The Next Big Workout Cult
Posted Dec 15, 2011
If you’ve seen the movie Forrest Gump, you’ve seen the part where he is portrayed as the fabled leader who unwittingly started the big running movement in the 1970’s. Take that same scenario and fast forward it to the early 2000’s. Enter a whole new underground trend to getting in shape. If you know what a WOD is, then you have been inducted into the secret cult of CrossFit.
I was reading through the November issue of Men’s Health magazine and found an article that described every aspect of this relatively new form of body improvement. It was more of an opinion piece more than a “Special Report” as it was labelled. But don’t let me lessen the severity of the workouts he describes.
Here in Birmingham we have a CrossFit off-shoot called Iron Tribe. The same friend who got me into running invited me to the bring a friend session on one cool Saturday morning in December. He said “Come on, meet me there this Saturday...I know this will be right up your alley!” Usually he’s right, but I can say on this one...not so much. I thought I was in shape, but do one of these introductory WOD’s and you'll wonder if you are there to sell you to join or weed you out.
After 12 minutes of intense 500 meters of rowing, 10 standing-then-chest to floor to push-ups, 20 box jumps (24 vertical inches) and 30 kettlebell overhead swings. Oh and the object was to see how many times you could repeat these 10, 20, 30 sets in under 12 minutes. We finished 2 1/3 rounds. Granted I did share these repetitions with my friend. Not only did I fall off the box with a missed jump or two, but I also finished my workout with a bathroom visit. Technically in CrossFit, throwing up is considered a badge of honor. LOL, not in my book. I think they succeeded in weeding me out. Maybe one day I’ll change my mind, but for now I’ll stick to abusing my knees with my upcoming running events.
As for all the jargon related to CrossFit, you can go here to find out what a WOD is, plus everything else you need to know about this crazy out of body experience.