CrossFit: 4 Weeks In

It’s been approximately 4 weeks since I decided to completely switch up my training routine, say au revoiur to my gym and welcome CrossFit into my life, and never, in my 3 years of getting fit, have I been so incredibly challenged by a programme that requires absolutely everything you’ve got. Power, strength, determination and focus.

I’ve pretty much done it all. Cardio, pilates, swimming, running, weight lifting and short and ‘intense’ HIIT sessions (or so I thought). You name it, I’ve probably tried it. It also wasn’t until I joined CrossFit when I realised just how non-intense my workouts were. I always thought my workouts were pretty intense and challenging. Y’kno like, damn Hannah, that was a good session! Ha. No. My friends, you have not seen, or even experienced intense work until you’ve tried out a CrossFit WOD (workout of the day) and finished on the floor, gasping for breath and covered in sweat.

Now, if you’re wondering why the heck I decided to ditch my shiny new gym (which I was pretty happy with) for a CrossFit box then you can read all about that here. I can safely say though that in the small time of 4 weeks, I’ve become stronger, I’ve hit PB’s, I’ve learnt new skills/moves, I’ve pushed myself like I’ve never pushed myself before and I’ve signed myself up for the 2018 CrossFit Open – despite being a CrossFit newbie. On top of all that though, I’ve found a love for a certain type of training that I thought I would never love or learn to love. And boy, when I say love, I really mean it.

This isn’t a post to tell you that you should stop whatever kind of training you’re doing and to start doing CrossFit instead. No. CrossFit, like any other type of fitness regimen, isn’t for everyone. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it’s challenging and yes, you’re lifting weights everyday and throwing yourself in ridiculous WOD’s that really do test your skills and cardiovascular health. BUT, with that said, CrossFit can be scaled to whoever. The difficulty of each workout is up to you and how hard you want to push yourself. If you can only snatch a plastic pole, then snatch a plastic pole. If you can only work your way up a rope from laying on the floor, then lay on the floor. The one thing I wish everyone understood about CrossFit is that nobody judges you. Ever. Everyone starts somewhere and if your starting chapter is picking up a dumbbell for the first time, then so be it (and you go girl).

What I’ve learnt so far

CrossFit is one of the most supportive communities – I won’t lie… I was incredibly nervous to start CrossFit in a completely new environement. I had to learn new faces, meet new people and start training in a class (which I had always hated). However, the people at my box have been nothing but supportive, friendly, non-judgemental and welcoming. As for the classes – I now hate it when it comes to working out on my own! Funny, huh? 

No muscle group is off limits – The great thing about CrossFit is that it’s functional training which means not only are you training for strength and improvement, but you’re training in a broad manner which includes all forms of movements. Ultimately this means that you’re working more muscles group than just one and some days, you’re hitting all muscle groups. More muscle groups = more calories burnt. In the 4 weeks I’ve been doing CrossFit my bodyfat has dropped, I’ve gained a little extra muscle and I can really see (and feel) my body leaning up.

CrossFit makes you hungry AF – Simply put. CrossFit makes you hungry as hell. I work harder now than I’ve ever worked and this often means that I’m fuelling my body with more food than usual because guess what? It needs it! And because I’m fuelling my body correctly with the right food I’m able to increase my strength and see progress within my body. Am I putting on weight and fat from the extra food? No! Quite the opposite really.

Anybody can do CrossFit – All the workouts are scalable which means absolutely anybody can do CrossFit – even if it’s your first time getting fit! Just pace it to yourself, let your coach know of any injuries and most importantly, enjoy yourself and the experience that CrossFit brings, because believe me, it’s pretty darn motivating being surrounded by people with all different kind of strengths and drive.

You’ll get strong quickly – This is based on my experience of attending sessions 5-6 days a week and working on the moves throughout the week. You can see my progress below.

It’s hard, really hard – I’m not going to lie and say it’s easy, because it’s not. Some days you’ll want to sack it in the bin or stop half way through a WOD and puke up. However, if you decide to stick around after figuring that out, then it kind of gets sickly addictive and you’ll learn that pain only leads to strength.

Practice makes perfect – Like all beginners, you’ll struggle at first with certain moves (if not most of them) but the best thing you can do is suck it up, admit that it’s a weakness and continue to work on it until you start improving. Personally, I’ve been working on my weaknesses every week and I think this is how I’ve managed to improve myself quite quickly.

You’ll work on your weaknesses like never before – Hate snatches? Oh well. You’ll most probably work on them every week and you best get used to it. Learn to get comfortable with the uncomfortable and then thank your coaches later. Trust me.

CrossFit isn’t pretty – The boxes are big, they’re bare, they’re often dirty (chalk and sweat) and they’re full of athlete’s grunting, swearing, yelling and sweating. The music is loud and barbells will hit the floor like they’ve never hit the floor before. And you know what? I frickin’ love it!

My progress

The weights below are simply what I began with, to what I’m currently working with now (or when I last worked on it). Most of them are not my 1RM (unless stated). Since the start of my CrossFit journey I’ve kept a journal of my progress stating each workout along with the weights used. I think this is SO important if you want to track your progress and see how much you’re getting stronger as the weeks go on. Go on, do it. 

Snatch/power snatch – Pole > 20kg, 1RM– last week.

Squat clean/power clean – 25kg > 42.5kg, 1RM – two weeks ago.

Clean split jerks – 25kg > 32.5kg – I’ve only worked on these twice and probably hit 32.5kg about 3 weeks ago.

Push jerk – 20kg > 30kg – Again, I’ve only worked on these twice and hit 30kg about 3 weeks ago.

Thruster – 20kg > 30kg – Not worked on these much and hit 30kg about 2 weeks ago.

Front squat – 30kg > 40kg – last week.

Over head squat – Pole > 17.5kg – last week.

Deadlift – 70kg, for 6 reps > 90kg, for 3 reps- last week.

Dumbbell snatch – 8kg > 12.5kg – last week.

Pull ups – 2 bands > unassisted – today!

Handstand push ups – 3 ab mats, 4 reps > 2 ab mats, 8 reps – this week.

Handstand kipping – 3 ab mat, 1 kip > 2 ab mats, 3 kips – this week.

The CrossFit Open 2018

Whilst I’m only 4 weeks into CrossFit I still decided to join in on the CrossFit Open (read about it here). I know I won’t be able to RX most workouts – if not all of them – but I decided that it would be a great way to not only compare my progress when it comes to next year’s open, but also as a way to truly test my strength and ability when put under pressure. The first workout, 18.1 was released on Friday (Friday 23rd Feb 2018) and at 2pm, I decided to complete it scaled with 10kg DB hang clean and jerks and knees to chest.

My result? 293 reps (into my tenth round). Although I don’t have much to compare it to (and am a little unaware just how good/bad my score may be), I’m happy with my score and pretty chuffed that I managed to pace myself properly – even if my quads felt like they were going to explode on that rower.

Despite completing the workout yesterday, I may give 18.1 another shot on Monday just before the results have to be uploaded (you can do the workout as many times as possible) and see if and how many rounds I could get RX’ed. I was pretty adamant that I couldn’t get toes to bar on Friday until however, I decided to have a quick practice AFTER 18.1 and alas, I got toes to bar. Typical. So tomorrow I may aim for 18.1 RX’ed but we shall see! For now though, have a peep at Fridays 18.1 workout below. It’s slightly sped up but hopefully it gives you an idea of what a typical CrossFit WOD looks like, the environment and how the judging takes place…

The CrossFit Open will take place until March 26th and I suppose the question remains: Will I be sticking around after? Absolutely! It’s hard to describe, but CrossFit has given me a drive and determination like no other and for the first time in a very long time, it’s given purpose back to my training. CrossFit isn’t about the way you look. It’s about strength, power and making yourself better than you were yesterday.

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