Crossfit: A year in review

In May, 2008, I joined crossfit. Unfortunately, it only took a week for me to tear my rotator cuff, putting me on the sidelines. So I consider June 27, 2008 to be my first real day of crossfit. It's now been over a year, so I'd like to take this time to look back at where I came from, where I'm at, and where I'm going.

Crossfit, the early months

While healing from the tear, I learned about the zone diet and was able to strict zone for a couple months. However, I fell out of shape anyway. Well, that's not really accurate because it implies I was in shape in the first place. I was soft, I was the product of isolation exercises like leg press, bicep curls, and lat pull downs. I could leg press 600 pounds ten times, but I had no core strength whatsoever.

Well, crossfit changed all that. My first workout back was a severely scaled Badger, 2 rounds with only 45 pounds for the squat clean. Although the 5pm class was only three days a week, the first month seemed to result in drastic change. When Kristin came to visit after the first month, she stared at me for a good five minutes while driving her from the airport. When I asked her why, she commented that she had forgotten how good looking I was. Truth be told, I think it was the changes in my physique were significant enough that she could see it in my face.

At that time Jerry seemed to have more of an attachment to the morning classes, most of the pictures he posted on the cite were taken in the morning, and he rarely mentioned any 5pmers accomplishments on the site. I now attribute this to many things, namely there were only three 5pm classes, and the fact that the 5pm class was the last class of the day, so by that time everyone already knew what the WOD was and any news or photos would be redundant, but at the time I felt a little left out. For example, when it was Jerry's birthday he took photos with the morning classes, but not the 5pm class. I tried to go to some mornings, but mornings and me just don't mix, no matter how hard I tried. I also (and this is where I think my own insecurities messed with my head) felt like I was caught in some limbo with regards to coaching. I felt because of my false start in May I was considered more of a vet and thus focus was paid to the other new, but unfamiliar, faces. I also felt because I was weak I never lifted enough weight to deserve notice. I felt accepted, just not respected. In order to gain some sort of aknowledgement, I decided that I would simply have to progress to the point where everyone would have to recognize me and acknowledge my dedication and achievement.

However, I think attending crossfit three, sometimes four days a week, was preventing me from going to the next level. I had improved, but I was still consistenly one of the slowest in the class. In order to really progress, I made it a point to never back away from doing the workout Rx'd, even if it took me forever. The first time I did Fran I did it Rx'd, even though it took me almost 20 minutes. Sometimes it was a little embarassing to see so many people blow by me in workouts, that I really was that out of shape. But I knew the only way to really improve was to do the work, and that's what I did, albeit sometimes slowly.

The fall/winter of 08: Zone, Sleep, Crossfit

In November CFOT expanded its 5pm crossfit class to five days a week, I was excited and I took full advantage. I was working out 5-6 times a week, and still staying on the zone. I experienced soreness like I never had before, but after the second week my body started to get used to it. However, I think I went from doing too little to doing too much. I never really gave myself time to recover, and although I was still seeing some improvements, it seemed to be slowing down even more than the three-a-weeks.

But I was improving, and I felt like I was starting to become part of the group. December also saw a rather long streak of morning attendence. I was still zoning, and I was still working out, but I just didn't feel like I was where I should be. I think my body was still trying to get used to lifting heavy weights, still searching for proper form, as I was constantly dealing with pains in my back, hip and ankle. Thankfully seeing a D.O. was exactly what I need for my hip bursitis, and after some time my back began to feel better, and the ankle was helped by pose running in my vibram five fingers.

I also felt like once I could attend 5-6 times a week my dedication was beginning to be appreciated, that I was spending enough time with the crossfiters to feel like I was more a part of the group. ...I'm willing to fully admit this was all in my head, but I want to mention this because I still had the desire to feel acknowledged, to feel like I had improved to the point where I was deserving of the respect of the CFOT elite. It was this motivation that drove me to make every workout count, to push as hard as I thought possible.

Phase three: dialing in

Starting in late January, I started taking more rest days and started eating more cheat meals.
Strangely, I started to see improvement with this. I think I realized when to push my body and when to let it recover. After all, the body only gets stronger when you're resting, the workout only causes a break down of the body. I also started eating a little bit more, and once I decided to just run with the idea of getting bigger and weighing more, my body has been responding beautifully.

My form also started improving dramatically, partially because my experience finally started paying off, partially because of the Olympic lift certification class. My improved form lead to less injuries, which meant I could really start to push myself, which meant I could get stronger, which meant the exercises were starting to become more manageable. I finally built up the strength/technique to allow me to muscle up!!! (Still get pumped when I think about it)

It is around this time where I started to feel confident enough to finally realize that I was a respected member of CFOT. Looking back I don't think people didn't respect my efforts, it was the fact my self-image hadn't changed from when I first walked into the blue room for the first time. I hadn't realized how strong I had become, I hadn't realized what I am capable of.

I'm looking forward to the road that lays ahead and what's in store for me. There are two possible medical obstacles: my shoulder and my hip. Tears in the rotator cuff never heal, you just strengthen the muscle to the point where there isn't any pain. However, as I learn new movements, like the muscle up, sometimes my shoulder flairs up and can render my left arm immobile. Sometimes I wonder if it makes sense to have surgery to repair the tear.

My hip is still a bit of a mystery. Although it no longer feels like it's on fire all the time, I still experience pain when I squat. Because it still clicks when I bring my knee to my chest and back down, my DO thinks I might have a torn labrum, like what A-Rod had. I plan on getting an MRI or some diagnosis, and if I do have a torn labrum I will first try prolotherapy, provided by my DO. If that doesn't work, I might get surgery. Understandibly, I'm a little hesitant about the idea of the sugery and then having to take three months off in recovery. I mean, I've been doing pretty well so far. However, the idea of being able to squat without pain seems like only a dream right now, so I might end up willing to do it.

I also really, really, really want to consistently find the mental fortitude to push through long met cons. I'm all about lifting heavy weight, but I have yet to find something to consistently push me. However, I think once Jerry shifts us from strength to endurance I will have more opportunities to find something. I really, really want that six pack, and as I tweak my diet, I am confident that I will get there.

I consider myself extremely lucky to find crossfit, it's given me purpose, friends, and a sense of belonging. This past year has been great, and I look forward to many, many more to come.