CrossFit Begins

The first Iron Tribe CrossFit 101 workout has commenced, and it was a tough one seeing that my body isn’t accustomed to crossfit workouts and I’m still recovering from sinus and chest congestion. CrossFit 101 is for newbies, and they are teaching us all of the different exercises, terminology, and food recommendations for crossfit, and also getting our bodies accustomed to intense crossfit workouts. So, for the next four weeks, our class will meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for CrossFit 101.

Our first Workout Of the Day (WOD) was the Baseline WOD. A workout that will establish a fitness baseline to see how fit we all are. We started out our warm ups by lining up in three groups and doing punt kicks, butt kicks, and lunges. Then we did a small sample round of the workout that we were about to do. So, we did a 200 meter run, squats, kettle bell lifts, and sit ups. Once we were all comfortable with those movements, we made our way to the drawing board for our workout instructions.

Baseline WOD:

• 200 Meter Run
• 15 – 12 – 9
• Air Squats (squats without weights)
• Kettle Bell Swings (men were told to use 35 lbs, but after trying, I downgraded to 26 lbs.)
• Sit Ups
• 200 Meter Run

This workout is timed, meaning that we are to complete all of the items prescribed, and see how long it takes for us to complete them. (All workouts involve the timer in some fashion. Sometimes we might be asked to do as many sets as possible in x amount of time.) When the timer starts, we were to run 200 meters, come back  in and do 15 sets, then 12 sets, and finally 9 sets of air squats, kettle bell swings, and sit ups. Then the workout is finished up with another 200 meter run.

I completed this workout in 11:48. The slowest of our bunch, but I was proud that I was able to do the workout. If it wasn’t for all of the exercise that I’ve done in the past three years (and all of the weight that I’ve lost), there would have been no way that I could have done that workout.

A big thank you to some of my classmates for running an additional 200 meters with me (They completed their workout, then ran with me on my final 200). Y’all went above and beyond… (I was at least 2-3 minutes slower than everyone.)

Myth: Crossfit is a cult that consist of a group of young crazy people that do exercises that are impossible for the average Jane or Joe to perform. FALSE! All workouts can be scaled to each individual’s abilities. For example, I couldn’t do a complete lunge, but it’s fine for me to do what I could. Also, 35 lb kettle bells were too heavy for me on the kettle bell lifts, so I used 26 lb kettle bell. Also, I saw on the Iron Tribe web site, that they have more members over 40 than under 40.

After our workout, we had a brief class about the definition of crossfit and fitness.

Crossfit: “use functional movements (FM) in constantly varied (CV) combinations and perform these at high intensity (HI) (yet always safely).” [source]

Also, the coach asked us to record all of our food in the notebook that was given to us upon sign up.

I’m a little sore from yesterday’s workout, but I feel good. Better yet, I feel strong. (Due to technical difficulties, I am posting today about yesterday’s workout. Boo.)

Also, a little side note about food. They will be discussing the Paleo diet with us, but I am not going to follow it because I have my Greek Momma, Sonthe, a registered dietitan, helping me with my binge eating disorder.

My next workout will be tomorrow morning after meeting up with Dan (psychologist) and Sonthe.  (PS… Ever notice how every time I mention Sonthe or Dan, I label what they do? I do this for new readers. I figure a new reader would ask who they were and what they do. Just fyi.)

Disclosure: My membership to Iron Tribe Fitness is sponsored by Art Promotional Services. I received a five month membership to Iron Tribe Fitness in Homewood, AL, however all opinions are my own. I will also note that I am voluntarily blogging about my crossfit fun. I enjoy crossfit, and hope that others can learn something from my experiences. I endorse Blog With Integrity.

Tagged as: CrossFit, Exercise, Iron Tribe, Workout