Crossfit: Forging Elite Fitness
I worked out in the gym before. I even put on a few pounds of muscle. I got the "Men's Health Maximum Muscle Plan" and followed it religiously. Heck, I even tried a ton of supplements from HMB to protein bars, creatine, energy caps, nitric oxide, thermogenic compounds, and a ton of other magic pills and powders that I can't even remember. Back then, I weighed 218 pounds. Could bench about 185 pounds, leg press around 300. I even would do squats on a smith machine to "train the whole lower body". I can't tell you how many hours I spent wailing on my triceps and squeezing out biceps curls to get that "pump" everyone likes to stare at in the mirror at the gym. If I ate enough thermos one week, you could almost see the top of my abs! I thought I was fit.
One night while searching the forums at bodybuilding.com or some other "fitness" site I read about Crossfit. So I googled it, and found Crossfit.com. There were videos of people doing super-human feats. I watched a video of "Fran", one of their workouts. It's 3 rounds of 21, 15, then 9 reps of the two exercises: Thrusters and Pull-ups. What's a thruster? In this case, it involves a 95 pound bar held standing upright at shoulder level then squatting down and "thrusting" the bar overhead to lock out the elbows. Repeat 20 more times, then go directly to pull-ups. Don't stop there, you have two rounds left. "Fran" is timed, and honestly, I had to stop and catch my breath so much I think my first time was over 30 minutes. Or try "Murph", a workout named in the honor of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy who paid the ultimate price in Afghanistan: Run one mile, 100 Pull-ups, 200 Push-ups, 300 Squats (no bar, just body weight), and a final one mile run. A 20 lb weight vest or body armor is encouraged to be worn through all of this.
I was skeptical at first, started doing Crossfit on my rest days from my Men's Health workouts. Some workouts took me over an hour to finish. I had to start with assisted pull-ups. Push-ups? I could do about ten and then had to rest. Squats with no weight? Sure, I thought those wouldn't make me sore. I was wrong.
There's really a lot more to Crossfit than push-ups, pull-ups, and squats. It's an entire body fitness plan. Every workout is different. Somedays you are in a gym doing cleans or snatches, bench press, deadlifts and more. Somedays you are running a 5 or 10k. Even better days combine sprints with a kettlebell or dumbbell and pull-ups. Whatever the workout is, it's different everyday and it's all functional fitness-no more sweating on some machine that isolates one movement. Oh, and it's brutal.
You can do it just about anywhere. The website, Crossfit.com, has tons of information on how to do every exercise, and what to do if you don't have the equipment or can't do the exercise. It's adaptable. Best thing? It's all free. The founder, Greg Glassman aka "Coach" is in to sharing his information. They have videos of each exercise, as well as vids of some of the most popular workouts. The Crossfit community is more like a family that encourages newcomers and always willing to point a newbie in the right direction to get started.
Crossfit gyms are growing, and are in most major cities across the U.S. You can find one near you by going to the same site, and clicking on "Affiliate Blog". Select your state and check them out. Most of them offer at least one free class as an introduction. If you are like me, and live in an area where there is no affiliate, follow these steps:
1. Research the site. The best thing to do is go to the Navigation pane and then to "Start here"
2. Start with the "Crossfit Warm-up" in the FAQ section
3. Practice the exercises at first, try to master the form before getting into the "Rx'd" weight. Watch the videos until you have a clear understanding.
4. It's always good to consult with a doctor first, especially if you have a serious health condition.
Let me emphasize safety here. Crossfit is tough, and you have to be especially careful! I have a bad back, and the wrong form or too heavy a weight has gotten me where I had to sit out for a few days. Don't let that discourage you from trying it out. I'm in better shape than post-boot camp. My core-back and abs-are stronger than ever. Just use common sense.
People from all walks of life do it, from kids to people 50+(I might add that some of those 50 year olds leave me in the dirt). I only do Crossfit now. No more traditional gyms workouts. They aren't necessary. I'm an amatuer. I'm not a certified trainer, just someone that loves what it does to my body and the "high" I get when I complete a workout. It might last only 20 minutes, but more muscle is trained than any traditional workout.
I was asked to put in my two cents from the owner of this blog in part due to the new fitness regs that the Coast Guard is going to implement. It's an honor to share information about Crossfit with the Coast Guard. I'm not a great writer, nor some elite athlete. I'm just an "average joe" that loves Crossfit. I'm sure that I left out some detail, and I will try to correct with later posts. Please feel free to contact me with questions, and I will either get you the info or point you in the right direction.
A little bit about myself, since this is my first post. I served primarily at A/S Detroit on Dolphins. I also served as crewman and boarding team at Sta Destin. I was medically retired with a damaged lower back that prevented me from flying. While I'm not 100%, and still have to deal with this injury, there are a lot worse off people that still do Crossfit much better than me. I feel like this IS the resource anyone can use to get fit or even rehab an injury. I miss my shipmates, and keep my Coast Guard family in my thoughts. You are the real heroes. Semper Paratus.
I'm a workout behind, and Crossfit honors the fallen of our military men and women. Yesterday was the anniversary of Sept 11th. Coach posted to choose a "hero" workout like "Murph" or some other on the site that sacrificed everything. Tomorrow, I will honor the aircrew of CG Helo 6505 with this modified workout from the official Crossfit site:
Three rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
30 1.5 pood (55lb) Kettlebell or dumbell swings
250 single-under rope jumps
21 pull-ups
*This is not an official Crossfit workout, not endorsed at all by Crossfit, just something that I feel like is due to some fallen shipmates.
I would like to thank the Glassman's for making Crossfit available to the public. All credit is due to them and them only.
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