WOD in the World

I first heard about CrossFit on a morning radio talk show as my son and I were driving to school. Tire flipping, WODs, Burpees, and AMRAP were foreign concepts to me. Then I met Sally Greene at CrossFit 205 in Jasper. My whole idea of working out changed.I pulled into the parking lot of a metal garage building and thought, “Now this is different.” After the first five minutes in the building, I could see it was different. A garage-style building with weights, bands, balls, bars, and tires – big tires weren’t quite what I was expecting.I have to admit, I felt a little (well maybe a lot) intimidated at first.“What have I done,” I thought. “I just paid for the entire month. Now I have to go through with this. There’s no backing out now.”After a week at CrossFit, I realized that others like me had stumbled into the CrossFit world and stayed. We were addicted after just one day.For “fifty-something” Ann Jackson who used to dance with the Huntsville and Birmingham ballet companies, a friend invited her to a class two years ago and she was addicted. Twenty-year-old Cydni Aljabsheh is beginning her third month. For former military man Jeremy Farris, who spent 12 years in the Army serving in Bosnia, Sarajevo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, he first saw CrossFit stitched to the sleeve of a boxing instructor in 2006 when he was stationed in the Middle East and Googled it. He has been hooked ever since.For each of us, the common threads of curiosity and a competitive spirit drew us to CrossFit.Greene, who is CrossFit certified and co-owns the local CrossFit 205 garage-style gym, was looking for a break in the monotony of the exercise routine when she found CrossFit.“I had always done the kind of workouts where you break up the six muscle groups and work out two of them at a time, doing three sets of an exercise, 12-15 reps each,” said Greene, who qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2002. “Throw in 30-45 minutes of cardio, chit-chatting with friends, and you have spent a couple of hours at the gym. The problem with this is that routine is the enemy.”My mom first introduced me to the world of exercise when I was young. We would run around our neighborhood to stay in shape. My sister and I would bike for miles every day in preparation for some competition. And my mom would carry us to her bodybuilding classes (it was the ‘80s) to encourage our love of fitness.I’ve tried P90X, Zumba, aerobics, running, swimming, and just plain old weight training. They are all great, and I still would say I like them all, but there’s just something different about CrossFit.“I am competitive by nature,” Aljabsheh said. “That’s what makes CrossFit so good for me. I don’t compete against others; I compete against myself.”According to Greene, the time clock is an important element of competition and focus for the CrossFit workout. “While doing a CrossFit Workout of the Day (WOD), it is usually timed in some way. This keeps us focused on completing the workout and whether we are having a friendly competition with our spouse or our buddy or just trying to improve our time from one round of a circuit to the next, the clock is a great way to keep track of our progress.”This competitive nature is what drives 38-year-old Farris and his family.Farris and his wife Kelly, who is 33 and also CrossFits, had been running before finding CrossFit. “We have always been a competitive family. We were not really doing any muscle or strength training,” she said. “I knew CrossFit would be rough, but Jeremy’s aunt kept encouraging us to go.”“I like CrossFit because everyone is competitive, but not against each other,” Aljabsheh said. “We push each other. When I feel like I can’t do another press, I see someone beside me sweating and pushing and that motivates me.”Jackson, who was hooked the first day, said, “The greatest benefit has been uniting with a brotherhood/sisterhood of beautiful people. We cheer and encourage each other, look out for, and take care of each other.“It is a very supportive group of people,” Jackson continued. “It's a different way of working out, but the time flies by so quickly once you get started.”This competitive nature is not the only benefit of CrossFit. The program is an ultimate workout in muscle confusion.“The idea behind CrossFit is that if you are constantly changing what you do, your body will never adapt,” Greene said. “When we adapt, we don’t change anymore. This follows the idea of the Principle of Muscle Confusion. The CrossFit trainers and coaches are there to help you get through the workout by offering you instruction and motivation.”Farris enjoys the idea of the CrossFit approach to total body strength and endurance rather than muscle isolation workouts.“In the CrossFit "box," all of your fitness elements are tested, which allows you to develop a complete physique and/or become a complete athlete,” he said.“With CrossFit I can ‘get in the zone’ where it's just me and my body—dancing and running did the same thing for me. I can totally focus on the work— it is never mundane or mindless movement,” said Jackson, who believes she is one of the oldest CrossFitters in Jasper. “If people my age want to get in shape and like a challenge, then they should definitely try CrossFit. I appreciate what my body can do. I love getting stronger. I definitely don't get in a rut.”Jackson is a certified Zumba instructor who has enjoyed running, tennis, biking, weight training, and all kinds of group exercise. Through exercise and dance she learned to appreciate how good a strenuous workout would make her feel.“I’ve never lost that drive,” she said. “CrossFit ranks up there with a competitive, professional dance company and long distance running.”“It is a huge step to walk into a CrossFit gym and make the commitment,” Greene said. “Most people are downright terrified. But after just one workout, the fear is replaced with a sense of accomplishment beyond anything you have experienced while working out. It will most definitely change your life if you stick with it…and while, yes, you will be sore at first, most people can’t wait to come back.”Farris’s wife Kelly said CrossFit has improved her running, and the list of other benefits goes on and on.“It’s the best and worst hour of the day,” she said. “You feel like you are on top of the world after what may seem like an impossible workout.”According to Farris, no one should ever be intimidated by CrossFit. “CrossFit 205 is a place that allows you to walk in saying ‘I can't do that.’ And walk out saying ‘I just did!’”I know what he means. That first day feeling is repeated each day I enter the CrossFit garage. But thankfully, at the end of each workout, I walk out feeling like I have conquered the world. There’s a saying posted on the CrossFit 205 Facebook page that echoes my sentiments exactly. It says, “I love walking in terrified and walking out accomplished.”Even though the personal background and the discovery of CrossFit may differ, the curiosity, competitive spirit, and desire to enjoy an exciting workout are common characteristics that thread through most CrossFit fanatics.I’m enjoying CrossFit so much now that I’m bringing my children to work out. My mom has recently attended the ramp up class for first timers. Maybe she will feel the addictive power even though she is in her 60s and keep alive the working out spirit she first instilled in me.