This article was posted recently on the Lululemon blog site, and we were more than tickled to read what the Lulu crew things of CrossFit! Take a look:
“True or False? CrossFit is for meat-heads who yell, grunt and assign first names to their biceps.
False. Members of our digital team recently took to our local CrossFit gym for an eye-opening, myth-busting workout. As it turns out, CrossFit isn’t actually a breeding ground for men who can sum up their lives with the three-part acronym “GTL”.
What is CrossFit?
CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that uses functional movement executed at a high intensity for a short period of time. The routine is determined at the start of each day and all athletes participate in the same WOD (workout of the day) scaled to meet their individual ability. The workout we did involved 10 reps of throwing a medicine ball to meet a target on the wall and then catching it back into a full squat, followed by 10 burpees. We repeated this for seven minutes trying to complete as many sets as we could. I realize that in written format, the workout seems harmless but I can assure you it was challenging, tiring and very, very sweaty.
Four CrossFit myths – busted
CrossFit is a cult.
False. It is an incredibly fun and addictive workout with a strong sense of community. When you go through the gruelling workouts together, you can’t help but get close with people around you. It’s the support from others that pushes you to try things you never thought were possible and overcome perceived limits.
CrossFit is dangerous because you can get injured.
As with most sports, injury can always happen and is usually the result of bad coaching. As long as you have been properly trained and coached through CrossFit your chance of injury is no greater than if you were doing anything else. A good coach can identify and correct bad form and recognize when someone is pushing themselves too hard.
CrossFitters have egos bigger than their biceps (if that’s even possible).
The one thing that really sets apart a CrossFit facility to a standard gym is the fact that there are actually no mirrors. In CrossFit, the movements you are doing are so technical, that trying to catch a glimpse of yourself would throw you off and jeopardize your form. Egos are checked at the door and while the atmosphere can feel competitive, you are only ever measured up against your own records to document progress.
You will be yelled at.
A huge part of the CrossFit experience is that supportive team and community aspect. I wouldn’t necessarily call it yelling as much as I would call it “encouraging, loudly”. The “yelling” is good-natured and meant to help you push your limits and find your edge. So yes, you will probably get “yelled” at but it won’t be the same as your mother sending you to your room.
After our first class, some of us were bitten by the CrossFit bug and couldn’t wait to go back, for others, once was more than enough. We could all agree that we had created stories about what CrossFit was and, in most cases, had been proven wrong”
Thanks for the shout-out, Lulu! And thank you to Zoner Erin Stockill for sharing this link with us. 🙂
QOD: Are there any other Myths that you’ve heard about CrossFit? If so, please post to the comments, and lets bust them!
Today’s Workout:
Buy In: Snatch balance 3 x 3 reps.
Warm up your overhead squat with some snatch balance technique! Focus on quick feet into the landing position and speed under the bar. Remember that as soon as your feet hit the ground, your arms should be locked out overhead, and you should be in the bottom of a squat.
WOD: “Carebear Countdown”
This workout name came from a list of workouts that Dan Hawryluk gave me last summer. His thought was that workouts should be named after fuzzy and feel good words, to help numb the pain! (eg. The last WOD that we named from Dan’s list was “Daffodil rainbow ride of joy and delight”…)
For Time:
- 10 Overhead Squats (95/135)
- 50 Double Unders
- 8 Overhead Squats (95/135)
- 40 Double Unders
- 6 Overhead Squats (95/135)
- 30 Double Unders
- 4 Overhead Squats (95/135)
- 20 Double Unders
- 2 Overhead Squats (95/135)
- 10 Double Unders
Zone 4 – Scale OHS to 75/115
Zone 3 – Scale the OHS to 65/95
Zone 2 – Scale the OHS as needed, scale double unders to singles (3:1)
Zone 1 – Scale wod as needed
* No racks allowed for the workout. You are allowed to squat snatch the bar for the first rep
Cash Out: Complete a total of 50 reps of toes to bar, knees to elbows or hanging leg raises. Mix up the reps as needed. For Games Prep, feel free to create a GHD out of the tires!
