What’s New, Dara?

Yesterday when I walked into CFN, I would have sworn that it was hotter inside the box than it was outside. Honestly, if this had happened in the beginning of my Crossfit career, I think I would have cried myself into a puddle before the workout began. Then, today, it happened again.

Miserably humid and over 80 degrees is absolutely NOT my ideal workout climate, but one of the things that’s really been ingrained into me in my 4 months since starting at Crossfit is that honestly, it just doesn’t fucking matter. Nothing matters except what you put into what you’re doing.

During our strength portion of the workout yesterday, I was standing next to my friend JoAnn, practicing some Clean & Jerk technique with empty bars. We were moving along at a nice clip, when I turned to her and said, “Remember when we started? This was SO terrifying!” She looked over at me, smiled, and reminisced with me, agreeing and recalling how she used to rely on the technique bar for her warm-ups. This conversation carried through our warm-ups and as we loaded up weights to run through the C&J workout.

Thinking back now though (now meaning… after the workout, post shower and post burrito bowl consumption), after I passed my on-ramp, I think I was the most nervous person ever. I latched on to my box-mate Jess and literally mirrored her around the gym for my first… 3 workouts? At least? I don’t think I could have gotten through it all without her! When I started on-ramp I was with a crew of 4 other friends that I knew from outside Crossfit, and none of them decided to continue. Going to those first few workouts without them was terrifying. But Jess let me tail her around like a little puppy and I am so grateful because it made me realize that I totally *am* capable of doing something like this “on my own” but it also drove home the fact that Crossfit really IS a community and that I wasn’t actually alone.

How Have I Progressed, Really?

Oly lifts have been a struggle for me since the start. Even though my coaches have commended me on my random displays of strength, the idea of throwing the bar … with weight on it (omgwtf?!) over my head has been a tough pill to swallow, particularly because I’m apparently hyper-mobile not only in my hips but also in my shoulders? This means that I have to literally “stick” my overhead position, because if not, I’ll end up bailing the bar backwards because I’ll throw off my center of gravity to the back because the bar will literally track TOO FAR and end up behind me. Again… W.T.F.

However, this post is about progress, right? So let’s take a second to consider that the discovery of all of this hypermobility is totally progress. How would I know I was hyper-mobile in my shoulders if I wasn’t pushing my limits and trying the oly lifts? I wouldn’t! I’m definitely trying crazier things than I ever would have in any other instance – during yesterday’s workout we also worked on muscle-ups. Umm me? Riiiight. But we scaled down to rings and I was sort of getting the hang of the motion, which was pretty sweet.

In addition to all of these psychological gains, I’m definitely progressing with my actual lifting. Sticking with the C&Js, on April 18th, I 1RMed at 90 pounds. Yesterday during the series, I did 4 reps at 95 pounds, and today I was Front Squatting 135! I really need to somehow find time to test my 1RMs so I can compare against them. I don’t know how to find the time since I only get to the box twice a week. I’m thinking maybe I’ll try to come in for some open gyms, because I don’t know how else to fit it in! If I miss the 1 day we’re testing, which sounds like it’s going to happen next week for the front squat series, I won’t even know after completing a series, how I’ve done. Which would TOTALLY suck because even though I know it doesn’t really *matter,* I want to continue competing against myself and progressing forward.

Finally, of course, I’m definitely seeing some physical changes, which I’m sure some people have been following along. Since last update I went under 150 and I’ve stayed there for a week, which is pretty huge and I’m super excited. HOWEVER, not only my weight has been changing. I’ve definitely noticed a distinct body composition change just based on how my clothes fit, AND my endurance has definitely gone up in a positive way. I’ve seen the transition from crossfit to roller derby pretty hardcore and firsthand – I have more energy for more time and I can last through our crazy endurance drills even in the heat much better than I used to.

So… What Are You Telling Me?

All in, Crossfit has DEFINITELY been a positive experience for me thus far. I know a lot of people think it’s some crazy fitness cult and everyone is ripped and keeps strict paleo and gets injured every six seconds and like swallows raw eggs or something (my one box-mate DOES claim to drink baby tears for breakfast, I’ll concede that fact), but honestly if you’re smart about your limits and you go to a good box, Crossfit is seriously amazing. You get out what you put in, everyone works their asses off, and because of that, there’s just this aura of respect for everyone in the gym. I highly recommend trying out an on-ramping program at Crossfit and seeing if it’s for you. But, honestly, if you’re serious about your health and fitness and NOT just about looking cute for the summer, check out Crossfit. It could possibly change your life.