Crossfit Revisited

 

Image: Darla Hill
http://s372.photobucket.com/user/darlagrl/profile/

So I’ve decided to stick with Crossfit for the time being.

I finished up my beginner program and actually felt a sense of achievement with the last session. I was in with two other girls who were there for the first time, so my lovely trainer made me do EVERYTHING in the workout while the other girls got to go a little easier. I think that’s one of the best features of Crossfit, the trainers are really aware of what each individual is capable of, they will push you when they think you can handle it but also bring down your workload when you’re just starting off.

Today was my first real Crossfit session with other (much fitter) people. There was a huge cross section of people, mostly women but a few men there too. Ages ranged from twenties to those with grey hair. And I finished the workout without being sick or falling over.

Now I’ve actually begun to do Crossfit workouts I can talk more in details than I did in the last post. Each session goes for an hour but you’re not working at high intensity for the whole time (phew!). After a warm-up we do some strength training, this often involves trying to see how heavy you can lift for a particular exercise. Then the workout. This is pure high intensity, duration from 5 – 20 mins long. The workout can be either a set time where you do as many rounds as you can or you might do a workout for time and try to break your own record.

Every session is different and every Crossfit gym worth their salt will come up with their own WOD (Workout Of the Day). Individuals can look on the official Crossfit website http://www.crossfit.com to see their WOD or some gyms will publish their own WOD.

For those with PCOS, not a lot of research has been done that I can find for what kind of exercise works best for us but some have suggested that HIIT and weight training (both features of Crossfit) can be very beneficial for both fitness and for weight loss.

So if you want to push yourself with a friendly group of people and aren’t afraid of some big weights, then give Crossfit a go. It can be expensive but often they do subscriptions that give you unlimited access to classes. So going 3 times a week can be worth your while, certainly not less than that. Also be sure you go with an accredited Crossfit gym that offers a beginner program to get you started.

Now to go finish my protein shake and lie down 🙂

Crossfit just kicked my arse

So I just got back from a introductory trial session at my local Crossfit gym. And as my title suggests, I’m knackered. My legs are sore already and I had a mild asthma attack due to my very poor cardio fitness right now. But I can certainly see this program working to improve fitness, that’s for sure.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Crossfit, it’s basically a fitness program based on high intensity and constantly changing workouts using whole body, functional movements. No two sessions are the same and you work as hard as you can go with the program set for the class each session. If you’d like more information or a more specific (and accurate) description then visit http://www.crossfit.com or Google to find a local Crossfit gym.

Now if you’re like me you may have searched the Net looking for information on treatment of PCOS through various lifestyle changes. There’s a reasonable amount on diet but hardly any on exercise. (If anyone reading this happens to know of any resources on PCOS and exercise, please feel free to message me.) I’ll be posting a blog soon about PCOS and exercise but for now I’m sticking with Crossfit.

IMO, I think Crossfit could be greatly beneficial to women with PCOS. You would burn heaps of calories and build muscle which increases your resting metabolism. The downside is a) it’s expensive when compared to a gym and 2) it’s HARD to start off. I’m sure if I kept going back I’d get better and start to really enjoy it. So at this stage I think I’ll sign up for a beginner session (3 classes) and see how that flys.

Let’s just see if I can walk tomorrow and then decide on my course 🙂