I never considered myself even remotely athletic until two months ago after my husband Micah challenged me to try CrossFit, a workout used by among others, athletes and military personnel that combines Olympic weight lifting, cardio, and metabolic conditioning. He was convinced I had the capability to enjoy the exercises- even though I had never lifted anything heavier than a stack of books.

Over the past eight years I had been guarding my body ever since my right lung spontaneously collapsed. I spent three days in ICU while a chest tube slowly re-inflated my lung and a team of doctors and interns tried to figure out the cause. They weren’t able to provide a diagnosis, so I’ve always been concerned it could happen again. But I grew tired of waiting and worrying.

In a CrossFit gym, I picked up a set of weights for the first time in my life. I learned to do cleans, push presses, thrusters, and deadlifts. I threw medicine balls at the wall and attempted pull-ups. My body got stronger.

Like me, Jennie Yundt hadn’t been comfortable in a gym. “I was never an athlete, and my husband had been doing CrossFit in our garage for a while. I’d stand in the doorway in my pj’s and slippers, sipping coffee and watching him, but I never even considered doing all that boy stuff,” she says.  “He finally convinced me to attend a CrossFit Level 1 certification last year in January.”

That was an awakening for her. “At the certification, I was the only woman who couldn’t do pull-ups. I could barely hang from the bar for more than four seconds, let alone propel myself over it. I couldn’t run more than 400 meters without feeling winded. I was really out of shape. CrossFit just seemed too hard.”

But Yundt stuck with it. She earned her certification and opened CrossFit Fire in McHenry, Illinois, along with her husband. “We currently have 55 members, and over half of them are women,” she comments.

Laura Gates previously had a love/hate relationship with exercise. “I kept looking for an alternative to walking on the treadmill. Then I discovered TJ’s Gym in San Rafael, California, and knew CrossFit was going to be a challenge and push me in ways I had not been able to do myself.”

Along with the physical benefits, she also enjoys the social outlet. “I love the community aspect of CrossFit,” she adds. “We have a discussion board and blog where we post our workouts and encourage each other. For me, CrossFit is about getting into the shape of my life.”

Jahnee Prince has been doing CrossFit for the past two months. Her previous exercise history included working out on the elliptical, treadmill and stair climber without seeing much in the way of results. She began CrossFit by taking an introductory course with Mike Maddalena, trainer and owner of Fitness Battalion CrossFit in Atlanta, Georgia. He explains the goals of the program. “The Foundations class allows a beginner to get used to a CrossFit-type workout, even if on a smaller scale, and allows a trainer to focus more on an individual and address weaknesses,” he says.  “It allows for greater retention/commitment of a new member -we feel people would more easily ‘slip through the cracks’ due to lack of attention if we did not have a Foundations program.”

These days Prince enjoys the challenges of the workouts within her limits.  “The reality is that anyone can do CrossFit because they can scale the workouts to your fitness level. You can’t do pushups?  You can do modified pushups.  You can’t do pull-ups?  They have bands that help you.  If you can’t lift the prescribed weight the trainer will find the right weight for you.”

She is also seeing visible results. “I think my body composition has changed -more muscle, less fat. You know how you keep those clothes in the closet that are a size too small?  Well, they fit now and I haven’t changed my eating at all.  I’m just working out.”

Exercise has now become a priority for me. And even though I’m more used to my body’s newfound strength, I’m still pleasantly surprised by it.

Photo Credit © Nikolay Mamluke | Dreamstime.com

Tags: cardio, conditioning, Exercise, Fitness, weight training