"CrossFit is So Hardcore."

For a long time, I’ve been against CrossFit.

It was nothing against my friends that participate in it and enjoy it, I just didn’t think it was for me. It always seemed so … hardcore. Now I know, that’s not the best adjective in the world, but when I think CrossFit, I think “hardcore.” Here’s why:

1. It involves weights. And not cute, small, pink weights. HUGE, heavy barbells. Those things are scary for someone with puny arms, like myself.
2. People that are CrossFitters are pretty intense about their fitness. And, in being intense, they tend to work out a bunch, eat better and drink less. These are people that do the Paleo Diet. Now, I don’t eat all that much, but I don’t eat good-for-you-food and my drinking will never be described as “occassional.”

And, I tried to hold on to this anti-CrossFit-ism for a while. But, after some not-so-gentle urging, I arrived not-so-bright-eyed to a Friday 6:30AM CrossFit class.

Honestly, I don’t remember what all we did that day. There were medicine balls involved (so heavy), running involved (which I’m not good at), and some squatting and jumping thrown in, just to spice it up. I was exhausted after that hour. And, given my sweaty appearance, I looked like I just got out of a Bikram class. And, I distinctly remember being sore the entire weekend.

(This class preceded wedding dress / bridesmaids dress shopping weekend in Houston for Kale’s nuptials. And, I was halfway serious when I told Kale, “I can’t get out of bed, go on without me!” when we woke up Saturday morning.)

I’ve gone to like 5 classes (8, if you count my Elements** classes) over the past couple weeks and in doing so, I’ve developed a short list of pros and cons.

PRO: It’s an all-around workout. I’ve always thought that CrossFit was more strength-based than cardio-based. I had it in my head that CrossFit, if I got really into it, would make me really masculine and muscular. Now, that I’ve actually done the workouts, I don’t think that will be the case. , Most of the workouts thus far have had cardio components. For example, today’s workout involved running, jumping rope, and pull-ups. It was a pretty good balance. (It was also surprisingly hard.)

CON: It’s got a competitive slant. At the end of every workout, you yell out how you did. You have to say how many reps you completed or what your time was. In front of everyone. Not a fan of that part of it. One big advantage to solo exercise or something like yoga is that it is just about you, and your body, and how you did or feel that day. In CrossFit, I feel this uncomfortable urge to “win” which isn’t like me.

PRO: It’s new. Every day is different. I know that is partly because it’s new to me, but it helps. It helps me approach things with more tenacity and less apprehension because I have no idea what’s coming. I have no idea how good (or bad) I’ll be.

CON: I’m sore. All the time. Everywhere. Even as I type, my shoulders are screaming at me. And my left butt cheek. Not the right, just the left. Not sure what that’s all about.

PRO: I see ever-so-subtle changes in my body and my performance. Not huge. I’m not walking around with a six-pack right now – not by a longshot, and I’m not lapping all the other people in the class. But, I do see me holding my own and pushing myself more.

CON: Things like this happen.

This is a picture of me. Looking exhausting. Looking like I hate life. Attempting to fix my dead lift posture. You’ll also notice that my bar is empty. No added weight. In this particular picture, I was sucking it up during class. It was rough times, let me tell you. (In my defense, I did have weight on the bar. But, the coach looked at me struggling and said, “maybe that’s a little too heavy for you.” So, I took them off and tried to fend off the defeated Jonna in my head.)

You see that look on my face? That’s what I look like for about 55 minutes of the hour class. CrossFit is something else. It’s hard, and it's complex. There’s so many different exercises and components, and you need a degree of coordination, which isn't exactly my strong suit. It’s a lot to keep track of at one time, especially that early in the morning.

This stuff pushes me far out of my comfort zone. But, I’m hanging on to the hope that it will get easier.

Or at least that I’ll get good abs and better arms out of the deal.

**“Elements” is just a fancy way of saying CrossFit pre-requisite classes. In them, you learn the ropes of using the barbells, doing pull-ups, etc. It’s basically so you won’t kill yourself / look like a complete idiot when you take an actual class.