I'll admit that I started to get a little worried when I read more about the workouts online, but I wanted to check it out myself before forming an opinion. The workouts seemed really hardcore and reading that a lot of military men and women did the workouts was a sure sign that it would be tough.
When we first got there, we had a great instructor tell us more about CrossFit (I had read a lot of the information online before we got there) and he took us through one of the speed tests after showing us correct form (I think it was 500m on the rowing machine, 40 squats, 30 situps, 20 push ups and 10 pull ups). I felt like I was going to die afterwards. I think it took me 7 mins and 30 sec.
We thought long and hard about whether or not we wanted to join and ultimately we decided that it wasn't for us. Here are the reasons I decided it wasn't the right choice for me:
I am not in any way interested in powerlifting, olympic lifting or lifting heavy- I'm just not. I know some women are really into this and I think that's great, but I have no desire to learn to lift a super heavy amount of weight, do power cleans, etc. I love being strong and fit, but I don't need to lift 70, 80 or 90 lbs over my head to feel strong (again, nothing wrong with that, just not for me).
Paleo diet- I don't want to eliminate dairy and all kinds of other foods out of my diet (including beans!) You don't have to do the diet if you CrossFit, but it is strongly encouraged. My diet motto is that you only live once---so eat well most of the time, but indulge in delicious (but not great for you) foods in moderation. No one ever became obese from eating candy and cookies in moderation.
Cost vs. Value- It would have cost my husband and I nearly $300 a month to attend CrossFit classes just twice a week. We were paying less than that for unlimited bootcamp classes when we were doing those. CrossFit is the kind of workout that you have to build up to, meaning that at first, it would be difficult to do it more than two times a week...but I think paying nearly $300 a month to get 8 workouts out of it is really excessive.
Do what you love- I love pilates, bar method and similar style classes---and I've always been a big believer in doing what you love. Plus, I get great results from the classes I take, so I plan to continue those. After watching some more CrossFit WOD videos online, that just confirmed to me that it's not something I want to do.
Planning for the future- The final factor in all of this was that we want to eventually have a baby...and starting an extremely intense workout regimen right now could mess with my body and I don't want that to happen. When I was working really hard at bootcamp, my cycles were a bit wonky even though I was on the pill. I actually saw some pregnant women doing a crossfit workout when I was at the class (like full-on doing power cleans in 90+ degree heat) but that's just not for me and the timing isn't right. I feel that level of intensity isn't necessary for me to feel fit.
Again, I think CrossFit is a challenging and incredible workout, and I admire anyone who can do it, but it's just not for everyone. I think it's a great fit for people who really want a difficult challenge and also for athletes. I know a few people who do it and absolutely love it---and that's great! Maybe I would grow to like it too if I did it for awhile---but I just really had to think about what my goals are and CrossFit just didn't fall into that framework. Obviously I haven't done a full workout and have not attended CrossFit classes on a regular basis, so please take these thoughts with a grain of salt---I'm just saying that after the trial it's not something I'd move forward with.
By the way, I was sore for like 4 days after that workout.
So, many of you are probably wondering what my fitness plan is, moving forward? I'm continuing with Bar Method classes once a week and I also joined a local gym that has lots of classes, including spin. The best part is that a few of my co-workers go to that gym so we can all keep eachother movtivated!
I also brought my yoga mats and free weights into my office so that I could do my workout videos in there. I am loving the setup so far. I just bring my laptop in the room with me and either do a YouTube workout or my Tone it Up Beach Babe workout video or Ballet Beautiful workout.
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