YMCA

One of the first things I did once I moved to Boise was join the West Boise YMCA. I met with a trainer, started a routine that included pure cardio somedays with cardio and weights on other days. It was going great but I was yearning for something more. Enter Adam and the world of CrossFit. Adam had been going to the Homecourt YMCA for CrossFit classes with his friends. I must tell you that I was a little hesitant at first because I would hear his horror stories about how killer the workouts were. He assured me though that the trainers adjust each workout to the individual. So, I trusted him and my mom and I joined him one Friday (about 3 weeks ago). I was hooked right away. Ryan and Chad (the trainers) are both very encouraging, are great motivators and are great at kicking your butt, getting the most out of you each day. My routine has now changed and I attend the CrossFit class 3 days a week currently and am thinking of even pumping that up one more day.

So, what is CrossFit? Basically, it is a strength and conditioning program that pushed you to your max, getting you more fit and stronger each class. Each day when you get to the gym there is a Workout of the Day posted on a whiteboard. Each workout has a name like Helen, Erinn, Filthy Fifties, Murph, etc. Some of these are timed workouts, others are not. Well, for the last 2 weeks I was doing well, going longer and stronger with each class. On Monday however, Ryan showed several of us an article in Muscle and Fitness magazine about CrossFit. Here is the link if you would like to read an excerpt of the article: http://www.muscleandfitness.com/feature/189. I found the article very motivating and even went online to do more reading about the program. Here is my favorite saying from what I have read:

Rules of Perseverance:

Rule #1: Take one more step

Rule #2: When you don’t think you can take another step, refer to Rule #1.

Well, with these words in my head, and the motivation from the articles, I hit the class yesterday with a new found confidence. The Workout of the Day was Erinn, which is a timed workout. Erinn is comprised of completing as many series as you can in 30 minutes. The series are comprised of 5 push ups, 5 squats, 5 kettlebell swings and 5 mountain climbers. Well, I ROCKED the workout and completed 33.5 series! I finished with the same intensity as I started and never stopped the full workout. Chad was awesome and really pushed me at the end. As soon as the time was called I collapsed from exhaustion and was sweating like a pig. I felt amazing though! I was so proud of myself and am ready to attack each workout with the determination I did yesterday.