The go big or go home! motto was brought to life on the evening of December 12, 2012, when a group of fitness seeking women arrived at Reebok CrossFit Fire Power Milton (a workout facility for both men and women) armed with water bottles and stylish athletic wear for a demonstration class.
Our trainer/educator, a mom of three, shared her own fitness journey story. Three years ago, she weighed 215 pounds and had tried everything: running, biking, you name it. Nothing worked. Then she discovered CrossFit and as she candidly told us with a warm and enthusiastic smile, it just works. We would soon learn why.
She took us over to the White Board and set about laying the foundation for our CrossFit education and informed us that we would be doing the "Moms gone Bad" workout program.
Before we could start the workout we were educated on the process of how the routine works - note: the CrossFit formula.
CV:FM:HI:IS
Feeling like you're back in algebra class again?
CV = Constantly Varied
There is no set routine. It's all over the place - varied. You will get exposure to weights (light, medium, and heavy), although not necessarily during every session. And it's not unusual for women to express concern over weight lifting activities. "I don't wanna bulk up!" is the common protest. In fact, given that women have far less testosterone than men (not even 20% of the level that men have), the bulking up concern is reduced to a myth. Women who weight train have the potential to look leaner and more defined. By exploring as many metabolic pathways as possible (which would include weight training), your body can better prepare for that marathon that you may be training for.
FM = Functional Movement
We're talking about your everyday life here. Like when you're pushing a double stroller through a snowy sidewalk or when you're carrying that 40 pound bag of flour that you scored at a supermarket sale. By focusing on functional movement, the exercises learned in CrossFit will help you better physically cope with the demands of life outside of the gym. With traditional gym machines, such as the Leg Extension Machine, for example, you're working the leg and just the leg. The goal is to get your whole body moving and working better for you as you chase your screaming toddler down the grocery aisle.
HI = High Intensity
Time to move outside of the box. We've all heard about outside of the box thinking but how does it apply to physical training? This is where you move outside of your comfort zone. You know that treadmill routine where you can walk, talk to your fellow gym member, and text your husband all at the same time? Well, step out of that comfortable rhythm and challenge yourself for a workout so intense that you'll be too consumed to do anything but make your body work and work hard it will. Crank that metabolism!
IS = Infinite Scalability
Coaches will look at an individuals abilities, strengths and weaknesses and customize the workout to that person. This is key. CrossFit is all about customization. During our introduction, our teacher told us a success story about a mother who'd joined 1-month ago and was stressing about returning to work in February and wanting her body back in shape. After 1-month of going to CrossFit everyday, this new mama can now proudly lay claim to a 15 pound weight drop and 8 inch loss. Not to mention what this amazing accomplishment must be doing for her self-esteem!
When asked if there was a set number of times per week that one should attend to see results, we were told that 3 times/week will result in a nice change and 4 days/week will result in an awesome change.
Getting back to how coaches use infinite scalability, think of it this way: supposing you had two individuals, one being a professional athlete and the other one being someone who hadn't lifted anything heavier than a cellphone in years. Well, the coach wouldn't give equal weight exercises for the athlete and the newbie exerciser. The athlete might get a 20 pound weight whereas the newbie might get 6 pounds. By exposing weaknesses and celebrating strengths, you will develop as it's best for you - not based on a cookie-cutter regime.
Let's Get Physical
Having learned what the algebraic looking formula meant, these momstown Milton mamas were put to work. No more theoretical lessons. It was functional fitness time.
We were given 6 exercises as part of our demo:
1. Wall Ball - using a medicine ball and a wall as the target (target point approximately 8-10 feet above the ground), you front squat and follow with a push that sends the ball up to hit the target.
2. Box Jump - using a 12-inch height as the start, you jump with both feet on the box as many times as possible.
3. Sit Ups - sitting on a mat, place your feet together with your knees out and as you move your body upwards, it's OK to use your arms to get that power going.
4. Ball Slam - using a medicine ball, raise the ball into the air with both hands until your arms are completely outstretched and your knees are slightly bent. Lower your arms (we were coached to treat it like a great stress reliever exercise) and toss the ball violently into the ground. Always remember to push using your heels.
5. Push Press - taking a bar with both hands, the movement should be up/down with the hips popping open. Shoulder should be in line with the hip.
6. Ball Toss - using a medicine ball, raise the ball into the air with both hands until your arms are completely outstretched and your knees are slightly bent. Lower your arms (we were coached to treat it like a great stress reliever exercise) and toss the ball forward violently into the ground. Now keep running after that ball you just tossed and repeat the process over and over again.
Moms Gone Bad Vs. Juggling Balls
After a round of basic training, we were put into groups of two (and the groups were in turn divided into two teams - Moms Gone Bad and Juggling Balls) to do the whole 6-exercises not once but twice.
The purpose in pairing us up with a partner was to help us stay motivated and on track. And oh yeah, the two teams were keeping score. It was a friendly competition but it was still a competition.
Our partners cheered us on with all their might. The session was gruelling, we were a bit red faced and out of breath towards the end but it was all worth it. The winning pair got a nice well-deserved prize at the end and in truth, we all won just by being getting off the couch and being active.
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Written by Liz Marques Kogan, a momstown Milton member and mother of two girls.
You can check out her blog at www.orchidaforever.blogspot.ca
