This is my Fight Club

This is my Fight Club

Butterflies begin to flutter, I begin to pace, it’s Monday morning and I should be graciously sending off our weekend houseguest, my Father, but my mind is pre-occupied with thoughts of a woman, a woman not of the same name as my wife. I have not hidden this other woman from my wife, rather, I have recently informed her all there is to know and Kari (my wife) now stands beside me, smirking. This doesn’t help; I turn to her, say my goodbyes and venture toward Helen… for the very first time.

What seemed like only seconds after pulling out of my driveway I find myself in the parking lot of CrossFit Arvada. Deep Breath, engine off, here we go..

Day 1 – Helen (400M run / 21 Kettlebell swings / 12 pull-ups)

My pacing hasn’t stopped.  Now inside the box  (box = gym in CrossFit vernacular) we are waiting on asphalt to be replaced along our 400m run route (I’m assuming it was easier to just bury the last rookie) so I have more time to think, to stress and to wonder what it will feel like to still be doing pull-ups on Tuesday morning.

Some final guidance from our coaches and owners of CrossFit Arvada, Keith and Stacey, and now, finally, we’re off. We start down the road of our 400m run and I realize, after following the lead pack around the cone at the end of the alley, I have completely misjudged how far 400 meters is and confirmed at that very moment it was not that first cone. I now must apologize to Keith and Stacey, my 400m warm-up run was more like 150 or 200 meters, I probably have some burpees coming to me.

Rounds 1 and 2 come and go and I’m on my 3^rd and last. I am convinced at this point that someone moved the turnaround spot on the run and we shouldn’t really be running to Boulder County and back, but I say nothing and make the return to the box. The last of the Kettlebell’s are in the books and I am now onto my nemesis, pull-ups. Pride swallowed, right foot securely placed into my “assisting” band, I muster through 12 reps and I am finally done and ready to say goodbye to Helen, at least for now.

My first WOD (work out of the day) down and I’m alive and well.

(I’ll spare you the dirty details of each rep of the next 4 days and leave you only with the highlights)

Day 2 – 30 push press / 35 HR Push Ups / 40 Wall Ball’s / 45 Med Ball Sit ups / 500m row / 3 burpees every minute on the minute

• I make a mental note to drop a line to our President with the suggestion of reconsidering Guantanamo Bay with a new “encouragement” policy and instituting a 3 burpees every minute routine.
• I find myself enraged at my own shirt and for the first time in my life I am now working out with no shirt on.

Upon driving home I contemplate having to pull over in order to allow myself to recover and once again return to focused vision.

Day 3 – 9/11 WOD (3 Rounds Of / 9 Thrusters 65/115 / 11 Chest to Bar Pull Ups / 9 Power Clean 85/135 /11 Box Jumps 24/30 / 9 DeadLifts 125/205 /11 Double Unders)

• My request for today’s WOD to be 3 rounds of hide and go seek is respectfully denied.
• A corner has been turned and although today’s WOD is tough, and it should be, it’s 9/11, I’m getting through it and I find myself oddly enjoying the punishment.
• My shirt and I are still not on speaking terms and I once again place it in timeout.

Day 4 – 15 minute AMRAP (6 Pistol Squats - Alt Sides /15 DB Floor Press 20+/40+ / 25 Sit Ups)

• Sit-ups are my new nemesis.
• If tomorrow’s WOD engages the abdominal region I may very well cry a little in public.
• I cannot wait until tomorrow; I’m beginning to love this.

Day 5 – 10 overhead squats / 15 toe to bar / 20 SDHP

• I Rx (Rx = “as prescribed”), albeit Rx2, for the 2^nd time and feel pretty good about it.
• I am completely bummed I must now travel for work and miss a full week at CrossFit Arvada, but I’m determined to stay up to speed and will tackle next week’s WOD’s from the road.

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Words like “cult” and phrases such as “drinking the Kool-Aid” are frequently tossed around when talking about CrossFit and those that participate in this style of fitness. Those, to me, are barriers folks are putting in place for their own reasons. However, I must admit that after my WOD on Friday I went to a local grocer to pick up a few essentials for my 2 year old and noticed a fellow CrossFitter at his day job at the bank inside this grocer. In this chance meeting I thought for sure there would be brief eye contact followed by a “1^st rule is we don’t talk about it” head nod. I truly did get a sense of “we are part of something awesome, together” during this chance encounter.  If you need to call this a club, fine, but it’s inclusive and I encourage you to experience it for yourself and talk about.

Going in I didn’t know what to expect other than the assumptions I carried with me through what I’ve read and what I’ve heard of CrossFit and the people that “are” CrossFit. What I found is that yes, the difficulty and intensity are certainly present and that’s a good thing. I have found that going into the trenches with this group of people is incredible and although it took me 44 minutes to get through Tuesday’s WOD, no one left and everyone helped get me through it. I found no egos, only encouragement. I found instruction instead of intimidation and best of all… I found a challenge.