Transitioning from a Regular Gym to Crossfit
Best fitness move I made and how I got started
In appearance, it wouldn’t be very evident that I do Crossfit, my tees don’t look like they’ll rip at any moment, I’m lean/slender and my athleticism is nothing more than average. I’m also in my late 30s, but I’ve never felt more fit at any other point in my life than I do now. This all started when I stepped in a Crossfit “Box” as is the general term used for Crossfit gyms.
A couple of years ago towards the end of 2016, I decided to join a Crossfit gym. This decision scared me a little bit because I had read and heard Crossfit wasn’t easy: very complex movements, in a class setting and risking injury when done wrong: Just an intimidating deal! Now why would I go forward knowing this? Simple. What I had going was not working. I had recently switched jobs and I didn’t have access to a work-place gym like my old company had, so I had to figure something out. I enrolled my whole family to the local YMCA, the kids could join the programs offered there, and my wife and I could quickly run to the gym when time allowed, and get in a good workout. It was just a 10 minute drive, so a win-win here, and so we settled for this. But first, let me provide some context.
The Need for Change
I’ll briefly talk about my previous arrangement so we can set stage what my expectations were. The arrangement at my old job was perfect: the gym was in the same building as my workplace, staffed, and deeply discounted. I also knew just about anyone down there since we all worked together, there were no outside members, so it was never packed, there was room to throw weights around and such. Naturally, groups formed around different times: early morning, lunch and after work, so there was this unspoken accountability from fellow co-workers that helped a lot! All I had to do was carry my gym gear with me to work, and after 4pm, gang up with a few co-workers and head down to the “Core”, as we used to call it. Some of us were team-mates, working on same projects, so there was a lot of chit-chat, easy transition.
On the board, there would be a written WOD (Workout of the Day), so instructors didn’t have to be there for us to get started. This flexibility helped a lot, because some days we’d stay late minding system updates and deployments, or just venting on the last GoT episode. We’d perform the warmup as instructed and get right to the WoD. Finish early/late, that was no issue since it was a self-paced kind of deal, well unless there are some time constraints in the WoD. The workouts were branded “core fit" and they involved lots of whole body workouts like pull-ups, push-ups, burpees, planks, running and so on. I really liked this arrangement.
2–3 years down the road, a career change happened and this brings me back to the YMCA deal that we decided to roll with.
My plan was to stick to a schedule for consistency. I also had a bank of workouts from the core-fit sessions that I could pick from, when I got to the gym at the Y, self-driven of course. All looks good, right? [In ESPNs Gameday’s Lee Corso’s voice] “Not so fast!”. Here’s what I found out:
- I couldn’t replicate all movements: There were no rowing machines! The gym at the Y didn’t have lots of floor space for the free movements (think burpees + pull-ups), narrow isles, there was equipment everywhere! Benches, treadmills, stationary bikes, mats, people and on and on. This messed up my bank of WoDs as I couldn’t execute 100% as prescribed.
- Everyone was pretty much doing their own thing. Think of it as dozens of classes going on at the same time! This means some equipments were not available when you needed them. The core-fit WoDs were timed and repetitive, and these inconveniences messed up the whole game!
- I wasn’t as consistent as I planned it. The fact I could go anytime, was a blessing and a curse. The risk was high of me not making it due to this flexibility, I could move it aside to make room for something more “urgent” or “important”. There must be a named theory to this. Sometimes I half-assed it so I could go back for a meeting or some appointment, you know, instead of missing out.
- Lack of accountability: The nudges from my coworkers were no longer there. The grind to finish the tough ones was always there when at the Core, but not here. All of a sudden workouts became subjective, I started rewriting the WoDs to suite my schedule, energy levels and equipment available. All this was bad. Bad!
The Move
Something had to happen and this brings me back to why I started writing this. One Saturday afternoon, I decided to pay the Crossfit gym I had in mind (used to see it from the highway), but unfortunately there was no one there. A sign perhaps to rethink this? LOL. Turns out most Crossfit fit gyms are only open at certain hours, there’s no front-office, gotta catch them before or after a class.
So I tried again, on a weekday afternoon this time, and I met my first coach, Kevin. By appearance, Kevin looked like an ex-wrestler, on top of his fitness game, but very humble as he took time explaining to me what Crossfit is all about. I quickly learned, you join as you are, scale appropriately, be consistent, and you’ll get better. It’s not a place reserved for the already fit, as is common belief, it’s actually a place where folks get better. So I signed up for 10 classes, with a plan to attend twice a week. What follows is my experience.
Getting Started
I had to take an on-ramp course to get familiar with the moves, and reduce the risk of injury. This was quite a learning curve: there’s a lot I was not doing with a barbel! Snatches, cleans, overhead squats, front squats, jerks, thrusters etc. All I did were curls and bench presses! I also quickly learned how limited I was in my mobility! My weaknesses were exposed pretty fast!
My first classes were rough! I was only doing 2 classes a week because I wanted time to recover, and boy did I need it! I was sore everywhere, legs, forearms, abs, glutes! I once got excited about a WoD, only to realize I was looking at the 10–15 minutes warmup routine which was posted on the board! Dang!
Crossfit movements are very complex for newbies and non-athletes (and I was both), very little carries over from conventional regular gym movements. Anything “Overhead” was a struggle for me: Overhead Squats, Jerks, Snatches — exposing my shoulder and ankle immobility. Now surprisingly, this is what I like about Crossfit: Your entire fitness will be tested, you can’t bullshit your way out of it or get to do only what you are comfortable with, you just can’t! You’ll find pockets of strength here and there, even when starting out, but you will be exposed almost immediately in other areas. Whether it’s endurance, strength, mobility, athleticism, sprints, name it, it’ll show up sooner than later.
Now, this all sounds hard and unsexy, something you don’t want to try, but it’s actually a good thing: Why? Your awareness of the fitness gaps you have are heightened, and you are more inclined to face them head on.
The feeling you feel after every class, is exceptional: yes you are tired and sweaty, hands on knees, but few minutes after you breath better, a bit more agile, an extra bounce in your step, better sleep and so on. And here’s the best part: You get lots of support, no matter your fitness level. From the coaches to seasoned Crossfitters to others who are starting out, they’ll have your back, you share the pain. Whether you are blazing through workouts or crawling to the finish line, everyone will cheer you on. It’s crazy! All that’s required is to give it your best.
The coaches are awesome, I do consider myself extremely lucky for the quality coaching I get. They are patient and knowledgeable as is the case at Koda Crossfit, where I’m a member. They have many locations in various cities and states. They’ll help you learn a lot about yourself and progression paths to follow for various movements and general strength building. It’s also a great strong community. I’ve been doing it for over 3 years now, 3–4 times a week, and still my movements need correction. The coaches walk with you, it’s more of a fitness journey than a destination.
What to expect
The typical class is usually 3 phases (the imagery on the left is a typical day at my gym, excluding the warm-up):
Warmup: It starts off with bringing your heart rate up, say a short run/bike/row then go through some stretches either guided or prescribed. You know, get your muscles warmed up. Man, I used to sweat a lot during this people, heck I still do
Strength/Skills: This is where you learn and grow in strength. Or what Tre, our head coach, likes to call “This is when things happen”. You’ll lift and lift heavy but with emphasis on form, not many reps, but enough to have you grunt. Alternatively or in addition, an emphasis to skill and progression: Kipping pull ups, hand-stands, double-unders, muscle-ups, clean/snatch/jerk progression, good form, etc. There’s time to reset, retry, correct, get one-on-one depending on the class size. Not just the coach, but other Crossfitters are also super helpful: they can easily see what you are doing wrong and point it out, be open to learning. With the right community, you never feel like you are being out performed, everyone cheers everyone to the finish.
WoD/Cardio/Sweat-Sesh: These come in different flavas, but the underlying concept is that it’ll keep you breathing hard. It’s usually 3–5–7 rounds of 2–3 movements. It could be time-capped and the goal is to get as many rounds in as possible (AMRAP). This is the one where one collapses on the floor with exhaustion as time expires, totally spent! But rise up better than you walked in, dish out several fist bumps, and call it a day.
Final Thoughts
If you are on the fence, give this a try. Be patient for the longer you’ll stay with it, the more confidence you’ll build and obviously the stronger you get. Being consistent is key, keep showing up, the rest will come. I’d be lying if I said I have it all together now, but I have gained confidence in some areas that I struggled with initially, while in others it’s still work in progress (overheads of course).
Pay one of these Crossfit boxes a visit, they are everywhere, and stay consistent. They are a bit pricey as compared to regular gym memberships, but the results are unquestionable. Some gyms have a free buddy week (bring a friend), where you can train free for a week and test-drive the programming. My hard advise: Don’t quit! Winners don’t quit. It’ll get better with time and you’ll thank yourself months down the road.
Who you are is defined by what you’re willing to struggle for. — Mark Manson
Thanks for reading. Make it a great day!
