Community for CrossFitters, by Crossfitters & anyone interes

XFitMojoMom

Hey - glad to hear there was interest in starting a thread! We are without a doubt, a special breed :glasses:

Just to be clear - we can use this thread to post our daily WODS, talk about our PR's, our DNF's, and of course some of our goals. It would be nice to also share what nutrition plan you are following and the results you are seeing by eating this way. This is a place to encourage our peers - not a competition of who is faster or can lift heavier.

Maybe we can start out by introducing ourself:

Name:
where you live:
Time CF'ing:
Nutrition Plan:

Looking forward to meeting you all and growing our 'community'...:drinker:

XFitMojoMom

Name: Pam
where you live: Montreal (Canada)
Time CF'ing: 11 months
Nutrition Plan: LC/Primalish, with alcohol cheats on weekends.

I learned about CF a little over a year ago. I reconnected with my old gymnastics coach on FB and she told me she was involved in CF. Not sure what it was I did what most do, and googled it. I was immediately overwhelmed by what I saw and thought to myself "I can't do that!!" I continued working with a personal trainer 2-3 days a week, saw some results with him, but nothing major. I eschewed the traditional globo-gym because I could not stand the posturing and BS that goes on at one!

After my annual physical I was diagnosed with IR (Insulin Resistance) and once again turned to the internet for help. I came across a sports nutritionist who tuned me onto a LC nutrition plan and linked me up with a local CF box.
I was still intimidated by the workouts but quickly learned that it was a different place. Everyone supported one another - it wasn't a competition of muscles or who had the latest lululemon capris. It was no-nonsense, leave your *kitten* at the door, leave your sweat on the floor place that I was eternally searching for.

I still have IR - for me, this is not something I can cure with diet or exercise. By following my nutrition plan and working out at intensity, keeps my IR from becoming full blown diabetes. My weight is always a struggle, but now I don't measure my success by the numbers on the scale - but by my CF totals, by my PR's...

Bonus is the changes I see in body composition... :bigsmile:

sweetandsol

I'm glad I started poking in the forums today for info and input about Crossfit. My husband and I are starting it tonight. I'm both scared and excited.

shanolap

Name: Shannon
where you live: Chico, Cali
Time CF'ing: 11 months
Nutrition Plan: I try to eat clean...

I found CrossFit after my best friend started doing it. She has since moved on, but I am addicted! I love the challenge and the community. I have seen drastic results in my body. I have lost inches and body fat, I am more toned and have muscle definition. I found for me CF 3x per week, yoga 4x per week and cardio 3x per week have been a good balance for me and my lifestyle.

When I first started doing CF, I couldn't run 200 meters or do a full sit up without someone holding my feet. Now a 200 is nothing and can blow through full sit ups with ease! We all have to start somewhere and if you want intensity, this is it!

Corinne_Bruce

Name: Corinne
Where you live: Nashville, TN
Time CF'ing: Almost 2 months
Nutrition Plan: Using MFP to monitor calories, protein, fats, and carbs.

I have been athletic all my life but felt that my workout routines didn't challenge me and were not making me stronger. I was looking for something that would help me improve my performance in half marathons. My old high school classmate started CrossFit a couple of years ago and I saw how it changed not only her body but her way of thinking about fitness. She was never considered athletic in school but after CrossFit she was stronger and faster than most men. It was really because of her that I sought out CrossFit. I wanted to be stronger, faster, and better. It has only been 2 months and my half marathon time has improved by 2:23 minutes, I am able to do pushups correctly, I can pull up my body weight, etc., etc. I love CrossFit, it is now my lifestyle and I look forward to 6pm M-F to do my workouts.

Corinne_Bruce

I'm glad I started poking in the forums today for info and input about Crossfit. My husband and I are starting it tonight. I'm both scared and excited.

Welcome! I can't wait to hear about your experience tonight!

MaggieMay131

Name: Maggie
Where you live: Mt. Prospect, IL (NW burb of Chicago)
Time CF'ing: 1 week! haha, I just finished the intro classes and am starting the real ones this week. I'm so excited.
Nutrition Plan: Currently trying to eliminate sugar, after this month I will try going paleo.

I used to be a personal trainer, so I've read up a lot on CrossFit. I've heard so many great things about it and am really excited to see the changes it will produce in my body. Getting married in a couple months so I'm hoping to shape up for that! : ) Also, I've been running more endurance races lately and would like to improve my time... which I've heard CF is wonderful for!

Glad to see there's other CF'ers on here... yay!

andreanoly

Name: Andrea
Where you live: Washington State
Time CF'ing: 3-4x a week . Started in December.
Nutrition Plan: Paleo for the last week, before I was trying to eat clean, but with Paleo I cut the sugar completely, the grains, the dairy and the legumes. Trying to quit my coffee too.

Started in September with a personal trainer 2-3x a week, and the Couch to 5K program. In December made the switch to CF and haven't looked back. LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Got my 10 year old going 2 days a week for CF Kids, and just last week, my husband jumped on the band wagon to start the Ramp/introductory program for CF.

bobspdx

Name: Robin
Where you live: Portland, OR
Time CF'ing: seriously, the past year but have been on and off for last 2 years
Nutrition Plan: Paleoish/Primalish

I totally love Crossfit and I could never do what I do now on my own. I have had great success with losing weight and toning since January when I converted to a Paleo/Primal lifestyle. I am really happy with the way I look and most importantly with the way I feel. When I first began I could not do one situp or even run for more than .25 mile. It was pretty sad! I am so grateful for my coach/trainer, he completely changed my life.

XFitMojoMom

I'm so happy to see so many of us!!

Well, I just finished my WOD - 5 rounds of 15 thrusters and 15 bar facing burpees. BRUTAL. Two things I hate are Thrusters and Burpees!!
I scaled my weight to 55 (Rx for women was 65) and I did the first round doing regular burpees, but switched to walking out burpees. I've started with a pain in my knee and that's a clear indication that my body wants a "rest" (when new injuries crop up). I don't know - my CF trainer says rest, my head and heart says push through it, just not try to Rx everything.

divades

Name: Desiree
Where you live: Oakland, CA
Time CF'ing: 4 weeks
Nutrition Plan: Honestly, I eat what I want but within reason and with moderation. I have found from past experience that strict diets don't work for me. I am considering doing the 30 day paleo challenge though so I can see some more results and see how that works out.

I was introduced to xfit about a year ago when I went to a friend's gym and saw the workouts. I was interested but never got a chance to explore it. My friend ended up doing xfit and fell in love with it. I went with her one day and was immediately hooked. I wanted to join her gym but it was out of the way and charged a lil more than I was willing to pay. I then found a closer gym that charged less (SCORE!!!). I completed the introductory course two weeks ago and have been set free to take the classes. I hope to take crossfit classes 2-3 times a week. I have other trainings and workouts that I do in addition to crossfit so I think that 2-3 weeks is reasonable and doable for me and is a great place to start.

Thanks for creating this thread. Looking forward to sharing progress, and getting inspiration from others. Glad to be a part of this community.

kdiamond

Name: Karen
Where you live: West Palm Beach, FL
Time CF'ing: 8 months
Nutrition Plan: 80% healthy unprocessed goodies that I prepare, 10% healthy type foods but may be processed, 5% chocolate and 5% alcohol and crap; overall a nice balance

I love Crossfit!! When I started, fogettaboutit, I couldn't do JACK and I thought I was in pretty good shape! The running, pullups, pushups, nope, nope, nope! I gradually progressed and I have no problems running 800m 5 times, or doing 50 pushups or even a few unassisted pullups (mostly I use a band though). I also increased my weights and strength a ton. I lost about 3% body fat during the Paleo challenge back in November/December, I'm sitting at 110 pounds and 17% body fat now. Its hard to get my butt there at 8am but once I am there I am stoked and ready to go! LOVE IT!

bobspdx

Today's WOD:
2 rounds for time:
30 deadlifts 95lbs
30 push-ups modified
row for 30 calories
30 pull-ups (grey/small blue band)
25:10

Body was tired today. I definitely did not get enough sleep last night, just a few hours vs. my regular 7-8 hours.

nutmeg0686

Name: Meghan
where you live: Columbus, Ohio
Time CF'ing: Since June 2010
Nutrition Plan: I don't have a specific plan, although counting calories has had the effect of slightly bettering my diet. I'll never be the type to 100% eliminate certain foods, though, and I most definitely indulge or "cheat" more often than I should. One step at a time!

My husband and I joined CrossFit after hearing from a couple of friends how awesome it was. I was definitely intimidated at first and signed up for one month just in case it didn't work out. Eventually, I ended up signing up for a year. I get so much more out of it than I ever did working out on my own or with a trainer at a big gym (Urban Active). After six months of CrossFit I began counting calories and being more accountable for my diet and the pounds started melting off! It was especially exciting because I was then able to see the CrossFit muscles!

I love being able to say that I can lift decent amounts of weight, do "real" push ups, and run a mile without stopping. A year ago, these were all things I didn't think I was able to do. Now my list of "can't do" include handstand pushups, muscle ups, ring dips, and more than one pull up at a time. I'll take the trade though! No matter what shape you're in, CrossFit has a way of surprising you with how much you're really capable of. Even if you modify most of the moves in a WOD, you're still doing more than you would likely do on your own

cm40

Name: Charlie Moreno
where you live: El Paso, TX
Time CF'ing: 4 months (since Jan. 20)
Nutrition Plan: High protein, low carbs when I can. I call it the "Eating much more reasonable that I used to plan"

READY FOR A LONG POST?

I applied for my local police department and started running (slowly). I got a Planet Fitness gym membership ($10 per month).
The first time I couldn't even run a mile without stopping. A month later it took me 19 minutes to finish a mile and a half. I was pretty much walking quickly and felt sore for days.
I spoke to the human resources person at the police department, who also happened to be my Criminal Justice teacher. He mentioned CrossFit was used in the academy. I looked up some videos on youtube and I was scared (I saw Fran). But I went in the next day and did an assessment:
500 meter row
40 squats
30 sit ups
20 push ups
10 pull ups
It took me 11 MINUTES! And I was out of breath for about 30 minutes. I was sore for 2 days. That same week I bought a heart rate monitor (Timex Road Trainer) and noticed my resting heart rate was 110 bpm! I was in shock. I started on the elements classes and quickly saw a difference. It was hard, but I felt like my body was changing from one day to the next. I kept going for two weeks straight, battled the soreness, and every day was a challenge but I was getting mentally stronger too. One day my workout was KELLY. I couldn't even finish 2 rounds. That following Sunday I went in to the gym (no classes on Sunday) and did 5 rounds just because I was so upset I didn't finish the workout earlier that week.
That was the day I felt I got the Crossfit mentality. Never quit. I became addicted. Joined message boards, added my coaches on facebook, started eating better. EVEN GOT THE SHOES! (Reebok Real Flex)
Since March I've lost about 26 lbs. I've gotten so much stronger, cardio is much better. My resting heart rate is at 53 BPM now!
I've been so into it that 2 of my facebook friends have joined my gym. Others have "unfriended" me. One didn't believe my posts about my calories burned that I invited him to join me for a park WOD. He didn't make it past the warm up!
I LOVE CROSSFIT. It's saving my life.
My Criminal Justice instructor asked me what I like about it in class. I said "It's making me harder to kill".

I did the assessment a couple of weeks ago. I was able to do it in under 7 minutes... and I was terribly sore from the previous day's workout!
Crossfit is definitely not for everyone, but it's the only workout program I've stuck to and I don't plan on slowing down any time soon. I hope to compete next year in at least one event.

PS: Thank you for starting this group!

XFitMojoMom

Charlie - that is an incredible story - and better yet is seeing how your resting heart rate has improved!

I'm also happy to see that a lot of you don't fully subscribe to the "Paleo is best" philosophy.. While I have first hand experience with being strictly Paleo and losing, I couldn't help but feel denied of my favorite things (wine and alcohol - yes, I'm a lush).

Just curious how your affiliate is structured?
At CrossFit de L'Ouest before you can even take a regular class it is obligatory to complete a month-long "Fundamentals" course which is 3 days a week.
My box will not get bands for pull ups, push ups, or dips. It's seriously frustrating to try to do workouts like Fran or Angie and not be able to do the real thing. At our box, the scaling for pull ups is ring rows or jumping pull ups. Our trainers don't believe the bands will actually assist in building the strength needed to do a pull up - kind of like the false hope those machines give you at the gym.
I don't know - I'm considering putting a bar in my kids park and buying my own bands and practicing on my own time!!

So what is your most dreaded movement at CF... ?

I cringe when I see Thrusters. Not because I can't do them, because I can, but it's sooooo taxing! - Wall Balls fall into the same category.
and of course I hate seeing the 5K run on the schedule....

Corinne_Bruce

Wow, amazing story Charlie!!!

Yesterday's WOD: 1 lift max
Squat: 115 lbs
Strict Press: 70 lbs
Deadlift: 225 lbs

I recently started CrossFit so this is my baseline max. My squat max should be higher but our trainers don't count it unless my butt is literally touching my heels. I was never taught in the past to go that low so I'm re-learning how to do all my lifts. Thanks for starting this forum, it's great!!

pannacottayum

Sorry if this is OT but i heard about crossfit about a year ago and was really interested. I found a local crossfit gym and the monthly was a bit crazy for me, $150. Is that inline with other crossfit gyms? I get the whole spartan gym thing but in my mind that doesn't jive with boutique gym pricing. What am i not seeing?

XFitMojoMom

I'm paying about that (plus Canadian taxes!!!) for unlimited access monthly. I don't find it excessive when you weigh people spend about 10$/day on eating McD's or some type of crap lunch.

Corrine - those squat numbers and DL numbers are great. You'll see better number on your next CF Total.

bobspdx

Sorry if this is OT but i heard about crossfit about a year ago and was really interested. I found a local crossfit gym and the monthly was a bit crazy for me, $150. Is that inline with other crossfit gyms? I get the whole spartan gym thing but in my mind that doesn't jive with boutique gym pricing. What am i not seeing?

I pay the same for unlimited access to the box and my coach/trainer. I was going 5 times a week but I started training for a half marathon so I have slimmed it down. If you look at the per day cost, it is very reasonable in my mind. Like Pam said, the same amount someone would pay to each lunch out.

bobspdx

Charlie - that is an incredible story - and better yet is seeing how your resting heart rate has improved!

I'm also happy to see that a lot of you don't fully subscribe to the "Paleo is best" philosophy.. While I have first hand experience with being strictly Paleo and losing, I couldn't help but feel denied of my favorite things (wine and alcohol - yes, I'm a lush).

Just curious how your affiliate is structured?
At CrossFit de L'Ouest before you can even take a regular class it is obligatory to complete a month-long "Fundamentals" course which is 3 days a week.
My box will not get bands for pull ups, push ups, or dips. It's seriously frustrating to try to do workouts like Fran or Angie and not be able to do the real thing. At our box, the scaling for pull ups is ring rows or jumping pull ups. Our trainers don't believe the bands will actually assist in building the strength needed to do a pull up - kind of like the false hope those machines give you at the gym.
I don't know - I'm considering putting a bar in my kids park and buying my own bands and practicing on my own time!!

So what is your most dreaded movement at CF... ?

I cringe when I see Thrusters. Not because I can't do them, because I can, but it's sooooo taxing! - Wall Balls fall into the same category.
and of course I hate seeing the 5K run on the schedule....

I am a lush, too! But I have cut alcohol out until further notice because it just makes me want bread and cookies, LOL!

My box uses bands and I really appreciate them. Being able to try and do a real dip on rings or pull-up is great for my confidence. I am definitely getting stronger as I have been using smaller and smaller bands. It will be a long time until I may be able to do one unassisted. But that is OK. :-)

I dread back squats, overhead squats. I am ok with thrusters unless we have to do lots of them throughout a WOD.

kdiamond

So what is your most dreaded movement at CF... ?

OMG there used to be a lot more than there is now! Now I enjoy seeing running on there, I used to dread it. Of course I still dread thrusters..who doesn't? They are the hardest move! The WODs I find the most difficult are the ones you have to do, like 10-20 pullups as one of the movements. They are totally taxing to me, and I get tired very quickly. OH and one day we had a WOD where we had to burbee broad jump for 100m, then take the total amount of burpees required and do a bunch of stuff with those reps! It took 45 burpees!! UGH! What a day.

I love any WOD with deadlifts, running, double unders, box jumps, wall balls, and the list goes on.

nutmeg0686

EVEN GOT THE SHOES! (Reebok Real Flex)

One of my trainers (Graham Holmberg) is in the shoe commercial! He's also the winner of the 2010 CrossFit Games. I didn't compete in the Open this year obviously (since there are still plenty of moves that I can't complete Rx), but it has been interesting to follow the workouts and results. Did anyone else compete in the Open or follow the Games?

I pay about $100 a month at my gym but it's because my husband and I got a "married" discount for getting two members to sign up at once or something. For one person to sign up for 12 months it is supposed to be around $125 I think. Definitely worth it if you compare it to individual training sessions (which is pretty much what you get at a CrossFit gym). Unlimited 60-minute training sessions for a month with someone else would run you A LOT more than $100 - $150!

We have bands at my gym but the trainers don't really allow them in WODs unless really necessary. They are there more for open conditioning or pre- and post-workout use. So instead of bands, we do jumping pull ups, chin to ring pull ups, muscle up transitions, and parallette bar dips. I'd agree with everyone else that thrusters are a pretty dreaded movement. I am ALWAYS sore after they appear in a WOD. Also not really a fan of squat snatches...they require a lot of balance.

XFitMojoMom

Meghan: so neat you have a "star" Crossfitter at your box!! I was following some of the Athlete stories from the Open Games and would watch the video's, but I wasn't too concerned with the results. My trainer and some of the "big boys" competed, but I don't think anyone qualified. And Squat snatches are tough, but they don't suck. It does bother my shoulder though.

Karen: we had a full 'burpee' week once (got the t-shirt) One workout alone had 150 burpees. The other tough one and I know it'll probably show up soon is the 400 m walking lunge WOD. Oh Gawd, I couldn't sit on the flipping toilet, I was hurting so bad. :laugh:

Robin - yep - wine makes me cycle for carbs, chocolate, chips... all the bad things. Seeing that summer is here, I usually don't crave wine, but dreading the Fall and that first craving. I'm only drinking now on Friday-Saturday and my go to drink is vodka with sparkling water.

XFitMojoMom

Oh - forgot to mention I just got off my first IF. Went from 9 pm to noon today. Plan on doing another this week. It was pretty easy, but I kept planning out in my head what I would break-fast with and it drove me to hunger!!

XFitMojoMom

Oh - forgot to mention I just got off my first IF. Went from 9 pm to noon today. Plan on doing another this week. It was pretty easy, but I kept planning out in my head what I would break-fast with and it drove me to hunger!!

bobspdx

Karen: we had a full 'burpee' week once (got the t-shirt) One workout alone had 150 burpees. The other tough one and I know it'll probably show up soon is the 400 m walking lunge WOD. Oh Gawd, I couldn't sit on the flipping toilet, I was hurting so bad. :laugh:

That is another one! 400m walking lunges are a complete dread for me. The first time I had to do that, I was so pissed off afterwards. But the next time, it was better but not fun at all!

yvonnej1

Hope you don't mind me popping in to say hi. I'm not following crossfit as there are no gyms near me that do it but my personal trainer is interested so I get some of it passed my way :happy:
My trainer used bands for pull ups and dips for a couple of sessions and then I was able to do them by myself so I think it helped me, I have got up to sets of 5 reps of unassisted pull ups now. I got introduced to thrusters for the first time last week, was only lifting 17.5 kgs (approx 38 lbs) though as I was having a bad day with my back, tbh I found it hard to grasp the technique at first, I never seem to do well where you have to coordinate movements!

yvonnej1

Oops, don't know how that posted twice

pannacottayum

nutmeg0686:
"I pay about $100 a month at my gym but it's because my husband and I got a "married" discount for getting two members to sign up at once or something. For one person to sign up for 12 months it is supposed to be around $125 I think. Definitely worth it if you compare it to individual training sessions (which is pretty much what you get at a CrossFit gym). Unlimited 60-minute training sessions for a month with someone else would run you A LOT more than $100 - $150! "

Interesting. So it sounds like it's about the instruction. I kinda thought there was instruction for the first month/ramp and after that you were on your own. So yeah, in that sense, a reasonable price to pay. Thanks for the response.

bobspdx

HA HA HA HA, I just checked our online WOD board.... guess what today is!??? 400m walking lunge day! I am super pumped :noway: