit is a strength and conditioning system that uses high intensity movements that  constantly change. You move from one exercise to another, which keeps your heart rate elevated and results in an amazing workout in less than 20 minutes. But you typically spend more than 20 minutes at your box. The intent is that you spend some time before the WOD (workout of the day) to stretch, then participate with a small group in the WOD, afterwards work on skills and form, and finally stretch again before calling it a day.

The WOD is posted on a whiteboard when you walk into the box, with the prescribed weights for men and women for each exercise. You can adjust these weights or make other modifications to accommodate your fitness level, that way everyone at any fitness level can participate. Once you complete the WOD, you write your name and time on the board.

After our instructor walked us through all this, she lead us through a modified WOD - a less intense version of what you would typically experience. We started with a warm up which included sit ups, supermans, and a 400 meter run (among other things I can't recall at this time). Then we were ready for our WOD, which looked like this:

10-8-6-4-2
Push Press
Renegade Rows
Squats

If your anything like I was, you have no idea how to read the workout above. The numbers (10-8-6-4-2) represent the number of reps you do for each set. So, you will do 10 repetitions of push press, 10 repetitions of renegade rows and 10 squats. Without resting, you will start over with push press, doing 8 repetitions, 8 renegade rows, 8 squats, and so on. You continue through until you have completed all the exercises and record your time - mine was 7:29 - and I was literally dripping in sweat. It's no joke!

I spent a few minutes before starting the workout to determine what my weights for the push press and renegade rows should be. I used a 45lb weighted bar for the push press and 10 lb dumbbells for the renegade rows, and squats I did without any weights.

After the WOD, I asked to see how they modify exercises that don't use weight, like pull ups. She demonstrated how they use bands, and how to work your way up to a kipping pull-up. I practiced a few with modifications, and then we headed out to cool down with a 400 meter jog.

My impressions of Crossfit? I loved it! I could totally see myself joining and loving every workout. It has a great sense of community and a lot of variety, which would keep boredom at bay. But.... it's super expensive! Each box is independently owned, so the cost varies, but the one we visited was $155/month/person. Ouch! Not only that, but you can't come and workout any time you like. You have to participate in the WOD classes, which are offered throughout the day, but 6:30 pm is often the last class of the day. Being that Chris and I both work full time, we need the flexibility to be able to workout whenever we have time. If it's 8:30 pm or 7:00 am, we fit it in where we are able.

So for those reasons, we decided that we are going to keep our current gym membership, but still participate in Crossfit WOD. Most boxes post the WOD on-line daily. I'm able to pull up the workout and head to our local gym and do the same thing I would at a Crossfit box. It's not the same though, I realize that. You don't have the attention of a trainer that helps you with form, and a group working through it with you. Maybe someday down the road we'll decide to join our local box, but for now this works.

What do you think of Crossfit? Have you tried it before?

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