After One Month of CrossFit - Key Learnings

I've been a part of the Crossfit world (or "cult" if you ask some) for just over a month now, having officially joined Crossfit Dilworth a few short weeks ago.  In that time, many of you who read this blog have had questions about Crossfit, and hopefully I've been able to address a few of them.

With that said, I'd like to cover some of the key learnings I've had in my first month of Crossfit, as well as attack a few of the misconceptions that also exist.

1 - It exposes your weaknesses.

Despite having completed four half-marathons, I am NOT a good endurance athlete. I played football and ran track in college, so my attributes are more in-line with that sort of athleticism (plyometric explosion, short bursts of energy, Olympic lifting).  On several WODs, for the first round or two I would be fine. Whether it was burpees, box jumps, kipping pullups, or even cleans, I would sail through easily for the first few rounds or minutes. The tough part was looking up at the clock and seeing 10-12 minutes left on a 15:00 AMRAP.

My weakness has been endurance with a focus of not running out of gas early on in each WOD. Crossfit has exposed that, and shown me where my area of focus lies moving forward.

For someone else, they may have loads of endurance however they simply lack explosive or general strength. Another person may struggle to manipulate their bodyweight on a pullup bar. If you're an athlete, odds are that you are strong in some area, but probably weak in some other. Whatever the case may be, Crossfit will expose it.

2 - Crossfit gyms are minimalist.

The first time I walked into Crossfit Charlotte, I remember feeling overwhelmed and initially out-of-place. The music was loud, there was lots of loud thunderous talking, barbells and bumper plates were clanging everywhere, it was a shock to the system. Then I remembered that I used to LOVE this type of environment. My high school weight room was just like this. I had become soft and watered-down by fancy fitness facilities with climate-controlled temperatures, tons of vanity mirrors, ceiling fans, and fancy TVs everywhere.

Five minutes into my time at the Crossfit Charlotte facility reminded me of why I fell in love with training in the first place. It wasn't fancy, but it's not supposed to be. Sometimes fancy is bad, and less is more. Crossfit gyms are about function not fashion. They're not about comfort. Actually if your gym feels "comfortable" then I would question just how hard you are actually working while there.

3 - Crossfitters are encouraging.

I forgot all their names, but the Crossfitters that I met during my first WOD blew me away with how nice  they all were. The vibe was so welcoming and encouraging, that made a lasting impression.

While on a business trip to San Diego, I looked up a gym called Crossfit Mission Gorge. Using the GPS device (I still made a couple wrong turns) I found the gym location and walked in hoping to join for the one day walk-in fee. The coach was extremely nice and treated me like a guest (in the good sense).

My home gym, Crossfit Dilworth has the same vibe.  Our toughest WODs bring out the team atmosphere for which Crossfit has become famous. Even the most intense workout fiends that would normally scare people off, shock you with their encouraging attitudes towards others, particularly anyone they notice who may be struggling through the closing stages of that workout.

I have been floored with the balance of intense competitive nature with team-oriented behavior I have seen at virtually every Crossfit gyms I've either visited, or heard about through close friends.

For those of us grown-ups who miss the camaraderie from playing on teams in high school and/or college that simply isn't achieved through running groups or fitness classes - Crossfit offers the closest facsimile that I've ever seen.

4 - It truly is scalable.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that the same weight that Person A is lifting, will be mandatory for Person B.  A good Crossfit coach instructs (or sometimes mandates) people to drop weights down from the prescribed load to an amount that allows the person to finish the WOD while maintaining proper form and technique, which obviously decreases injury risk as well.

5  - There is a twisted pleasure in the struggle.

I mentioned earlier that if a person's workouts are "comfortable", then I would challenge just how hard that  person is working. I would challenge how much that person is pushing his or herself to improve. Any improvement (physical in this case) comes with a degree of struggle. Doing the same elliptical or treadmill workout for 6 months consecutive will almost certainly result in a plateau and stalled improvement. 

The more I become familiar with Crossfit, I feel as though it is not about "being the best". It's about being YOUR best.

Whatever you are going to attempt in life, why not try to be your best at it? Why not try to become the best version of YOU that you can be at that one given thing?  But the road to your best begins with steps. Those steps involve improving every time out, every WOD, little by little.

It means five pounds more on your dead lift.

It means finally getting your chin over the bar on your kipping pullups.

It means you get through 10 burpees without gasping for air, when last month you were tired after three.

The bricks laid by focusing on improving yourself at one thing, little by little build a foundation. Eventually you will look back and marvel at what you have built.  The journey becomes the entire point of it all.  You begin to see the pleasure in the struggle.

CrossFit Games competitor Miranda Oldroyd put this into words beautifully with her blog (link below) post capturing her thoughts and feelings when spirits were low during a poor showing at Regionals. Her writing not only applies to Crossfit, or other fitness endeavors, but frankly applies to any walk of life that requires a mix of hard work and persistence over time.

"I could chose to be sad or to fight....I chose to FIGHT."

What's Your Motivation?

I'm closing in on my first month after starting CrossFit, and as many of my friends (both "real" and Facebook) can tell I am officially hooked. Last Summer, watching the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games on ESPN, I was floored at the feats of strength, endurance, and competitive drive the participants showed. ESPN rebroadcast the 2011 Games this weekend, to coincide with the Regional Qualifying rounds which are currently  underway. 

Watching the Reebok CrossFit Games takes on a whole new meaning to me now that I actually am a CrossFitter. I can identify with the competitors in a whole new way. Their sweat and struggle "makes sense" to me now that I can sympathize with countless burpees, t-shirt and shorts covered in powder from grip chalk, blistered hands from kipping pullups, and the trademark post-WOD celebration pose.

Watching athletes like Rich Froning and Annie Thorsdottir (and the others which are too many to list) compete motivates me in a way that I haven't felt since college.

But despite the opening, this is actually NOT a post about CrossFit. 

This is about finding your motivation.

Are you motivated by an unflattering photo of yourself and want to lose weight? Keep that picture close by as a reminder of why you want to make a change.  Or you can spin it positive and post a few inspiring photos on the fridge or bathroom mirror. (Or try searching #Fitspo on Twitter or Tumblr)

Are you motivated by the countless runners and joggers hitting the sidewalks and roads now that the weather is warm?

Are you motivated by all the Before & After testimonials of former chubby people now flaunting their six packs seen on infomercials for "P90X" and Insanity?

Are you motivated by a family member or close friend who has a health scare or ominous report from their last visit with the Physician?

Are you motivated by the yoga instructor you always bump into that seems so fit, healthy, calm, and upbeat no matter what?

Are you motivated by the occasional television coverage of Ironman Triathlons or the upcoming London 2012 Olympic Games?

Don't let seeing those brilliant and dedicated athletes cause you to feel discouraged because you're "not on their level".  I could easily feel the same way watching  the world class CrossFit competitors, because I'm not on their level, or anywhere close. Instead it still motivates me to get out and continue to work to be the best I can be, because I know that the current version is no where close.

Can you honestly look in the mirror, or ask yourself in a quiet moment alone if you are the best version of yourself that you can be? 

If the answer is no, make a decision to make a change, starting today. There is no such thing as it being too late to start the process of improving your fitness, nutrition, and health.

What is your motivation?

CrossFit Debut

If you've read this site for any reasonable amount of time, you've probably picked up on the series of references to CrossFit.  I've mentioned having several friends who are avid Crossfitters and have been gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) selling me on how much fun it would be to join them for a workout (or "WOD" in CrossFit vernacular).  Between my teaching schedule and work travels taking me out of town, finding the right day and time has been a battle for several months. 

Finally, this past Saturday the stars aligned correctly and I made the appointment to join my friends Howie, Jill, and Jenneane at their gym, CrossFit Charlotte for my first ever WOD. 

For background context, Howie (pictured above man-handling some Dead Lifts), Jill, Jenneane, and their brother Joe are all related and are part of the larger group I consider to be All-Star Alumni of my athletic conditioning classes.  We met there originally, and they have now graduated on to bigger and better things.  It may surprise people when they hear me applaud athletes and friends for "passing through" my classes at the Y onto new challenges after a few months, but that should be the goal of everyone who trains, to continually try new things and advance to new fitness levels.

 Anyways, after solidifying plans on Friday there was no backing out of joining them this time.  Most Crossfit gyms post the WOD (acronym for "Workout of the Day") the night before, so I was able to go to sleep with somewhat of an idea as to what I'd be in for.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, I have been training for several months in-preparation for this day.

As seen above, the WOD featured as many rounds as possible ("AMRAP") in 20 minutes of the following:

• 5 Clean & Jerks (Prescribed weights: Men 135lbs, Women 95lbs)
• 10 Pullups
• 15 Overhead Lunges (Rx weights: Men 45lbs, Women 25lbs)

I mention the prescribed weights, because one aspect of CrossFit I was not aware is that the weights are all scaleable.  Not everyone in the gym is as diesel as Howie, so everyone could bump their weights down to whatever amount is managable for their body type or skill level.

I ended up finishing with 6 rounds plus 8 reps (5 Clean & Jerks, 3 Pullups) as the 20 minute period expired. I made quite a few beginner's mistakes, which I suppose is to be expected.  For one, I started the period with mis-matched weights on each end of the bar, which is inexcusable stupidity for someone who has been weightraining since they were 14 years old. My first few Clean & Jerks felt awkward and unbalanced, then after two rounds of constantly adjusting my grip and altering my foot stance, I realized I had a 25 on one side and a 35 on the other side.

My form in kipping pullups (according to the Coach) was good for a first-timer, but mid-way through the #CrossfitHands WOD once my shoulders and forearms began to tremble and burn, form went south. 

Beginner mistake #2 was not using enough hand chalk for grip.  I've never been the type of person who likes making the same mistake twice, so after ripping open both palms (see graphic photo) I'll probably be either using more tape, or investing in some of the hand grips that gymnasts use.

We finished the WOD by heading outside for 10 hill sprints, which as sadistic as this sounds, took me back to the memories of football conditioning, and was a fun way to end the morning (again, in the sadistic sense).

I've made my feelings about CrossFit fairly well-known on this site so I won't bore by repeating once again.  After finally taking my friends up on their invite however I truly do "get it" and see why so many people have been swept up by this fitness wave.  Obviously every gym is different, and each has their own "vibe", but the atmosphere at CrossFit Charlotte was great.  A tough, competitive atmosphere that definitely made you realize you were in for a battle, however everyone was encouraging and positive. 

There was also a big emphasis on form and teaching, which is another of the widely-held drawbacks of  CrossFit among the masses.  It's true that Olympic-style lifts can be dangerous for those with limited experience, so qualified teaching and coaching is an absolute mandatory.  The coaches at CF Charlotte took special attention to any of the "first timers" prior to the WOD.  

We also spent a solid amount of time on warm-up and joint mobility exercises beforehand, which anyone who takes my classes can attest that I emphasize as well. 

Howie, Jill, and Jenneane always joke that I will soon be drinking the "CrossFit Kool Aid"...(as soon as the raw skin on my palms heal) they might be right.

He's much calmer than during yesterday's WOD, but here's an old video introduction with Coach Andy Hendel of CrossFit Charlotte as he first opened the facility:

Interview with @FitnessChamp

I’m obviously no celebrity athlete or fitness model, but I do get lots of questions around my own eating habits, workout patterns, and which fitness sources have taught me the most. 

This is the only time that I’ll ever “self-interview”, so here you go…

What’s your athletic background?

I was a basketball player growing up, and that’s my first love.  GOD had other plans for my body type and picked up football my freshman year of high school.  I went on to play running back in college, and also ran track for three years, competing in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay.

What are you currently training for?

I ran two half-marathons within a month between October and November 2011, but am done with endurance events for the time being.  I trained hard but realized that endurance sports are just not what I am cut out for, both physically and psychologically. Several friends are avid CrossFitters and have been giving me the hard sales job to get me involved. The competitive-but-positive plus testosterone-fuled vibe keeps drawing me in little by little.

 

What does an average week’s workout look like?

I don’t get as much time as I’d like to dedicate toward my own workouts, but I do what I can with the time I have.  I try to go for intensity over duration, so I’m usually hitting some form of HIIT intervals or  tabatas on the bike or rowing machine for cardio.  I’m a big fan of Olympic-style lifts, so each week I try to hit some hang cleans, power cleans, push press, and dead lifts.  I’ll mix in some pull ups, heavy rope  work, and box jumps if available.  

As I mentioned,  I have several friends who are CrossFit addicts and have been giving me the hard sales pitch to join them soon, so this workout approach will keep me in close enough shape to hang with the group (hopefully anyways).  Once or twice each week I also add in some typical standard bodybuilding work, as well as some sprint work (100s, 200s, 400’s, court gassers) to maintain my capacity in that area as well.

Describe your fitness classes.

The best way to describe my classes would be 45-55 minutes of multi-faceted intervals and running drills, very similar to what you might see on infomercials for “Insanity” and “P90X”.  I try to model the workouts for a demographic that used to play sports in high school or college, and desire that style of training as adults compared to simply running on the treadmill, lifting weights alone, or logging repetitive sessions on the elliptical. I also try to make sure the playlist is continually up-to-date because if the women in class don’t like the music, they will turn on you quickly.

What does an average day’s eating look like?

It’s not inaccurate to say that I’ve tried almost every nutritional philosophy out there.  Currently (and perhaps for the foreseeable future) I’m sticking fairly close to a Paleo eating style.  Like I said, I work out in the mornings, so it’s either an empty stomach workout, or possibly a scoop of whey protein in water before heading out the door.  I used to down a banana, Gatorade Prime, and/or a gel before hitting the gym but while this was great for my performance, this was surely killing any fat loss goals I was after (due to the over-reliance on Simple Sugars).

Post-workout is usually another scoop of whey in water, then 3-4 scrambled eggs with some spinach, and a couple slices of lean turkey tossed in.  I’ll usually eat that with half a sweet potato (3-4oz).  Mid-morning snack is a protein shake with almonds or sunflower seeds,  then lunch is usually a few turkey meatballs with some green source like asparagus.  Depending on whether or not I have class in the evening, I may eat the second half of the sweet potato here.

Late afternoon might be some turkey jerky and sunflower seeds, with perhaps a tablespoon or two of almond or peanut butter.  If I’m teaching a class in the evening I’ll either repeat lunch, or go with a tuna pack and an apple. 

Dinner lately has been white fish (tilapia, cod) with steamed shredded cabbage (seasoned with oil & vinegar, lemon pepper seasoning, and mustard). “Dessert” is a blended smoothie with carrot juice, acai juice, whey protein, blackberries, almond butter, half an avocado, and 2-3 handfuls of spinach.  Sometimes I'll swap out the avocado for coconut milk as an alternative healthy fat source.

Must-have vitamins and supplements?

Standard: multi-vitamin, fish oil, vitamin B, vitamin D. 

Nice to have: vitamin A, BCAA (Scivation Xtend), chia seeds

What’s your favorite cheat food?

There is a local smoothie shop across the street from where I live, they make a Green Tea Smoothie with non-fat frozen yogurt that is my biggest guilty pleasure. I used to go 5-6 days a week, but chopped that down to once a week on Saturdays in an effort to tighten up my diet for fat loss goals.

If I am REALLY, legitimately cheating, I love French fries, pizza, and burritos. The funny thing however, is that once your diet really gets in-tune, these foods stop being as fun once you see them as set-backs from ultimately having the body you want.  You can eat almost anything once or twice a week, but the saying is true – nothing tastes as good as being lean feels.

Who are your favorite fitness follows on Twitter?

@JadeTeta, @JillFit, @RobRiches, @cutandjacked, @SPNetwork

Who are your other fitness inspirations?

The Rock (obviously), Greg Plitt (#1 male fitness model in the world), Mario Lopez, Georges St. Pierre, Pauline Nordin (creator of “Fighter Diet”, her dietary discipline is a tremendous motivator) and “normal” people like my friends Demi, Philip, Brendan, and Lyndsey.

 

What’s your biggest motivation?

Aside from the standard stuff like wanting to fit well in my clothes and like what I see in the mirror, long term health is very important.  I had a close relative battling colon cancer several years ago, and a few others with high blood pressure issues.  My eating habits were terrible in graduate school during my early 20’s, and I spend every day trying to undo the fat, unhealthy condition I was creating for myself.

What’s the one thing you wish you could share with others at the gym?

I'd tell them that More isn’t necessarily better. 

I see so many people (often the same faces) logging away hour after hour on the stairmaster or elliptical every week and their bodies never change.  People training for specific  events like a half-marathon or 5K certainly need to get their mileage in, but others wanting to shed pounds, or look good for the beach really need to learn that you can meet your goals in less time, by working smarter. 

For fat loss goals, intensity trumps time spent.  The body is not like a calculator, fat loss is more complex than eating 500 fewer calories and burning 500 calories more per day.  Things like stress hormones and insulin manipulation play a big role in whether or not one’s body will give up stubborn fat.  This is usually sad to see, because I see lots of effort and “want to” from people in the gym (or even jogging down the street), they just don’t have the proper tools and information to accomplish what they are working so hard to achieve.

Will you ever grant yourself another interview like this?

No way. This was an obnoxious thing to do and I'm ready to go back to interviewing other people.

6 Keys To Losing Bodyfat

In the past two weeks, three different women have separately asked me for tips on how to reduce their bodyfat.  I'm not sure if everyone is envisioning bikini season despite the freezing winter temperatures, but this seemed like a perfect time to record some of the keys I see as essential elements in any fat loss program.

These tips are meant to be (somewhat) simplistic and easy-to-follow, but as always you can find much more in-depth scientific research by Googling any of the key terms to follow.

The first axiom that helps plot the course to fat loss is to remember that DIET IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EXERCISE.  I'm sorry for yelling, but often that point gets missed and requires loud tactics to drive home the point. I've used this saying before, but it bears repeating - great abs are made in the kitchen.

Now that we've successfully established that when it comes to fat loss, diet is more important than exercise, we can move on to some of the micro-level details:

#1 - Cut out the junk.

In-case you are puzzled as to what constitutes "junk", it would be any of the following: sugars, sodas, fried foods, white carbs like breads, pastas, white potatoes, and heavy dairy like cheeses or most regular milk.  None of these sorts of foods belong anywhere in a fat loss program.

 #2 - Keep it clean.

After eliminating the "bad", begin to focus on the good.  Your daily eating habits should be focused around solid clean food sources.  Base your grocery shopping and meals around lean proteins, LOTS of vegetables (particularly leafy greens and colors), moderate amounts healthy fats, low-to-moderate amounts complex carbs (more on this in a minute) and some select fruits.

Examples are as follows:

Lean Proteins: Lean turkey breast, organic chicken breast, Tilapia, Salmon, Egg Whites, organic eggs, Tofu, Bison.

Vegetables: Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, Mixed Greens Salads, Baby Carrots, Red/green/yellow Peppers, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Cabbage.

Healthy Fats: Avocado (this does NOT mean guacamole), extra virgin olive oil, Almonds, Almond Butter, organic Peanut Butter, Coconut Oil.  Eggs and Salmon also fit into this category.

Complex Carbs: Oatmeal, Oat Bran, Sweet Potatoes, Brown rice, Quinoa

Fruits: Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Grapefruit

#3 - Reduce carbohydrates later in the day.

It's time to start looking at food (particularly carbohydrates) as fuel.  Carbs make up the body's most immediate energy source (especially fruits, sugars, and non-complex sources) so it makes little sense to load up on an energy source when the remainder of the day will be mostly spent sitting in-front of the computer or television, or preparing for bed.  Replace the space on your dinner plate that would normally be filled by pasta, mashed potatoes, white rice, or dinner rolls with salads and/or vegetables.

#4 - Focus carb intake around workouts

To build off of point #3, it makes little sense to continuously fill your body with carbs (think muffins and bagels around the office, lunchtime sub sandwiches) throughout the day if your energy expenditure is mostly walking back and forth to the copy machine or restroom.  One strategy that has worked well for me is to limit carb intake to pre-workout only.  The goal is to fuel up with energy and burn those carbs off during my intense workout.  I've even abandoned the long-held strategy of post-workout carbs (rice cakes, gatorade, bananas, etc) to "refill muscle glycogen stores" after an interesting read which made tons of logical sense. Post-workout carb refilling is appropriate if you are an endurance athlete. It does not fit into a plan focused around reducing body fat.

  

#5 - Limit "Reward Meals" to 1-2 times per week

I use the term "Reward Meals" instead of cheat meals to signify that these meals truly should be a reward for your hard work and diligent eating during the week.  The 90/10 rule applies towards your diet in that if you keep on-track 90% of the time, the remaining 10% may slow your progress slightly, but will not ultimately derail it.  It is important to remember however that a Reward Meal is not an entire Day's worth of gorging. It may also be helpful to plan your reward meals the day before a tough workout so that those extra calories go towards your energy level and performance in the gym.

#6 - Intensity of Exercise > Duration of Exercise

The metabolism is a lot like a fire.  Focus on using your brief-but-intense workout to rev up the metabolism for the remaining 23 hours of your calendar day. A fat loss workout does not need to be two hours.  It should not be an endless marathon on the stairmaster or elliptical trainer.  Those machines can have a small-but-focused role in your workout, but they should not be foundation of your plan as I so often see many women doing in the gym.

Those looking to shed bodyfat should instead utilize interval training like Tabatas, or High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to get their heart-rate up, which takes advantage of the fat-burning qualities of Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) and Lactic Acid.  Intense resistance training (don't be scared ladies) also plays a HUGE role in priming the body's hormones to burn off stored fat cells.  A targeted clean diet plan sets the stage for the correct hormonal environment within your body.  Intense resistance training brings hormones like testosterone and HGH into the equation, which have proven fat loss attributes.

There are other aspects of your fat loss plan that need to be in-sync, such as getting a proper amount of sleep (8-9 hours per night is recommended), and avoiding a stressed daily mindset.  The body will not release stored body fats if your normal temperament is stressed and agitated, as this throws the hormones I mentioned earlier out of balance.

Losing body fat is a process not an event.  It is not a linear, mathematic equation (eat 500 calories less, burn 500 calories more, etc) that happens exactly as it would on a calculator.  It requires patience, perseverance, and a plan.  Life does not happen in a linear fashion, and neither will your fat loss.  But with the right tools in-place, it can be put into action just in-time for beach and bikini season around the corner.