Where I'm at
February of 2019 marked the start of my 8th year at TwinTown. What I’ve learned and experienced in that time will forever shape my future. I started in the same place that most people do: didn’t finish my first workout and got beat by everyone in the class. My second workout wasn’t much better. I finished, but barely, and my normal 7-8 minute walk home took me an hour and a half (collapsing in every yard on the way) and then barfed my guts out when I arrived.
Throughout the past 1,500+ workouts, 8 years of doing The Open, and continuing to set new personal bests in many areas, a lot has changed for me, and where I am now is different than where I have been in the past.
CrossFit has changed my life for the better. It gave me the community and competitive feel that I grew up loving in team sports. As much as it continues to inspire me, I’m approaching things in a much different way now. Instead of 4-6 days per week of CrossFit, I am now doing 1-3 days per week. Does this mean I have cut my training hours in half? Nope. In fact I do more now than when I started, and about as much as I did in my peak. On top of the days I do CrossFit, I typically do one Forty-Five workout per week, another strength/tempo workout (more to come on this in the near future) and usually two more EVERYDAY bodyweight workouts. I listen to what my body is telling me on a daily basis, and let that determine my workout for the day.
Through all aspects of life, we learn and we adapt. To do that everywhere except in your fitness is just irresponsible! What suits me right now may not be perfect in the future, but I’m learning as I go. Currently, working out at these different intensities seems like something that is much more sustainable than blindly going all-out all the time, or until I just can’t handle the mental pressure of it all any longer.
What I like about this evolved approach is that I don’t dread workouts (with the exception of 19.5, of course), I don’t feel the anxiety of having to always perform at a certain level, and I’m working out in a way that I can see myself doing for a long time to come. A day of mindful medium-paced strength work, a day of more cardio based intensity, and another day or two of just moving to “scratch the itch” has me ready to push the intensity when I do come to CrossFit classes.
Finding what is right for you takes time. My recommendation is that you fine tune this to what feels right for you instead of only going as hard as you can every time you work out. We coaches are here to help you find that healthy rhythm for you... just ask!