CrossFit BABY!

There's nothing like the excitement of starting something new.  Last night I went to my first CrossFit class and I was literally giddy with excitement to finally try it out.  And my goodness, did I get smoked!  Oh I've done pullups, situps, and pushups before.  But not like that! :)  My arms were locking up on me and I literally had to will myself to do each rep.  It was amazing!

So here I go...I'm embarking on my CrossFit journey.  This DOES involve me getting rid of two of my gym memberships to fund this escapade....LOL...but I'm excited to see where I can go from here.  I might have to ease myself into the Paleo diet (peanuts aren't allowed????....but peanut butter is my staple food!), but I intend to give this 100% of my attention.

I sure do love the fact that a 30 minute workout 5 days a week is what CrossFit is all about.  No more one hour sessions of cardio and another 45 minutes of free weights.  It'll be all short, explosive workouts for me from here on out.  And by the end of 2012 I WILL do a muscle up! :)  Haha!

Train hard everyone, no matter what you're doing...just give it your all!

Functional Training

So my latest motivation has been that I want to train to be STRONG.  I'm past wanting to work out to look a certain way.  Obviously, I don't want to be fat.  But I don't want to train for a specific look, such as what the judges are looking for in an NPC bikini competition.  I'm pretty happy with my shape, and I know that I don't have a small waist and I have large quads.  But that's me.  I love my strong quads.  Sure, I'd like more rounded glutes, but that's something I can definitely work on.  But it's hard to do so when you are 'fighting against nature' as I was doing by trying to keep my quads down.

So now I train functionally.  I still eat clean and work out hard as ever.  However, my focus is to get stronger and attain and break personal records.  I've been trying more CrossFit exercises (I WILL get a muscle up before the end of 2012!) and have started running again.

Here's a great inspirational video of the Girls Gone Strong movement.  I started following Alli McKee when I began my fitness journey and fell in love with the workouts she posted. :) Enjoy and train hard!

Keep it FRESH :)

No matter what your end goal is: lose weight/build muscle/compete in a show/fit in a dress/suit, it's important to remember to keep your workouts fun and fresh.  If you stick to a plan for too long, your versatile body will get used to the routine and you will plateau.  Just as important as rest days are to helping your muscles recover and grow, keeping your body guessing is key to improvement.

Now I'm not saying to totally switch up your entire approach.  If you're lifting 4 days a week and doing cardio 5 days, try cutting down one of the cardio days and going for a run outside.  Or add in a yoga class.  Try something new and let your body keep guessing.  Working out isn't always going to be fun and sometimes it's a bit of a drag.  But throwing in a couple fun elements or a new technique or two keeps the fun in the game.

Yesterday I went to a boot camp class a friend of mine teaches.  The class was formatted similar to a CrossFit class and I essentially ended up doing 100 push ups, 100 pull ups, 200 surf squats, 100 burpees, 100 kettle bell swings, 100 pull ups and more that I can't remember because I have blocked it out (LOL) and running about a mile in between most sets.  I thoroughly enjoyed the class and really had to push myself to finish each set.  It really doesn't matter how athletic or fit you are: no one is the master of everything.  Trying new things that challenge you make you a better athlete.

So sign up for a hot yoga class or a jujitsu class.  Try something you've always wanted to and have FUN! Don't be afraid to try new things...trying, succeeding, and sometime failing make us better individuals! :)