As some of you may already know, I’m a Cadet in BU’s Air Force ROTC program. On top of school, added ROTC work offers quite the experience (which I wrote about here). But after almost three years, I’ve finally begun to find my true passion in the program: working out.
Yup, I’m talking about the sweat until you’re basically bleeding, face in the dirt, can’t even breathe working out. And to make it even more intense, my instructors decided to add a little extra to our regiment: CrossFit.
When I first heard about CrossFit, the only things I really got out of the idea of it was huge, bulky men doing Olympic weight lifting, using steroids, and growing so large they could barely walk. After beginning my own CrossFit experience at 6:00am last Wednesday morning, I was proved seriously wrong.
Of course, the practice is incredibly intense, and should only be done if one is in great shape, but it’s also a lot different than I expected. In fact, it could even be done out of a gym, and if you have a yard big enough, at your own home.
The program has WODs, which are Workouts of the Day, relatively short but highly extreme schedules of exercises that will make you ache and maybe even cry. The WODs we do as a part of the AFROTC (three times a week, I might add) consist of either AMRAPs (as many rounds as possible [in a given amount of time]) or rounds for time (which means you do the scheduled workout until you finish).
In a given WOD, you might run up to two miles, do 200 squats, perform 200 pushups, or something of the like. But the best part? It doesn’t matter how good you are. You push yourself to YOUR limit, whatever that might mean, and challenge yourself. You finish with the mindset that you couldn’t have done another burpey or another situp or another lap. The progress that you note, and even the satisfaction that you feel after doing that last pushup, even when you felt it wouldn’t be possible, is incredibly uplifting and motivating.
CrossFit is about being the best you can be. Sure, using your fellow CrossFitters around you for inspiration can be helpful, but at the end of the WOD it’s your progress against yourself. Even after just a few sessions, I’ve noticed serious improvement in my endurance, strength, but most of all my patience and motivation.
Like I said, these workouts can be done on your own, at the FitRec or otherwise, just visit www.crossfit.com for WODs. If you’re interested in getting into it, and want to do it with professionals, there are several CrossFit gyms around Boston, some that even offer a free class for beginners- just check online for more details, or shoot me a message.
