To CrossFit Or not to CrossFit??

 

CrossFit. The training phenomenon taking, or better yet, has taken the world by storm.

  I think it's fair to say a large percentage of readers here will know of the fitness regime and may be participants themselves. CrossFit has international games and programs, awards and athlete celebrities where it's fair to say that this isn't another of those generic health fads that some ageing or forgotten celebrity has plastered his or her name over. Sorry Chuck Norris..... It's captured a religious-esque following with its no-nonsense approach to fitness being good old fashioned hard work. Now it would be remiss of me to write about this without experiencing it myself so I went along to a free-trial at a Melbourne suburb club and before I say any more, the session I completed was one of the most gruelling, hard-core, sweat-filled, muscle burning, weird noise making fitness sessions I have ever done. The intensity of the workout was by far second to none in my book. To make sure I was capable of the movements the instructors made sure I had the range of motion and technique to participate. Given the power lifting dominant moves and high degree of difficulty of the session, there is a duty of care from the instructors to make sure you don't cripple yourself whilst jerking a bar or squatting. Yet once I displayed competence and warmed up, it was all systems go. I'll say it now, if you are yet to experience it, the next 60-80 minutes are ones to be earned. The workouts are pre-planned so members know what they're up for. The affect has the club community getting pumped up and sweaty before the first bar has even been moved. Social media goes off with votes of challenges and  support for their upcoming session.

On arrival the atmosphere is electric.

As more weight gets added, cheers get louder with more repetitions. No one is there to judge, no matter your strength, everyone is there for one reason, to get fit! The range and variety of exercises combines cardio, flexibility, power and strength and soon enough you'll have a few more bulges in the muscle department. Without a doubt the workouts do the job by the looks of the physiques displayed by some of the members and instructors. Yet the big drawcard is the atmosphere. You feel welcomed immediately and the competitive edge you have is multiplied by 100. As you list your PB's on a board for all to see, once can't simply just leave them there, they need to be smashed. So go down, get involved and try for yourself. Just a reminder to leave your prejudices at the door or you might find yourself spitting them out during a personal best clean and jerk..