Hey friends! This week sure is flying by. I’ve been so busy playing catch up from my week off that I haven’t had much blogging or blog reading time. But that’s okay. And then on Tuesday night I came home from the gym and instead of doing anything productive I spent two hours catching up on Food Network Star. *SPOILER ALERT* — can you guys even BELIEVE that Nikki didn’t make it to the finale?! I was rooting for her since day 1 and was so sad to see her go. But the second she got voted off I went online and voted for Damaris as many times as I could. She definitely deserves it over the other finalists! Any Food Network Star fans with me on this one?!
Anyways. Trying CrossFit.
Yes! Katrina and I tried our first CrossFit class last night on the rooftop of City Sports, overlooking the parking lot of Legacy Place in Dedham.
I have wanted to try CrossFit for a while now, so when I got this month’s City Sports events newsletter and saw that there were free outdoor classes being held, I was pretty psyched. Plus, Legacy Place is super close to some of my work locations, so it’s more convenient for me to get there during rush hour than it is to get downtown. I was definitely nervous going into the workout because I wasn’t sure what to expect (and because a CrossFit person tweeted at me that it would be “grueling,”) but once we got started I felt comfortable right away. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, and a few people around Katrina and I introduced themselves. I was still glad Trina came with me so I had a buddy.
We did a quick warmup, and then we jumped right into a Tabata stations workout. There were eight bodyweight exercises total in the workout. They divided everyone into groups and had us rotate from station to station. At each station we did 8 rounds of whatever move was designated for that station.
Here’s a rundown of the exercises we did:
None of these exercises were brand new to me, but we did do all the moves in the true CrossFit way. Think: burpees done with your chest hitting the ground, mountain climbers done by having your knees hit your armpits, pushups done with chest hitting the ground, abs without hands under your butt, etc. I think the hardest for me were the scissor lunges and maybe even the shuttle run. The coaches told me the shuttle run was the “rest,” but that certainly did not feel like rest to me! I secretly loved the burpees though. Yeah, yeah, I know.
The workout format was tough, and I definitely was feeling shaky and wiped by the end of the hour. However, I’m still interested in trying out a CrossFit class with equipment. Unfortunately we could not use equipment on the rooftop of City Sports for liability reasons, but I imagine that the workouts with weights are much different. And it’s that heavier lifting aspect of CrossFit that I’m intrigued by because it’s still pretty foreign to me. What we did in the class last night was hard, don’t get me wrong (and I’m so sore today!), but the exercises and Tabata style were definitely familiar. The coaches handed out a pretty awesome discount at the end of our session, so I’m considering trying it out for a month. I could definitely see myself getting hooked by the community and competition aspect of the program… I’m a sucker like that!
Thank you, CrossFit Together, for a kick-ass workout! For anyone interested, the folks at CrossFit Together are offering this free series each Wednesday in August at 6pm at the Legacy Place City Sports. The best part? It’s free! I can’t make it next Wednesday, but let me know if you’d like to join me on the 21st or 28th! I’ll definitely be going back.
Have you guys tried CrossFit before? What do you think? Do I have any readers out there drinking the CrossFit Kool Aid?
Have an awesome day you guys, and don’t forget that if I hit 700 Facebook followers I’m going to run another fitness challenge on the blog in September. I only need 8 more likes and then it’s on!
You drank the kool-aid!!! Nooooo
Ps I keep looking for groupons or any discounts offered for crossfit here to at least try it, but there’s never any deals! It’s wayyyy to expensive. Glad you got a free taste though!!! And I hear ya on the heavy lifting..I’m intrigued by that too!
I did, but I still don’t feel like I FULLY did. Keep looking for deals – you never know!
Too funny! I know the girl to your left! Her name is Laura- she’s my boyfriend’s friends sister. I’ve been meaning to try Crossfit… I’m just very intimidated lol. I have a few friends that do it and swear by it. Sometime in the future perhaps 🙂
Small world!
So jealous!! Looks like a fun workout. I wish I could make it there on Wednesdays but I teach:( and I agree with Jen, you’re totally drinking the cool aid! haha I would like to try a real class, though, someone I’ve been hanging out with has been pressuring me to do it!
I would try with you if you want!
I love crossift. There are so many Crossfit gyms near the work area and a lot of them offer free classes for your first time. I have been to a couple of free classes and they are tough, but I love it!
Also, Crossfit has a website that has tons and tons of videos and descriptions of different workouts. Jose and I do it a lot at our regular gym so we don’t have to pay the steep prices of a Crossift gym!
Good idea! Thanks!
I had one time not so long ago, crossed to the other side of Crossfit! Loved it, also was offered a lower monthly price and took it for about 3 or 4 months. It was a fun change for awhile, but costly. Like someone else said in another post, can definitely find videos and websites that offer the same thing at no cost. If you’re looking for a switch up though to your exercise routine, give it a go!
Thanks, Kim!
Started in May and am definitely drinking the Koolaid! I love that it is different everyday and challenges me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Looks like an awesome first workout!
It definitely looks like it offers tons of variety!
Looks so fun! I’d love to go and check it out on the 21st if your going back that day!
Hey Mary, I’m going to go back on the 21st and some of the other gym gang is going to be there too! You should definitely join, especially since you are right down the street for work!
Hey Athena! This is such a cool blog!! I am a member of CrossFit Together and was there Wednesday at Legacy Place. I’m glad you liked the workout! I’ve been crossfitting for only a little over 3 months now and I love it! Thanks for doing such a cool write-up. Hopefully I’ll see you on an upcoming Wednesday again!
Hi Julia, thank you! I can’t make it this Wednesday, but I’m planning to be there next week. Hope to see you too!