I feel like every little step I take in Crossfit feels like this momentous accomplishment for me, but you know what, whatever. I kind of like having tons of accomplishments to report and hopefully at some point this blog will help someone else who is as cheeseball and freaked out about everything as I am get up the courage to try these things. <3

That said!

I had an extra class in my payment plan this month because of a trip I went on for work, so I decided to FINALLY try out the Olympic Lifting class that my trainers have (unsuccessfully) been encouraging me to check out since I started. Mind you, I started on-ramp on February 11th of this year, and I tested out on March 11th… so I’ve been effectively “Crossfitting” for 5 months now. Crossfit Nassau has Oly twice a week. I have NEVER GONE. Even though I think all of my regular trainers have asked me multiple times why… the truth is I just don’t want to look like an idiot.

Surprising, considering what I wear to the gym, right?

Well, there you have it.

I feel like even though I came into Crossfit with a decent strength base, I definitely never and don’t want to come off as one of those people who is like “well I can pick this stuff up so that means I’m great at all things Crossfit so RESPECT ME AND SHIT!!111!1!” Cause that’s just not a good look, you know?

So, anyway, back to Wednesday… I FINALLY decided I was ready to try an Oly class… Which is at 8pm now, sheesh.

The classes at CFN have been pretty big lately, but Oly was only about ten of us, and it’s with a special Oly coach, not one of our regular coaches. I’ve seen him around before, but never worked with him… and I’m totally spoiled by my usual guys – they’re used to my stupid shit and ridiculousness. LUCKILY the Oly coach made a point of welcoming me to the group at the start of the class. Here’s what we had on the board for the workout (from what I can remember):

1. Squat Stretch (4)

2. Hang Snatch (3×5)

3. Clean & Jerk (8×1)

4. Good Mornings (8×3)

Soooooo of course I’m miserable at all of these things, but that’s why I’m at class, right? Tom, the coach, popped over to me before I started and asked me to demo each movement, and he sort of tailored the workout specifically for what I needed to work on. I ended up working on Snatch Balances instead of the Hang Snatches (because my stupid hyper-mobileness was messing with my footwork…. as usual), and then I had the “Clean Equivalent” of the Snatch Balance… which to this moment I don’t know what it’s actually called. Anyhow, the point of these two exercises, as explained to me, is to help with the quickness of movement and to gain confidence… which is exactly what I need. I haven’t worked the Olympic Lifts often enough to say I’m confident in them at all. I definitely can do the basic movements, but not well, that’s for sure. I really appreciated getting the breakdown of everything and just the super chill atmosphere of the class. Usually our WOD classes are all go all the time, and I really like the constant movement and activity in those, but it was just great to get to break down some of the more complex movements slowly and work on them bit by bit. (Of course yesterday’s WOD class ended up being 30 minutes of Clean technique, but WHATEVER I need more of it!)

After the Clean and Snatch work, I moved onto the Good Mornings. My gym buddy Jess explained to me that in Oly they’re kind of different than at regular CF class, so I modified what I was doing and actually this was my first time doing Good Mornings with a bar — usually I scale it to PVC because I’m a pansy. So I’m working along and somehow ended up getting myself used as an example of the RIGHT thing to do. Ummm what? Ok, that never happens. I think maybe the coach was dazed by my neon pants or something… but I’ll take it!

Regardless, the Good Mornings ended the class and I honestly felt so great about everything. I know I’m waaaaaayyy at the bottom as far as skill and lifting capacity, but that’s ok right? Gotta start somewhere.

Now, by the time you read this I’ll probably be at my first Open Gym session… yeah I know, that took me 5 months too. Maybe I’ll have some kind of cool new PR to report. Thinking about either the Crossfit Total, Clean, C&J… or who knows?

Oh and P.S. Someday I’ll get an actual photo of me doing something Crossfitty… Someday!