The Sport of Me

Crossfit will injure you. Crossfit is a cult. Crossfit is for douchebags. Crossfit is a made-up sport. Crossfit is just a fad.

I’ve heard all of the above, many times, and the truth is that it’s hard to argue with any of those points. That said, Crossfit has changed my life in many ways and is continuing to do so. Here’s how and why.

Crossfit challenges me

I like challenges. I’m energized by having problems to solve and goals to reach. I’ve always enjoyed being athletic, but having fitness related goals, other than looking good shirtless at the beach, has never been super important to me. I’m a nerd, not a pro athlete.

When I found Crossfit in 2007, my goal was to get in shape. As I started to understand the programming, my goals got more specific. I wanted to do 10 pull ups, I wanted to squat my body weight, I wanted to master double-unders, I wanted to complete just one muscle-up on the rings. Those were all tall orders, but got me focused on specific success cases.

Each of those took an unbelievable amount of focused hours in the gym for me to accomplish. That muscle up didn’t happen until last year. I practiced coordination and strength for many consecutive months, with the help of my coaches and friends in the gym, until I got my first muscle up. I’ll never forget that day, maybe because one of my coaches got it on video! It was ugly, but I’ve never been so proud. It was a huge challenge for me, but it taught me that I am an athlete. It made me believe in myself. It changed me.

Crossfit injured me

Yes, you can get hurt doing Crossfit. I tore an umbilical hernia learing to kip pull ups which required surgery to repair, I have two herniated discs in my neck, I’ve torn my hands open several times, and my lower back still bothers me a bit from a trying to press too much weight overhead.

All of the above injuries were my own fault. Part of understanding Crossfit is knowing how to safely push yourself out of your comfort zone. I get competitive when I see my friends doing better than I am in the gym, so I learned some hard lessons, but those injuries pale in comparison to the newfound strength, agility and confidence that Crossfit has allowed me to discover in myself.

Crossfit is a cult

Cult is a strong word with a negative connotation. Crossfit is a community, but community doesn’t accurately portray the strength of the ties that bind Crossfitters together. After I moved from Texas to California, I found a Crossfit gym. The members welcomed me with open arms. They became my friends, my brothers and sisters in this communal suffering we call Crossfit, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Working out in a Crossfit “box” couldn’t be more different than lifting weights or running on a treadmill in a regular gym. During a Crossfit workout there’s lots of screaming, lots of encouragement. Most workouts are timed or scored in some way, and the last person to finish usually has a small crowd around them pushing them to finish strong. The last person to finish is usually the person working the hardest. It’s not about winning, it’s about helping each other be the best version of themselves possible. Maybe it is a cult, but I’m okay with that. When we predict the apocalypse, we’ll be in good shape to deal with it!

“The Sport of Fitness”

Every year thousands of Crossfit athletes compete in the Crossfit Games. The competition starts locally with a five week competition called “The Open” and everyone can compete. The best of the regions qualify for regional competition, and the best of those qualify to compete in the world competition. I’ll never qualify for regionals, but it’s really fun to do the same workout that my Crossfit friends in many states are doing, and compare our results.

Some people argue that doing Crossfit just makes you good at… Crossfit. They say that “The Sport of Fitness” is just a self-perpetuating marketing slogan to get people paying for Crossfit. They say Crossfit won’t actually make you better at anything specific. I couldn’t disagree more.

I continue to play basketball, play tennis, run and lift weights with my friends. I have become better at all of those things. Maybe if I were a pro athlete, Crossfit wouldn’t be specific enough to make me better at my sport, but many pro athletes disagree. Not only has it made me a better all-around athlete, but it’s made me a more confident person. Maybe it won’t make you better at anything specific, because it will make you better at everything.

Crossfit, the fad

Is Crossfit just a fad? It is certainly trendy right now, but it’s been around since 2000. It always makes me laugh, on the inside, when people label Crossfit as a fad and dismiss it as a legit way to get in shape, especially when those people aren’t doing anything else to get in shape. Maybe that’s elitist of me, but hey, sweating in the gym with your cult-mates to a fad fitness trend is better than not sweating at all.

The fact is, I don’t care… and I like being trendy.

The Sport of Me

Crossfit is helping me the best version of myself, in and outside of the gym. Every day I look forward to, and fear, the next day’s workout. I’m not there everyday, and I take long breaks occasionally, but Crossfit always draws me back in because I’m better when I’m there. Crossfit is a sanctuary for me. When life is chaotic and everything is going awry, Crossfit allows me to focus and and let it all go.

I’m not very strong and I’ll never “forge elite fitness” like the Crossfit slogan proclaims, but I’ll continue making myself better with my community in the gym. The intensity of Crossfit helps me put the rest of the world in perspective. Crossfit is making me healthier and happier. This is why I Crossfit.