The CrossFit Challenge

Myself and a coworker decided to give CrossFIt a go and attend a free clinic last fall. CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements performed at a high intensity (pushups, sit ups, squats, box jumps, pull ups, etc) in timed exercise sets. One thing is for sure, it is intense. At this free session, the instructor/owner gave us a basic tutorial of what CrossFit is and why it is an effective way of exercising. Then - we learned how to properly squat and were put through a sample workout. The sample workout was an eye opener as I never thought that box jumping could be so difficult. It challenged your system where I felt like (at the end of 5mins) I had run 10kms. Amazing!
At first, I was intimidated to go to the class - I had a predetermined opinion that everyone who goes to CrossFit is in amazing shape and that I would "look silly". Don't get me wrong - there were some people there that were in great shape but there were also a lot of average Joes/Janes. I fell somewhere in the middle for my timed workout and felt a sense of support/community after 1/2 hour. The instructors were excellent and encouraging. The people that attended were just as scared/apprehensive as I and of course, I could offer some "good jobs" and "keep it up's".
In my opinion, if you could combine CrossFit, Yoga, and a weekly cardio session - you would be on your way to a well balanced, effective workout regime. Funny thing is that you won't see traditional body building exercises (like bicep curls) at these classes. You will see people pushing themselves to their limits and looking alive and healthy. Mike has been doing CrossFit for a couple of years now and ran last year's PEI 1/2 marathon without training (did I mention that CrossFit has little running involved). I also know that I started doing CrossFit workouts on my own and noticed a change in my overall ability in a very short period of time. I can also say that my coworker has kept up with it (I couldn't as I had Synchro during class times) and is looking fabulous! I intend to join the gym hopefully this summer but the nice thing about CrossFIt is that you can do it on your own as well.
I believe CrossFit is a challenge at is not for the mentally weak - you will feel like giving up but if you can push yourself to the end of the time, you'll gain a lot. Typically the exercise sets are short so in this case you could think of it as "Short-Term Pain - Long-Term Gain!!"
Today, Rebecca and I were up at 6:45am running in the snow and rain. We were sooo thankful there was no wind and we only had to concern ourselves with how wet we were getting. Yes, we're hardcore!