Why I Love CrossFit + Reflecting on my 2 Year Anniversary

I have always wanted to do CrossFit, you could even call it a dream of mine. I have always known that I one day would, I just had to have the courage to take the first step. After researching several CrossFit gyms-I found CrossFit NCS. It was really important to me to find a gym that integrated new athletes well, and from my online research it was clear that CrossFit NCS was the right fit for me. I think it is hard to do new things, even if we want to do them and CrossFit was no different. My first workout was a humbling experience, with my inability to do pushups and struggle with the jump rope. I was beyond ready to immerse myself into the world of CrossFit though, so I came back the next day at 9 am and never looked back.

I knew I had so much to learn, but that was a lot of the excitement for me. Being primarily future-oriented, I had a vision of myself 2 years into my CrossFit journey and that was what motivated me and kept me going. I kept that vision of Demie in mind every time I felt out of place, like I didn’t know anything, and when negative thoughts would creep in. I had confidence in where I would be at when reaching significant milestones such as 6 months in, 1 year, and even 2 years. If I attended class consistently, put in the work, fueled myself with proper nutrition most of the time, and never gave up I knew I would get there. I set goals along the way and was absolutely eager to learn everything that I possibly could. Now just recently surpassing my 2 year anniversary, I am super proud of who I am today and I’ve probably exceeded my expectations of myself, and where I would be when reaching this milestone.

So what really is CrossFit?

One of the many reasons I love CrossFit so much, is that it prepares me for life. Most things we do in the CrossFit gym have a bigger purpose and relate to everyday life, basically it is functional fitness. CrossFit paired with proper nutrition is a recipe for health and longevity-something that is important to me. The main components of CrossFit workouts are: constant variation, functional movements, and high intensity.

What is a typical CrossFit class like?

CrossFit classes are usually 1 hour, and that includes a warmup, the WOD (workout of the day) itself, time to cool down/stretch and get all equipment put away. I was immediately impressed with how much is accomplished in just 1 hour at CrossFit. In fact, for my first 6 months at least I would call my mom on my way home and tell her every detail of my hour at NCS. I know that sounds silly, but I honestly was just so ecstatic with everything that I was learning and again everything that was done within that 1 hour timeframe. Most importantly, a CrossFit coach leads the class through the entire hour. Some days we even have a strength or skills component before the WOD, which is a great time to hone in on the technique of what we are doing even more.

CrossFit WODs vary in time, but one thing you can be sure of is the intensity. WODs can be anything from 5 rounds of several movements for time, as many rounds and reps of the movements as possible within 20 minutes, 4 minutes of work followed by 4 minutes of rest and so on, or even every 3 minutes complete a number of reps of various movements, resting when you are done before the next 3 minutes start. We also have benchmark workouts that tell us where we are at with our fitness levels, and over time show us how we have improved. The number of possible CrossFit workouts is infinite, which means we are always prepared for anything life throws at us. There are so many different movements in CrossFit, we run, we row, we do gymnastics, we lift weights-really we do it all!

A few Misconceptions about CrossFit

A few misconceptions about CrossFit are that CrossFitters use bad form and get injured often and that you have to be really fit to do CrossFit. In my experience, the coaches at CrossFit NCS do not allow any athlete to get to a place of bad form. Coaches are constantly providing support and feedback to all athletes, and do not allow any athlete to add weight to the barbell, if form does not stay in tact. Having good form with everything we do in CrossFit is really the first priority. Yes, CrossFit athletes do get injured sometimes. CrossFit is a sport and we are athletes, therefore injuries can happen but I wouldn’t say often. CrossFit is for everyone. Every workout can be modified and scaled for every fitness level. It just isn’t true that you have to be really fit to start CrossFit. All ages and all ability levels come through the doors of CrossFit NCS, and everyone is welcome. What can be guaranteed is, that no matter your age or your starting point-you will absolutely see your fitness level improve through CrossFit.

CrossFit During COVID-19

Soon after the COVID-19 pandemic became prevalent across the US, my mom had to cancel her Spring Break trip to see us. Even though I care most about her safety, not knowing when I would be reunited with my parents again honestly made me feel anxious and depressed. I remember thinking that as long as I had CrossFit I would probably be okay. No more than a few days later, I was attending a 5:30pm CrossFit class right as the Governor of Colorado was announcing that starting the following day gyms would be forced to shutdown. CrossFit has always been so much more than a workout to me, and has tremendously supported my mental health. As naive as it sounds, I never thought that I would not be able to go to my CrossFit gym. On top of my mom’s cancelled trip, this news was absolutely devastating to me.

Thankfully, CrossFit NCS found a way to meet our needs during the health crisis. We safely checked out equipment from the gym to take home for a period of time, and had online workouts through Zoom with our coaches. It ended up being the same familiar faces most days on Zoom, and I quickly looked forward to this new sense of normalcy. We even did a few online competitions. This allowed me to fully plug in and focus on what I could control. I couldn’t control when I would be able to see my parents again, when the gym would be able to open back up, or much else. What I could control though-was showing up for the online workouts, fueling my body with proper nutrition, how many miles I ran/walked and taking care of my mental health the best that I could. We have now been back in the CrossFit gym for a while, with health and safety measures in place. CrossFit definitely looks different during COVID-19 at our gym, but I am counting it as a blessing to be able to be back.

Goals

In my first year of CrossFit, my biggest goal was to lift 100 pounds on a barbell movement, that wasn’t a back squat, front squat, or deadlift. About 6 months in, I did a 100 pound squat clean! I also did my first double under, which is where the jump rope passes twice underneath your feet per one jump in the air. Within my 2nd year of CrossFit, I got double unders down pretty well, and am now just working toward being able to do all reps in every workout. I can now do some real push-ups, pull-ups, and even toes to bar too. I am also working toward being able to do all of these reps in every workout. I’ve been reflecting a lot on these first 2 years of my CrossFit journey, every goal that I have achieved, every new skill I have learned, and every PR on a barbell lift.

What I keep coming back to though, is the person that I have become through CrossFit. I am confident in who I am, I am happy, and I am mentally tough. Through all of the ups and downs in life, CrossFit is a constant for me. I will never take for granted my ability to do CrossFit and hope to be 80+ years old some day still enjoying the sport. I look forward to it nearly every day, and even have the joy of Donnie alongside me (he joined when I was about 7 months or so in). So what do I hope to accomplish in year three? In typical Demie fashion, I’ve got a long list of goals including mastering kipping pull-ups, lifting heavier barbell weights during workouts, and working on pushing myself to be a little uncomfortable during WODs (for me that means going faster!).

To my Coaches

To all of the wonderful coaches I have encountered at CrossFit NCS in the past 2 years, I have to say THANK YOU for EVERYTHING. I have never met a coach that has doubted me. In fact, it has often been the case that my coaches have believed in my abilities more often than myself. I have to give a lot of credit to my coaches for many of the weights that I have hit on various barbell movements, skills I have gained, and what I have accomplished during workouts. Most importantly, you have always accepted me for who I am and helped me develop some serious mental toughness.

To my fellow Athletes

I feel as if I am close to my happiest and best self in our four walls of the gym, and a lot of that is because of my fellow athletes. It is only in CrossFit, that you cheer the loudest for the last person to finish. The camaraderie, friendship, constant encouragement, and positive vibes have made my CrossFit journey even better. To everyone who has befriended me at CrossFit NCS, thank you.

If there is something that you have always wanted to do in life, have the courage to take the first step. I doubt you will regret it! I know I would rather feel uncomfortable for a short amount of time as a beginner, than experience the aching feeling and tugging at my heart that comes with the regret of never acting on something that I wanted to do. It is hard being new at things, but it is even harder to go through life wishing you would have the courage to take the first step. Whatever that something is for you, you owe it to yourself to take the first step.

In the Spirit of Adventure,

Demie