Goals

For the past year or so, I've done CrossFit. It was a pretty natural progression from typical bodybuilding, being informed by one book from Barnes & Noble, onto "SEAL" training, until Matt and I wound up in a local park semi-nauseous and dripping sweat after an attempt at 2/3 of a Chelsea.

I was never very large or athletic. 2 years ago I was 150#, which isn't much at 6'2". Playing rec basketball, I only had one shot on the hoop. All air. Soccer wasn't much better. Through CrossFit, I realized that while some were born with a high level of athletic ability and fitness, real fitness could be created. I was never going to be much of a body builder, putting on mass for me is hell. Plus, it wasn't really that fun. But after a couple of months of CrossFit, I saw significant improvements. Times dropped by minutes, workouts didn't need to be scaled. I could lift more, run faster and go harder. Above all, I liked it. I looked forward to the workouts, even as the nervousness crept in when I realized it was time to do a "Fight Gone Bad" or a "Filthy Fifty".

Some people come to CrossFit because they need it. Cops, Firefighters, military. I came to CrossFit because I liked the workouts, and even more I liked the kind of fitness I was able to attain. There's many arguments about CrossFit, some say it isn't good for you. Some say it doesn't work. After a year, I feel like I can disprove both. But some disagree with it's definition of fitness. Maybe some aren't impressed with the work capacity of a 30 round Cindy or a 3 minute Fran? (no, I can't do either) But I am. The point is, I like CrossFit. But I don't need CrossFit to survive.

That's why I'm stepping back a little.

I'm taking some time to get into power lifting and Olympic weightlifting. Why? I like 'em. My new cycle involves 2 days of CrossFit, one a "girl" day and one is our regular workout in Byrd Park. The bulk of it however is power lifting at the moment, following plenty of advice from Rippetoe's Starting Strength and Practical Programming for Strength Training. I want to be able to back squat 400, and deadlift even more. A bodyweight shoulder press wouldn't be bad either. All pretty ambitious considering my starting point, but why not be ambitious?

Will my Cindy score suffer from a little CrossFit downtime? Of course. Will my Fight Gone Bad score be respectable after a couple months of power lifting? Maybe not. And while I'm enjoying power lifting right now, I'll be back to routine CrossFit soon enough. Hopefully, I'll come back the strongest I've ever been.