As promised, I’m here to give an update on my latest fitness adventure, affectionately called “CrossFit,” and not so affectionately called, “Hell.” I kid – there’s no fire or brimstone…yet… and only one demon does the torturing 😉 (Amanda and Chris , if y’all are reading, you know I’m joshin’– you guys are awesome!)
I’m taking a Tuesday/Thursday morning CrossFit class, and for brevity’s sake, I will try to sum the first week up with one all-encompassing adjective: humbling.
When you walk into the CrossFit “box” and look to your left, you see half a wall of dry erase boards covered in names, times, abbreviations, acronyms, warm-up descriptions, motivational quotes, and even Bible verses (I glanced at the latter two countless times this week!).
I can’t recall exactly how the description of my first-ever CrossFit class was worded, but it was something simple and innocent-looking, like:
6 Rounds:25 burpees, 400 meter run
Considering the fact that the workouts I prescribe for myself are typically comprised of at least three circuits, each containing three to five exercises performed back to back, this “WOD” (workout of the day) seemed like a piece of cake… at least on paper – or dry erase board, as it were. (“Humbling,” I repeat, “humbling.”)
First off, from the day I met burpees back in high school, they’ve been a bitter enemy of mine. (Just a side note here, they are a terrific exercise, so much so that I had to outright ignore my deep-seated hatred for them and include them in my upcoming book, Fit for Faith.)
Here are a few pics from my gym’s CrossFit box and a description of “The Burpee.” Enjoy! 😉 Premier CrossFit on Facebook
- Get in a squat position with feet close together and hands on the floor in front of you.
- With hands on the floor, kick your feet back so that you are in a push-up position.
- Immediately return your feet to the squat position.
- Jump up as high as you can from the squat position.
- Repeat as fluidly as possible.
So, twenty-five burpees kicked off the WOD, followed by a 400 meter run. Now, I know I’m a personal trainer and, “Aren’t personal trainers supposed to be, like, in really good condition?” but may I just say, humbly, that my cardiovascular condition needs significant improvement; hence, one more reason why CrossFit is something I know I’m going to benefit from greatly!
400 meters equals almost a quarter of a mile. Now for a little multiplication: 6 x’s 25 burpees = 150 burpees, and 6 x’s 400 meters = roughly 1.5 miles. And the goal was to complete this as fast as possible!
I’m not sure what an exceptional time would be, and I tried to force myself not to compare my time with others’, but I was glad to finish in twenty-seven minutes. I took plenty of breaks in between painful bursts of burpee-ing, but I truly did push myself, and that’s the point.
Thursday’s WOD was completely different. We stood in one place, holding onto one piece of equipment for ten minutes: a barbell. For the sake of space and time, I’ll spare you the details of this one and leave you suspended on the edge of your seat until next week’s CrossFit rundown. 😉
At the risk of sounding like a wimp, I’m very sore, but it’s the so-called “good” kind of soreness that lets me know my muscles are adapting to this new fitness regimen and getting stronger in the process! I’ve stated before that working out with resistance makes for a wonderful spiritual metaphor, and CrossFit builds, rather literally, upon it…
Our muscles, much like spiritual perseverance, grow only after undergoing intense exercise in which muscle fibers experience trauma referred to as “muscle injury” or “damage.”But after working out for a while, we can become complacent and comfortable, just like I was beginning to feel with my three-circuit workouts (do you see how this can be applied spiritually?)
It was time for me to be challenged. It was time for my muscles to be pushed to their max and “humbled,” only to be built back up stronger than ever. And don’t get me started on the cardio/heart connection!
Run your race to get the prize that’s waiting for you! And if you get in a rut, get a new pair of shoes, and run faster ;-).
“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” – 1st Corinthians 9:24
Stay fit, stay faithful ~<3 Di