You've probably heard of it by now. What is it?
No, it has nothing to do with your neck size and a crucifix.
It's probably best if I just copy from the "cross fit" Wikipedia page:
"CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program with the aim of improving, among other things, cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. It advocates a perpetually varied mix of aerobic exercise, gymnastics (body weight exercises), and Olympic weight lifting.[8] CrossFit Inc. describes its strength and conditioning program as “constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity across broad modal and time domains,"[9] with the stated goal of improving fitness, which it defines as "work capacity across broad time and modal domains."[10] Hour-long classes at affiliated gyms, or "boxes", typically include a warm-up, a skill development segment, the high-intensity "workout of the day" (or WOD), and a period of individual or group stretching. Some boxes also often have a strength focused movement prior to the WOD. Performance on each WOD is often scored and/or ranked to encourage competition and to track individual progress. Some affiliates offer additional classes, such as Olympic weightlifting, which are not centered around a WOD.[11]"
Okay, so now you have an idea.
Like most "weekend warriors" I would have separate days of cardio exercise and strength training. Or, when I was a lonely single dude, I would do cardio in the morning and strength train in the evening. It worked pretty well for me and still does, for the most part. After doing the same or similar things for awhile, the human body adapts and gets efficient. Efficiency is a great thing if you are a combustion engine; however, if you are looking to break past a plateau in weight loss or strength-gain, efficiency needs to take a hike. This is where my foray into CrossFit begins.
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| Not drunk, just tired! |
Several of my friends engage in CrossFit and I know at least one Coach. I watched from a distance for awhile and noticed some interesting phenomena.
- None of the athletes look like skinny waifs.
- Women still look like women (only stronger).
- Participants in the box/gym work together.
If you exercise, you have probably done some of these exercises: box jumps, pull-ups, sprints, power cleans, squats, kettle bells, push-ups, Concept rowing, etc. The list goes on. But HOW you do them is probably different than CrossFit.
I started incorporating some of these "new" methods/exercises into my normal routine: box jumps, thrusters, squat-presses, etc. I noticed some good side effects quickly - a little muscle soreness (meaning I actually challenged a muscle group) and I discovered I could get a really good resistance workout finished in around 30-45 minutes instead of 90 minutes. (This is especially important when you have a child and 3 part-time jobs.)
Fast-forward a year or so. It is now May 2014 and I am at a point where I want to try a full-blown CrossFit workout. As Memorial Day approached, I ran across a WOD called "Murph." For those who don't know, this routine was named after Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, a SEAL who gave his life in Afghanistan for his brothers during Operation Red Wings. (I HIGHLY recommend reading Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell; it tells the story of a fateful, 4-man SEAL team mission with Lt. Murphy. There is also a movie, but definitely read the book first.) I decided to try this workout on Memorial Day as my own little way of honoring Murph's (and many others) sacrifices. I chose this particular WOD for my first because all I needed was a pull-up bar and a place to run.
After 10 hours of work, I drive over to the Roswell River Walk and at 8:15pm started warming-up for this little adventure. The run will be a cinch - I can easily run a mile or two with an 8-minute pace. I can break the other exercises into sub-sets and knock them out - NO PROBLEMO. I even had a new music playlist queued up to keep me motivated (see previous blog post about music and exercise).
I started my first mile. From where I parked, the playground with the pull-up bar was actually 1.2 miles away. Whoopsie! Oh well, it's only an additional 0.4 miles total added. No biggie - I've run half marathons! I crushed the first 50/100/150 of the subsets, then I feel myself slowing down. By two-thirds of the way in, I am dragging like molasses in January and there is not a DRY spot on my shirt. Did I mention it's late May in Georgia and the humidity is SAUNA? By the time I finished the 100/200/300 subsets, I started
TWO DAYS post-MURPH
DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness, usually happens when you break out of that "efficiency" mode and really challenge yourself physically, such that those muscle groups are very sore about 48 hours after the exertion. I have not felt real DOMS in probably 5-10 years. Guess what? "Murph" reminded me what it felt like. And you know what? I LOVED IT. I felt alive and invigorated! Three simple exercises and a 2 (ish) mile run. This is proof it's not always what you do, but HOW you do it.
Ending Thoughts
I did not rush out and join a CrossFit gym. That being said, I will continue to add exercises and try some of the workouts. Some day, as finances allow, I might join a CrossFit gym. A respectable time for "Murph" is around 40-45 minutes and I believe I can get close to that with more training. I recently found out an airman in the USAF knocked out "Murph" with a time of 28:21 (Sam Bessinger). I definitely see why this form of exercise is popular with military/police/fire/EMS, as it often mimics something you may have to do to save lives or accomplish the mission. Example: flipping a large tire could prepare you to lift rubble off someone's leg (specificity).
If you can't run to your mailbox without being out of breath, then DO NOT try this at home. However, if you exercise regularly and are ready to break through a plateau, then I suggest maybe you try some of the movements and eventually a WOD (note: not all WODs are as difficult as "Murph" - I recently found out this is traditionally one of the top 5 hardest WODs). As always, use "common sense." If you've never completed a pull-up, then you probably shouldn't try a hand-stand push-up.
There are those who frown on CrossFit (admittedly, I was skeptical at first); they say it lacks form and is dangerous. My reply? If your fitness goal is to look good in the mirror and pose on stage with fake tan (not that there's anything wrong with that), then by all means, keep doing 8 sets of preacher curls. However, if you want to be ready for what life throws at you, I would definitely recommend at least modifying your routine to include some WODs.
Want to learn more? There is a link for that!
http://www.crossfit.com
Want to learn more about "Murph" and the warrior for which it's named? Click here:
http://sealgrinderpt.com/navy-seal-workout/murph-workout-tips.html/
Drink water and keep moving forward!
