Tuesday, May 24, 2016

One of my WorkOut Buddies has really had a great journey with Crossfit Champions. We started the challenge together and have stuck with it so far! Her results are pretty amazing--check it out, in her own words:
image1.JPGCrossfit was a life changer for me! I was in desperate need of help. I had no energy and no drive to get off the couch and I was at an unhealthy weight. I thought I had a thyroid issue because I was constantly tired and was getting heavier and heavier. Well my thyroid was perfect but my eating habits were not. I was addicted to sugar and soft drinks. I came across the 6wk challenge on Facebook one evening and it piqued my interest. My favorite part was that it would be all women and for the most part we would be starting on a level playing field. It was a huge stretch for me to actually go sign up because I'm an introvert and felt way out of my comfort zone. But the first morning when we all met up and got acquainted, I felt at ease. Everyone was so nice and encouraging. The workouts were tough but rewarding. The meal plan they gave us was easy to follow and it made a huge difference in my weight loss and body composition. There was a group of us that loved the challenge so much and loved the accountability aspect of it that we decided to keep doing crossfit together. We enjoy seeing each other's achievements and we hold each other accountable to work out. I have lost a total of 33lbs and gone from a size 14 to size 6! But most importantly I feel stronger and healthier everyday.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

It isn’t Rocket Science…but Rocket Scientists LOVE IT!





Crossfit is notorious for the simplicity of the exercises. So much of the WOD is functional movement—some action you might take in your everyday activity.  Intense and often timed workouts filled with athletic and functional movement make for great fitness. And that makes Crossfit very popular. But just what are the numbers in the industry?

Since its inception in 2000, when one guy (Greg Glassman) started training clients in unconventional ways, to the present, Crossfit has exploded! Rally Fitness analyzed the stats for Crossfit and illustrated the reasons for its success. 

The demographics of Crossfit are a dream. Crossfit has 40% of its clientele in the most desirable age group for fitness and self-improvement business, 25-44 years. This group is settling into adulthood but wants to look and feel like they did “back in the day.” The next group, with 18%, is the under 18…they are probably coming to the box with Mom or Dad.

Since the intensity and heart-pounding pace requires Crossfitters to have dedication, stick-with-it-ness is an important quality for any client of a Crossfit gym. Statistics show that 40% of these athletes hold post-graduate degrees, something that also requires a high level of commitment. Of course, that may also have something to do with the 50% of Crossfitters who have an annual income of $150,000—which makes it easier to pay the membership fees.

One hotbed issue in society today is gender inequality. That is not a problem for Crossfit, though. Crossfit members are equally split between men and women, 50/50—The discrepancy by gender is so close that there is no significant statistical difference” according to Rally Fitness. 

Started in California some 16 years ago, Crossfit now has 12,000 or so affiliates .  72% of those are located in the United States. Colorado, Hawaii and Texas are the top three states, per capita, for Crossfit athletes. It is a good-bet business, too.

According to the Small Business Administration, about 1/3 of small businesses will fail within the crucial first two years and only about half survive for 5 years or more.  Crossfit affiliates, however, enjoy a mere 2% chance of failure. 

So Crossfit is smart adults doing intense workouts and sticking with the routine in the long term. According to the numbers, Crossfit is a good bet for business and for health.


Sources:

Monday, May 9, 2016

It’s a Love-Hate Relationship





“An atheist, a vegan and a Crossfitter walk into a bar…I only know because they told everyone in the first two minutes!”



 So…Crossfit has a bit of a rep.  Lots of bragging muscle heads flipping tires and chugging protein shakes.  It is the epitome of the jock experience—sweat, barbells, lifting belts and bravado.  Who wants to be a part of that?

Apparently, quite a lot of people. There are Crossfit Gyms popping up everywhere! I have seen 4 new gyms open in the last 6 months…I know, because I pass them on my way to MY Crossfit gym. Yes, I drank the Kool-Aid; I started Crossfit. 

 At 50, I decided I needed to do something. It wasn’t just weight loss, though I needed some of that, but when you reach that half-century mark, you start to think about how much closer the Golden Years are than they used to be, about how much you’d like to avoid canes and wheelchairs, multiple medications and a care companion.  I had always been strong and fairly athletic, so getting active wasn’t a stretch. 

When a former student began to gush with the joy she had found doing Crossfit, and when I SAW what that joy had done to her body, I began to entertain the idea.  Of course, I knew nothing about the sport at all, only what I’d seen in ads and, of course, the jokes.  With the idea still floating around in my head, I happened upon a Facebook post about a Crossfit Challenge—6 weeks long with a guarantee to change my body. I signed up.

I’ll never forget that first workout—it was 8 minutes of pure hell! Despite the extreme sweating and immediate muscle fatigue (you know, the kind that makes your arms and legs feel like jello), I was struck by how much I had just done with my body in a mere 8 minutes. Maybe there was something to this torture!

Now, 7 months later, I have come to “embrace the suck” of my 3-times-per-week workout.  I know what an AMRAP is and how to do a Sumo Dead Lift. I have new friends who I am anxious to see and workout with. I am 10 lbs lighter and WAY stronger…all those squats have even lifted my 4-kids-later ass from its droopy old self to a position I don’t mind putting into yoga pants!

I also understand the desire to talk about it; some of this stuff is pretty impressive! When you finish a MetCon (Metabolic Conditioning) that asked for 6 rounds of 20 of this movement and 15 of that,  plus an added 10 of another thing, you’ve done 270 repetitions! TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY! It is hard not to want to tell someone about that!

Crossfit challenges the abilities of the human body.  It pushes the limits of what you think you can accomplish. And it does it in a most simple and straightforward way. Using the power of strength training in conjunction with cardio endurance, Crossfit pushes the athlete to improve what her body can and will do.  

Most impressive, long time Crossfitters and fresh newbies can do the SAME workout and both get results. The veteran will use more weight or get more reps or finish in shorter time, but the rookie still gets the benefit. That is the beauty of Crossfit. There is a prescribed movement or lift and then there are multiple ways to scale that movement or lift to fit the athlete’s fitness and strength level.  It provides a doable workout now and a goal for the future at the same time. 

I will admit, muscle heads throwing tires around and drinking protein shakes rings somewhat true. We are strong…that is kind of the point.  And as much as those of us involved with Crossfit LOVE it, those outside the Box hate it. Though that discussion is for another time, suffice it to say, Crossfit athletes are in really good all-around shape…really good. And that is why we love it.

So let me tell you about my deadlift! Let me whine about leg day! Let me distress over the WOD and then brag about finishing it! Love it or hate it, I am a Crossfit Athlete!