As I was sitting down next to my wife on Saturday night, she pointed out an article in the Sun, “Too much CrossFit?” (Jan. 28). She was a bit concerned about how the article might have made CrossFit look to the lay person or those who haven’t been fully exposed to the fitness regimen. After I read it, I had to shed some light on things.
First observation, everyone’s different. Since the day we were all born to present times, everyone has had ways of being coached in sports, stretching, pushing for success, etc. Whether it’s a minor pain in the knee, or rhabdomyolysis, it’s how that individual deals with their issue. Rhabdo can be obtained not only from CrossFit but any heavy training or duration event. This includes, but is not limited to: marathon runners, “gym rats” working out for prolonged times, athletes in various hard played duration sports, etc. Victims of building collapses, natural disasters and crush injuries often fall victim to rhabdo. Yes, it’s a serious and potentially life-threatening event, but not directly related to CrossFit.
Countless people across the world have tried CrossFit and have been very happy with the results presented, physically, psychologically, and emotionally. I am one of those people. I’m a fireman for a respected Southern California fire department, and we have CrossFit-related movements in our training academy, as well as daily fitness in the stations.
The movements CrossFit has given us have greatly reduced our back problems, muscle strains, and other fitness- and job-related injuries. Every day for the past 15 years, I have lifted heavy patients, equipment, and gear for long hours and in high frequencies in a variety of situations. My turnout gear and breathing apparatus alone weigh 75 pounds, dry. Not including hand tools. When saturated with water from suppression activities, it can weigh almost four times the original number, putting more strain on us.
Doing intense workouts such as CrossFit has not only made me a better fireman but has proved vital in getting me out of bad situations that otherwise could’ve been very costly in the form of serious injury or even death. The military and law enforcement agencies have also adopted these workouts to maintain peak performance of their troops and officers, saving lives and prolonging their own lives to continue making a difference.
My wife is a coach, and she is a beast. Her passion for CrossFit is equal to that of my fire service career. We both recognize the pros and cons of certain workouts, but we know our own bodies and make it happen. My wife has been exposed to “the gym” for most of her life, but it wasn’t effective for her. Something was missing. More than one thing was. CrossFit gave her a network of friends that act more like family to us, given her more strength for daily routines, and an emotional boost when she sets goals and exceeds them during workouts.
Our 14-month-old daughter’s also benefitting from being exposed to the CrossFit community by meeting new friends and watching her mom and dad staying active and positive about themselves. It’s a family affair for most CrossFit athletes.
I challenge you to look into any “globo-gym” to see how the atmosphere differs. You will see most people are on their phones in “other” gyms, talking about the latest with the Kardashians, and the local gossip, as well as Facebooking. I’ve seen it countless times. Meanwhile in our box, we’re throwing weights around, sprinting, sweating in pools, motivating each other, pushing ourselves beyond what we thought we could, and feeling accomplished after the workout. I doubt most gyms in this country promote this type of bond. It’s a special thing that’s not easily put into words.
In closing, not everyone is meant to do CrossFit, and not everyone is meant for “globo-gyms.” It should be the individual who decides on the best physical fitness regimen for them, and not an article that is quick to slap down a proven athletic program. I only ask that anyone who hasn’t tried our workout style come on down and give it a shot. We’ll be waiting with open arms.
This article appears in Feb 4-11, 2016.