What I learned from CrossFit (until now)
by Paolo
Me and my friends after a really intense WOD (crossfitlugano.com)
When I joined the CrossFit community, I never thought I could have learned something. I soon realized I was going to workout hard and I was going to give my best, but it took me a while to understand that the experience I’m living is actually more than just fitness. We’re not talking about skills and techniques. What I learned, and I’m learning day by day, WOD by WOD, is something that I think is making me a better, and more complete, person.
CrossFit is a lesson of humility
CrossFit boxes usually have a really heterogeneous customers base. Students, lawyers, traders, workers, sport professionals and more. What I learned, is that doesn’t matter who you are and what you do outside the box: in there you are just like all the other folks. You will give your best, you will sweat and you will suffer. And perhaps, you will find your name at the bottom of the times whiteboard. This way, I’m learning to never give up and to keep challenging myself. Leaving my ego at the door.
I can learn something from everybody
When I first moved my steps in the CrossFit world, there very little I knew about. Of course, my trainers are the first source of knowledge and information. But I’m trying to keep looking at all the people around me. In CrossFit no one is the best in class. And, with humility, I’m sure I can learn something from everybody in there.
I started eating well
I spend about 12 hours a day out of home, in car and at my office. And I’m sure most of you are in my same conditions. Eating well, eating healthy, is difficult. And, to be honest, was never my concern. But joining CrossFit is not just about sport and getting active. It’s more like lifestyles that will make you feel better and more conscious about your body. Soon I started being pickier on my lunches and dinners, trying to choose the best nutrients I could get. Such a change is quite difficult, and requires determination and patience. Most of the time, while eating at self-services or restaurants, is almost impossible to find what your body really need. Nevertheless, I quickly found out that my performances during the workouts and my general feelings during the day were much better while I managed to eat the right amount (and from the right sources) of carbs, proteins and fats.
Less is more!
All my life I looked for fancy fitness clubs with modern machines and cutting edge interior design. That stuff cost me a lot and, guess what? It never worked. We think that being member of a nice gym will give us better chances to go often, but at the end, this rarely works. The ugly truth is that most of us don’t need all that stuff. Less is more: CrossFit boxes are essentials and offers just what you need. You will learn to workout with floor exercises, jump boxes, PVC bars, ropes and few other (heavy) objects. Nevertheless, the rugged look of the box will give you other motivations to work you ass off. No women with fancy gym pants and make up, no guys with expensive watches. Everybody will be sweating and moaning, and you will not be embarrassed to do the same.
WOD Kills 
leaving ego at the door has been huge for me. It wasn’t until I had my baby and had the humbling experience of returning after a) basically taking a 8 month hiatus from really getting my heart rate up and “redlining” and b)the mandatory 6 week period after a csection, which really is a majory surgery that I learned to really just leave my ego at the door. Now I scale during WODS when previously I just would have tried RX (even if the weight really was too heavy for me to attempt for that load/amount of intensity) and I build my strength up during the strength portions, and I’m realistic about where I am as far as my skills, and what I need to do to progress
Happy to see you are still following (and commenting) my blog! Thank you once again for your time.
First of all, big congrats for having restarted CrossFit right after Pregnacy and C-Section! Tough mama! 🙂
“Leaving the ego at the door” was quite easy for me, especially because i didn’t have one if we are talking about physical activities. I never considered me an athlete and, as I mentioned before, I was very conscious of my limits and my (bad) shape.
What I think really helps everybody to improve is seeing that each one, even the fittest guy, has limits. I feel that “the ego at the door” is the base of our community and connects beginners and pros pushing both of them to do their best, according to their actual capabilities.
“That stuff cost me a lot and, guess what? It never worked.”
Two things:
1. Crossfit ain’t cheap, it is the most expensive workout I’ve found.
2. If it didn’t work it’s because you didn’t put the effort into it, blaming the equipment is just not admitting you were being lazy about your workout.
Hey Ted, thank you for your comment and for giving me the occasion to explain better what I meant with my post.
Concerning your first point, I understand what you mean. I know CrossFit is blamed to be too expensive. By the way, this is not always true and I think it strongly depends by the country we are talking about. I live in Switzerland, and in my town our CrossFit box charges about 20% less than a regular gym and about 50% less than the best gym in town. Specifically, I was comparing CrossFit to a “fancy fitness club”.
About your second point, is it true what you say: I never made any effort before and I was all the time very lazy, while going to the gym (better explained in my first post in this blog “Feelings of a Beginner”). My point is simple: the major driver for achieving results in physical activity is motivation. For a guy who doesn’t have the cult of perfect body and pumping muscles, it is very hard (if not impossible) to find motivation in a gym. Is not about the equipment: CrossFit worked for me (and for many others out there) because, especially through its community, gave me the motivations I didn’t have to push my body towards new achievements.
Keep it up,
Paolo