Wow-  W O W!  Look, I just finished my first ‘actual’ Cross Fit class, and I am ON FIRE YO!  SERIOUSLY!  Let me give you a brief history…. I started doing what is called ‘super cross’ about 4 years ago, with a guy named Rich Anderson, back in California.  Super cross is basically very similar to CF (cross fit) in that you are super setting various exercise, and generally doing them for time.  Super cross has a lot more different exercises whereas with CF there aren’t as may variations as with something like super cross.  Also, Rich is a welder by trade, so his hand built gym had ALL SORTS of crazy monkey bars, and homemade contraptions throughout.

After a few years of that, I decided to give ‘traditional’ CF a go, and signed up for some intro sessions with my then boyfriend (for those of you who have followed my blog for a few years now, you know the ex as Bubba).  This was probably my first real intro into Olympic lifts, even though we didn’t really get into those.  Bubba and I managed to make it to one session together, before we broke up, and I high-tailed it out of California.  Fast forward to late last year in September, and I’m re-introduced into Olympic lifting with the late Coach Bassa (Coach B).  You guys remember me talking about Coach B?  Anyhow, Barry taught me the fundamentals of Olympic lifting, as well as stirred up my entire comfort zone of what “working out” really meant.  Bu-bye body building type lifting, with slow, isolated movements… to Helllllloooooo functional, compound movements, with explosive power!

After training with Coach B for a few months, he had to depart this world, and move onto to another dimension, as his battle with cancer was finally over.  So that sucked-  I went through a little downward spiral for a few months, but eventually pulled back out of it.  Before this most recent trip back to California for a visit, I had gone into a CF gym in St Kilda to work with a trainer there.  I wanted to get my technique right on this Olympic lifting stuff!  A chic named Pippa worked with me on 3 separate occasions.  She was a brilliant chic.  Then, after coming back from Cali, my mate had already moved house for us, and therefor I found a CF gym that was a little bit closer than the other one.

That place is Schwartz Crossfit, http://www.crossfitmelbourne.com.au 

I did my three intro classes with a guy named Jordan, who is brilliant as well.  Then, today I had my first class.  IT WAS FANTASTIC!  Yesterday, after finished my 1 on 1 with Jordan, (any solid CF gym will have you do 3 intro sessions 1 on 1 with a trainer to make sure you have the basic fundamentals down on safe lifting practices for the main movements such as dead lifts, squats, cleans, snatch, push presses, etc) he took me through a “mini” CF workout to give me a taste.  HOLY SHIT!  it was a struggle towards the end, even though it sounds really easy (kind of like my plyometrics video).  This is what he had me doin:

3 rounds for time (aka AS FAST AS F&$^&# POSSIBLE!, NO STOPPING!!)
300m (meter) rows (rowing machine…. very effective piece of cardio equipment btw… if done properly! I’ll cover that in another video one day soon!)
5 chin ups
15 pushups (chest touches the floor)

Sounds easy right?  Go on…. try that shit!  I powered through it, but the last set of pushups were a massive effort after hitting number 7 or 8.  I was worked over.  Left feeling good, but a bit anxious about class the next day.  By time 7 am rolled around this morning, I was thinking of EVERY EXCUSE under the sun to try and talk myself into missing class, and starting next week.  I swear to GOD I am my own worst enemy at times.  The only reason I didn’t want to go, was because I had this unknown fear of what I was going to be expected to do.  I had to stop myself at one point this morning, and ask, “what in the HELL are you really anxious about?  is there a chance you may die?  NO… are you afraid that someone will laugh at you?  NO…. then what exactly is it that is causing you to not want to go, and/or get excited?…………..”

I got it down to the simple fact that I’m a control freak, and like to be in control of what I’m doing.  So by rocking up to class, without knowing what to expect, or have someone else in control, must make me uneasy at first, lol!  After getting there, all was GOOOOOOOOD TO GO!  The best part was, the entire class was all chics!  Was a really cool atmosphere in the giant building.  All different fitness levels, ages, shapes… but ALL there to WORK!  You see CF is a combination of team effort, and personal best.  I say team effort, because yesterday I was watching another class wrap up while I was finishing my last 1 on 1, and the last couple of people banging out their set of ‘wall balls’  (where you use a 10kilo medicine ball to toss up over a certain height, then catching it in a squat position, and repeating for God knows how many times), were getting cheered on by the other people in class who had already finished.

CF is as much physical as it is mental.  That’s what I think really got me going while doing the workouts this morning.  What we did this morning was:

12 minute round of

15 KB (kettle bell) swings on the minute of every minute, for 12 minutes, followed by max number of reps of abmat sit-ups (ab mats are this little disc like cushion that goes under your lower back) within that minute set.  again, sounds easy, but by the 8th minute, you’re like, “seriously?!?!?!?!”.  that was workout #1, or “WOD” which stands for “workout of the day”.

THENNNNNNNN, WOD #2 was as many rounds within 20 minutes, of

1 rope climb (there is technique even involved in that!)
7 overhead lunges on each leg with a 10kilo plate
300 meter rows

I managed to bang out nearly 6 rounds.  Was halfway through my last row when the 20 minute mark hit.  Very, very pleased with everything thus far.  I’m really excited to see how this will translate over into my BJJ game.  Training for sport performance isn’t just about lifting heavy.  It’s about mentally pushing yourself to get through those last reps.. being able to go that much further.  Conditioning.  Agility.

I FELL LIKE CLIMBING MT EVEREST RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!