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Monday, November 1, 2010

Round 1 - 11/1/10


Stats:


Height - 5’7”

Weight - 157lbs

Bust - 39.5”

Waist - 29.5”

Hips - 39.5”

Pant/Dress size - 8/10



Today was my free trial/assessment at the Crossfit gym... It’s not your typical gym (in that you shouldn’t stand at the reception area waiting for someone to come find you...which I did, haha); it’s more of a walk in and introduce yourself and be ready to go. The gym is small. There is a locker room available for the members, but I didn’t see anyone using it. (Thanks to some of my Lulu ladies for giving me a head’s up on wearing my clothes there!) Most people use the cubbies and hooks in the gym itself. It’s just a big, square room that opens out into a back lot in an industrial park. There was lots of different kinds of equipment: barbells, gymnast bars, boxes for plyometric work,resistance bands, oversized (and squishier) medicine ball things, and kettlebells. There were also two rowing machines, one lonely treadmill and a spin bike. Like I said, not your typical gym.


Another thing I noticed immediately - there were 2 trainers and about 6 people in the gym besides me and they were all talking to each other. Trainers would call out people to ask how they were doing, they’d approach them to correct their form, everyone was encouraging each other. It’s like paying for your own personal trainer at regular gym. You were getting attention; there’s no blending into the background in this place!


The trainer that did my assessment was the female owner of the gym. She was really great and explained a few things to me. Everyday they have a different workout, some focus on strength and others on time. On a big white board was the workout and everyone’s name under each day of the week. Beside their name was the time they completed their exercise in, as well as the weight they’d used. It was pretty cool. What was also really cool was the badass rock music playing on the speakers. I loved that.


The trainer had me warm up on the rowing machine (500 metres in about 2.5 minutes) and then took me over to one part of the gym. She wanted to walk me through some exercises and check out my technique. First up, squats. Not a big deal. She had me try squatting to touch one of those squishy ball things with my butt. Next she had me do a few pushups and she said my technique was great. That made me happy and it also made me realize they probably do get a lot of newbies who don’t have proper form or technique and are literally starting from scratch. I found that really encouraging for anyone considering joining Crossfit. They get everyone there, not just the super athletes. You start where you start. In the time I was there I saw women and men, young and old, coming in and out of the gym. That was also really encouraging.


After pushups I did some jumps up onto one of those boxes. The first size she gave me was too easy, so I went to a higher one. It was a challenge, but doable. I was a little tired at this point. Lastly, we tried some kettlebells (which I have never used before). The first one seemed a little heavy since I wasn’t comfortable with the technique, and she had me a try a few to find the right fit.


And then, the workout. 20-second all-out intervals with 10-seconds of recovery, then move onto the next exercise. 20-10, 20-10, 20-10. Four exercises, four repetitions of the circuit. 8-minutes total. My first thought, “how bad can it be?”. 8-minutes of going as hard as you can? I can do that.


And then? Hell. It was Hell. I went hard the first circuit, I busted my ass, I got some solid numbers...and then I had to do it again. And again. And again. By the fourth circuit I swore I was going to puke. (Actually, by the end of the first circuit I swore I could’ve puked.) I have never worked that hard in my life. The trainer was really encouraging the whole way through (in a non-annoying way) and said my numbers were good. She also said in a month I’ll be able to crush them. The first words out of my mouth when I finished the last circuit were “thatwasinsane”. Everything was jelly, my arms were burning and it took me a good minute for my breathing to recover from an 8-minute workout (this coming from someone who ran for 2-hours straight two weeks ago).


We both sat on a ball as I caught my breath. I asked her some general questions about results and what to expect. We talked about the different exercises, warm-ups and how the first few sessions would go (also with one of the trainers). When I wasn’t asking questions and she wasn’t answering them we were quiet. She told me about the package they had for new members (when I asked) and nothing more about getting me to sign up right then and there. There was no pressure at all.


But I wanted to join right then and there. I’m competitive and that workout kicked my ass. It was the most exhausting 8-minutes of my life and I loved it. I signed up and I’m going back tomorrow afternoon for my first official session. I’m signed up for three months (as part of the new member package) so I’m giving it that long. Three months to rock my world, Crossfit. Bring it.


- N


Additional Info:


Ideally you workout at the gym 4-6 days a week. Workouts typically take 20 minutes and a lot of people continue to do some outside form of activity (ie: runners, hockey players, etc.). It's not essential, but it seems to be the norm.


Cost per month is $140 (not including tax). It's expensive, for sure, but I feel like it's going to be worth it. They get three months to wow me and then I'll decide for sure. But considering what you would pay for private sessions with a trainer at a regular gym, they can have three months to impress me.


4 comments:

  1. That sounds so cool. I'm so glad it was a great first experience - even as insane as it was! I can't wait to read/hear more about it as you go. <3

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  2. Awww. Thank you. I can't wait to tell you about it :)

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  3. Thanks Nadine. I dunno why I can't reply to comments yet.

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