My Humble Endorsement of Crossfit

I'm a picky guy. I'm picky about my food. I'm picky about my clothes. I'm picky about my music. I'm picky about what I watch on television and what I read. I'm also very picky when it comes to working out. I really don't like to waste my time.

I've been doing some form of workout on a regular basis since I started to get into tennis early in my life. It's only been recently (in the last year) that the world of rock climbing opened up to me the world of Crossfit.

Crossfit is a program that really has no definition. The different workouts posted each day on the main website are designed to utilize maximum effort in short periods of or around 20 minutes (and often less than 8 minutes). Instead of being great at one thing, the goal is to be good at lots of things, which is the definition of fitness in the eyes of a Crossfitter. These things include power, strength, balance, flexibility, endurance, agility, etc.

You'll see lots of aerobic movements like rowing and running. You'll see lots of gymnastic bodyweight movements like pull-ups and push-ups (and the famous "muscle-up"). You'll see lots of heavy barbell training and lots of high repetition, low weight multi-functional movements.

What you won't see is the same thing every day. New and different workouts are posted each day. Sure, they repeat workouts, but you haven't done it for at least a or two month (and sometimes 4 or 5 years).

What you won't see is anything involving weight machines. Crossfit stresses multi-functional movements. Weight machines focus on distinct muscle groups, whereas gymnastic bodyweights movements and barbell training force the entire body to work thereby increasing the amount of work you do and lowering the amount of time you have to spend at the gym.

I encourage you to give it a try for a few days. Not ready yet for the WOD (Workout of the Day)? Try a scaled version. Maybe drop the repetitions, weight, or time to be manageable for your ability. Get used to the lifts and movements. I guarantee that if you push yourself to perform the workout effectively and with maximum effort, it will be a matter of time before you see results and are feeling better than ever. You can find a gym in your area here.