Friday, April 27, 2012

My Aching Thighs and Shoulders!

I'm not sure how I made it to the gym this morning after yesterday's CrossFit session. Actually, getting to the gym was not a problem. I guess I should say - I'm not sure how I made it through today's workouts because my thighs and shoulders were on fire!

I did my usual Body Combat, Body Pump, Zumba Friday routine. Both Combat and Pump classes had lots of lunges and squats - they did not help my aching thighs one bit. Plus all the punching in Combat followed by chest presses, tricep presses, and push ups (to name a few) that were targeting my shoulders/arms -- OMG. I wanted to stop at one point, but I didn't. Zumba was my treat of the day, especially since I missed both classes during the week. So, I got a mega-workout in today ... but let me tell you about yesterday.

I got my first taste of CrossFit yesterday.

We met in an outdoor field and were introduced to the basic idea of CrossFit and shown some of the basic moves. None of us (7 girls) had ever done CrossFit before, which was a relief for me because I was nervous. We had two coaches - F, who I mentioned in my post at the beginning of the month, and YAB, who professional competes in CrossFit competitions.

We started off with some jogging, rudely interrupted by burpees! Have you ever done a burpee? To me, it's a form of modern-day torture. It really is a challenge (for me) to put all the movements together - jump down into push up position, pull your knees in to your chest quickly, and jump back up. Try doing three of those after being out of breath from jogging and then continuing the jog only to be interrupted again by burpees. I wanted to cry (in a good way, kinda).

The when did a combination of some other moves - squats, push ups, leg raise holds, followed by another jog. We did walking lunges, deadlifts, and more sprints, burpees, and other jumps.

Since this was just an introductory taste, we didn't use any weights. It's amazing how much of a workout you can get without using any weights at all!

All in all, I loved it! It really got my heart rate going and challenged my body to MOVE. Those quick shifts from one position to another are themselves a challenge enough. This is definitely something that I want to continue doing. I think once my PhD is completely out of the way and I finish my NROL4W weights program I will be able to devote time to CrossFit. I can't wait :)

By the way, CrossFit Regionals are happening right now.



12 comments:

  1. It is quite amazing what a workout you can do without any equipment! Looking forward to reading more about your experience with CrossFit :)
    Early congrads on PhD, wohoo!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know! It's something I'll have to keep in mind when traveling for an extended period of time!

      Delete
  2. Awesome!! Glad you liked CrossFit so much!!! Burpees are the devil's exercise, I swear!! I thought I knew how to do a burpee but apparently I don't according to my CF coach. Those things suck. I hate them.

    You are a rockstar getting in such a killer work out today. Honestly, I couldnt' imagine doing that. I should take a rest day tomorrow after all the crazy WOD's I've done this week. Maybe I'll do yoga. Have a great weekend!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Burpees are indeed the devil's exercise! I have a long way to go before I can do it properly. I'm kinda going through the motions at the moment!
      Once I get into a proper CrossFit routine I'll have to rethink my workout schedule. Just powering through for the moment :)

      Delete
  3. I do burpees, and they make me dizzy! Seriously, if I do 10, I feel like falling right over! It sounds like a hard workout.

    :-) Marion

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Running and burpees on their own are tough enough -- throw them together - I was dizzy too!!

      Delete
  4. I am so jealous of you doing CrossFit that I can almost cry. :p

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are so many aspects of CrossFit that you can start doing on your own at home. Like I said, we really didn't use any equipment - just our body weight, so it's definitely doable at home :)

      Delete
  5. So many people I know are trying CrossFit and loving it! I admit, I'm curious, but just have too much going on right now.

    Can't wait to follow your progress at it though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm definitely interested in pursuing CrossFit, but I'm going to have to wait until I finish all the other stuff I'm in the middle of doing right now. I think it's something you'd really enjoy though Kris :)

      Delete
  6. Crossfit is amazing! I'm still working my way up to it. After I move, I'll be able to join a crossfit group/class. It's exciting! :) Let us know what your workouts are like, I want to know what kind of thing I need to prep for.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll keep you posted Nanette. It's definitely something that you can practice at home. I see a LOT of practice ahead of me for sure!!

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I can use all the support I can get :)