Yes, if you’ve followed me on Facebook, you know that I joined a CrossFit box (their name for a gym.) In fact, the one I joined is CrossFit Hays between Buda and Kyle, Texas.

I’ve done my research, learned the lingo (at least a bit of it) and decided it was time to jump in with both feet. The first thing that drew me to CrossFit was the emphasis on functional fitness. Outside of a gym, when are you going to need to perform a lat pulldown?

First Day…

I began last night with an Essentials (or On-ramp) class – one of four a new fitter(?) takes to learn the form and lingo. Most of it consists of instruction on proper form doing the prescribed exercise while the instructor watched and made tweaks to things. The end of the first Essential was a seemingly simple 5 minute routing with as many reps as possible (AMRAP) in that time.

CrossFit

I have to say that after roughly 45 minutes of varying squats, stretches, lunges etc., this little workout was tough. It consisted of a continuous loop of 3 push ups, 5 sit ups and 7 air squats until the five minutes ran out.

Soreness?

Normally, I am a DOMS guy (delayed onset muscle soreness) – the pain and stiffness felt in muscles several hours to days after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise. The soreness is felt most strongly 24 to 72 hours after the exercise. My normal routine in the past has been that I don’t feel soreness later that day or even the next morning. Traditionally, my soreness hits 24-36 hours after working out. Not this time!

By the time I got home from the gym, I noticed getting out of the car that my quads were hurting. My quads NEVER hurt.  Thirty years of cycling has made them my strongest muscle group. By the time I got to dinner, I was having to lower myself down onto the couch with the armrest. There is also some tightness that feels close to a strain in my lower back, but it feels like it will subside.

This is exactly what I have been looking for – not the soreness, but the intensity. By morning, I am still sore but I feel strength in muscles I have long ago ignored. Stay tuned and I apologize ahead of time if I become one of those CrossFit evangelists that always seems to be talking about CrossFit.

I don’t think that will happen but I could see it taking over my thoughts for a little while. Needless to say, I am super-stoked about this new adventure and sharing the results.

by Chris Doelle

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