“Christine”
Three rounds for time:
Row 500m
12 Deadlifts, bodyweight
21 Box jumps, 20″
Post times to comments and BTWB
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Verve Lean and Mean Nutrition Challenge Sign-Up Sheet here!
Haters gonna hate, potatoes gonna potate. By Courtney Shepherd
As most of you may know by now, mostly because I may have gone a little cray cray on social media about it, but I was recently hired by CrossFit HQ as part of their Seminar Staff. It’s only been a few weeks but the awesomeness of the experience thus far is hard to put into words. I am going to make my best attempt to do so. But before that I want to back up just a bit, I want to build up this experience for you as it has built up for me. Like most of you I subscribe to the many forms of social media that manage to suck up so much of my non working time. I dabble in the Twitter, the Facebook, and the Instagram. Over the last few months I started doing something that I now regret, I started to read the comments section under posts put out by CrossFit. Why do I regret this? Because I have never seen so many ugly comments to things I find to be so amazingly beautiful. Like the pregnant woman doing overhead squats. Amazing to me that a person will strive to keep themselves and their unborn child as healthy as possible, continue to move and thrive, yet be torn apart in text by nay sayers. If there is one thing that CrossFit is not at a lack for, it is the nay sayer. From the articles about rhabdo, to the comments from physical therapists about how much they love CrossFit because it keeps them in business, and to the acquaintance that tells us at parties how they’ve seen the games on TV and that just looks crazy. Sometimes it’s hard to ignore all that negative feedback.
Working as a CrossFit trainer has introduced me to so many different people with so many different stories. Now working as part of HQ Seminar Staff has taken it to another level. And after this past weekend, at one of the most amazing Level 1 courses I have ever been to, I have now decided how I would like to approach the CrossFit hater. With a simple blog post telling everyone what CrossFit really is. CrossFit is not the CrossFit Games. CrossFit is not the injuries sustained by people that are trying hard to push themselves because people push themselves in so many different sports and there will always be injuries. CrossFit is intense but it is intense relative to the needs of the person doing it, meaning that CrossFit is something different to each and every person that comes through the gym door. The Games, the injuries, the rhabdo, that’s the 1%. CrossFit is the other 99%. CrossFit is all the other people who walk through the doors whose only goals are to be happy, healthy, and active.
*CrossFit is having a woman in her twenties be told after several knee surgeries throughout her life that she will never be able to squat or run again. CrossFit is this woman coming into a gym and over the course of a year, with appropriate scaling, technique work, and strength building, be able to squat 100# and run 800m both without pain.
*CrossFit is an out of shape woman who admits to unhealthy habits having the courage to walk into a CrossFit gym and take the first steps to make healthy changes in her life. CrossFit is this woman, after consistently working out and making small changes in her diet over time, being able to take a work trip to Nepal. She was able to hike, while carrying a necessary equipment, without any issues. Something she admits would not have been possible months ago.
*CrossFit is a man with arthritis in his joints causing pain during day to day activities. After CrossFitting for a year, performing functional movements and taking his joints through a full range of motion, CrossFit is this man no longer having pain and being on the least amount of medication necessary to manage his disease.
*CrossFit is a couple coming to the gym and making that hour a time they spend together, encouraging each other. Celebrating each other accomplishments, and seeing how strong they both are.
*CrossFit is shared misery. When one person is done with the work but decides they will continue on working next to their friend until they are done. By the way, they are friends because they work out at the same time and simply introduced themselves to each other. They just met today. The idea to support someone does not require that you know them more then 30 minutes, that is CrossFit.
*CrossFit is the millions of dollars raised EVERY year to support the families of fallen soldiers. The families of sick or injured hometown heroes. CrossFit is CrossFit for Hope, CrossFit Kenya, Barbells for Boobs, Steve’s Club, 31 Heroes, Lift Up Luke, Ogar Strong. . . . CrossFit is a community of people, that given the opportunity to WOD in honor of someone or some cause and raise money for support, will do it.
*CrossFit is the kid with ADHD, whose mom and dad brought him to CrossFit Kids as an outlet for all of his energy. CrossFit is this kid’s parents telling his trainers that because of CrossFit he has been able to focus more during school.
*CrossFit is the woman who has carried many children but not given birth. CrossFit is this woman coming to a place where she can find and harness her strength, in every sense of the word, and do it surrounded by supportive people.
*CrossFit is the snowboarding fiend who comes to the gym 8 months out of the year. CrossFit is taking the other 4 months to to use “all this fitness” and shred the mountains as often as possible.
*CrossFit is. . . . .
I have more stories than room on this blog. I know what CrossFit is to me. It has been a blessing physically, mentally, emotionally. I can say without doubt that CrossFit, over the past 5 years, has helped me to realize the best version of myself. You do not have to like CrossFit, you do not have to do CrossFit, but before you hate on it you do need to know what it truly is. Now I want to know, what is CrossFit to you?
