So, what's so great about this personal training? I got introduced to CrossFit, that's what. It's amazing. But a lot of people have been asking me, what IS CrossFit, exactly?
Well, I'll tell you a bit about it. Here's Wikipedia's definition:
"CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program designed to help people gain a broad and general fitness. CrossFit programming concentrates on constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity to achieve overall physical fitness, so people are prepared for any physical challenge. CrossFit is a trademark of CrossFit Inc."
My favorite definition, which is the one Derek uses the most, is: "The aim of CrossFit is to physically prepare people for whatever life might throw at them." And it's so true. In my few months of experiencing CrossFit, I've gotten a different total body workout every time that worked what felt like EVERY muscle group, and in so doing it's built up my balance and coordination when using those muscles together. It's so much better than what I had been doing years ago in previous personal training or working out - isolating each muscle group to build strength or tone it up. I've noticed a HUGE difference in my strength and ability since doing CrossFit, and working out my entire body rather than isolating certain muscles. Add in the cardio workout you get as well, and you really are prepared for anything.
Different people have asked me what types of machines Derek has at his gym. It makes me chuckle a bit. WE are the machines!! He's just got a bunch of stuff to assist us in developing the strength of these machines we're operating, otherwise known as the human body. I usually get to use barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, gymnastics rings, a pull-up bar, and a box for box jumps. Other pieces of equipment are tires for flipping, ropes for jumping or ropes for climbing, dumbbells, you name it. Whatever life has to throw at you, right? This stuff is way better than cranking away on an elliptical, or doing some leg lifts on an abductor machine. I kind of laugh at the idea that I used to spend so much time on those things back in the day. When in a real life situation am I going to be confronted with an abductor machine and be glad I've been doing my leg exercises? But lifting? I've been confronted with that, and I've been glad for those deadlifts and cleans. Throwing? Been confronted with that too, and was glad for that medicine ball. It makes lifting Harlee easier. It makes it possible for me to help and actually contribute something to building our house (like stripping forms off concrete walls). It makes my job as a massage therapist a lot easier.
The workouts are all different every day, sometimes you revisit an old one a few months later to see how you've progressed, but it's mostly mixed up, ensuring you get to use your body in different ways every time. You've probably heard CrossFitters use the term WOD - that just stands for Workout of the Day. Derek will post his WOD online each day, so if you want to keep it up outside of personal training sessions, you can. I can't WAIT to get my weight bench set up once the house is built so it'll no longer be surrounded by clutter and actually be useable. Not that I'll be using the bench itself - just the barbell, dumbbells, and weights to go with it. Then I'll be participating in those WODs a bit more often!
A fun element of CrossFit is that you can compete with it too if you're into that. I can't wait to witness a CrossFit competition myself someday, and occasionally I entertain the idea of competing in one myself... But lately for me my CrossFit competitions have been my real life experiences. The two days I helped strip forms at our house and was able to keep up with it from 9:30am to 3:30pm (and that's not easy work). The day I got to help haul loads of concrete remnants by hand out from around the basement walls (also not easy work). Being able to help Justin with things I used to not be able to do, like help him lift his heavy barbeque grill from the back of his very large truck, or help him unload a whole bunch of scrap metal from his trailer. It's easier to keep up with Harlee when I play outside with him, and I'm no longer exhausted after a one hour deep tissue massage on a client. Yeah, I started this adventure to mostly tone up and lose weight. And I could be working out to train for a competition. But now I'm working out to be able to contribute something to our family, to be able to proudly say I can help out, and DO it. And I'll be able to continue to do things that are physically trying for most people. It's okay with me if I never compete with this stuff - the experiences I get to have in my daily life are way better than any trophy I could ever mount on my wall. Hell, my trophies ARE my walls! Haha :)
This really goes hand-in-hand with Paleo as well. You're not going to get optimum results unless you're FEEDING your body as well as you're exercising it. If you haven't read my post about Paleo, I suggest you do so now. Paleo gets us back to our ancestral roots and how our bodies were designed to be nourished. We humans existed for thousands of years before agriculture was established and before factories started playing a role in our eating habits. We thrived in our natural world eating our natural diet provided by, well, nature of course. And we were doing great until our diet became industrialized. Now we're seeing things like rising obesity rates and more and more cases of preventable illnesses and diseases like heart disease, diabetes, digestive disorders, and cancer. There are even TONS more cases of allergies now than ever before. It just makes sense that we should be feeding our bodies what nature has provided for us all along, not what man has tampered with. One of my favorite quotes is from Hippocrates: "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food". We can be well if we eat well.
CrossFit goes well with this because it seems to be a fitness regimen that ties into our ancestral roots too. Before we became industrialized and it became all too easy and common to live a sedentary lifestyle, we had to be physically active. There wasn't TV or refrigerators. We had to hunt and gather our food, protect ourselves from predators, build our shelters or travel on foot, and this required total body physical fitness and endurance. The same kind of fitness achieved when doing CrossFit.
A CrossFit exercise program paired with a Paleo diet truly gets you back to your roots. With this kind of lifestyle you are fully able to achieve the wellness you were designed to experience as a human being. And being able to not only experience that wellness now but to be able to carry that with you into your old age is absolutely a priceless gift.
*All you locals who want to know more about Derek and Flex Fitness, check out his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/FlexStrengthFitness
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