Meet the new gym...(not the) same as the old gym

Those of you who know me, or who read this blog occasionally, know that working out is important to me (and my sanity).   There was even a time (a long, long time ago) that my career was in fitness.  Even though I'm currently in transition after moving back from Scandinavia and living in "temporary housing" (aka my folks' house), it was important that I find a place to work out.

I remembered that my brother's friend worked out the CrossFit gym here in Plainfield, so I thought I would ask him about it.  He LOVES it and said it's a great training environment.  Of course I had heard of CrossFit before (I had been living in Norway- not under a rock!), but I had never tried it.  To be honest, I was a little intimidated at first, conjuring up images of elite athletes tossing around tires and squatting 1,000 pounds.  I'm accustomed to going in to a new gym and being reasonably familiar with most of the equipment and how to use it.  However, when I walked into CrossFit Plainfield (CFP), there was no "regular" equipment...instead I was greeted by a large warehouse with barbells, medicine balls, stacks of weight plates, etc.

Enter if you dare...

On the morning I walked in to check out the place, I was greeted by Coach Scott.  He explained that I would receive 4 introductory classes where I would learn some of the exercises included in the daily workouts (THAT was a relief!).  He also informed me that all memberships are month-to-month.  I'm typically not concerned about committing to a gym, but under the circumstances this was just what I was looking for!

I won't bore you with all of the details, but suffice it to say that the four days of instruction were designed to get me ready for the Workout of the Day (aka WOD).   The WOD is posted in the gym and is also provided on the website ahead of time (I NEVER look beforehand...if it looks too scary, perhaps I would be more likely to oversleep).  I'm now entering my 4th week...and I still need someone to translate the WOD.

What does this all mean??

Luckily, all of the trainers/coaches are fantastic and explain every part of the day's workout....including the warm up, mobility and the specific exercises in the WOD.  They also walk around to make sure you are doing things correctly.

In addition to lots of squats (that cheesy rhyme was completely unintentional), I have been jumping more rope than I ever did in grade school.

Jump ropes and bands (for pull ups)

Don't let the pretty colors fool you...these jump ropes are ridiculously unforgiving when they hit you in the back of the legs.  And this happens a LOT when trying to do double unders (where the rope makes two passes under your feet instead of one).  My current best is 2 DUs in a row...I guess I have some room for improvement.

Although there are absolutely some super SUPER fit members at CrossFit, there is also a wide range of shapes, sizes and fitness levels.  And more importantly, everyone is welcome and encouraged (at least from what I have seen so far).  The coaches are more than happy to give you a modification of an exercise based on your fitness level or limitation due to an injury.

For those of you who haven't seen my most recent gym experience in Norway, seeing some of the differences (beyond the language) might provide a bit of entertainment   http://ourfamilyinsweden.blogspot.com/2014/03/feeling-at-homeat-gym.html 

Socializing or catching their breath after the WOD?   Perhaps both.

On several occasions while living in Norway, I would bring in "American" cookies or cake for my gym friends to enjoy post-workout.  Was I trying to bribe them to be my friends?  Perhaps.  Did it work?  Hell yes it did!  I'm not sure if baked goods would have the same effect here at CFP...

Yoga and Kids Cross Fit are also offered at CFP.   I haven't yet tried the yoga (although I would like to) and my girls are interested in trying out the kids class.

Looks like fun, right?

I'm a bit sad that I will soon be moving and will need to seek out another gym...CrossFit or otherwise.  For now, I will enjoy getting my a$@ kicked at CFP a few times every week!