Changes

Real exciting stuff.  Nope, no reality TV.  No backstabbing politics.  Just cool stuff.

Deb Kamrad introduced Kirsten and I to Crossfit last Spring sometime.

Soon after finishing a workout gasping on the floor, we figured that we had better learn more about this stuff.

Enter Crossfit.com.  It's an open source website featuring a total fitness program.

I could write a lot about what it is and what it isn't.  Instead, just go to Crossfit.com and check it out.  One word of warning; The workout of the day (WOD) posted on the main page is meant to challenge the fitness of elite level athletes.  For us mortals, look on the left.  Look for the links that come out of 'Start Here.'

Anyway, Kirsten and I are hooked.  The workouts are different each day.  You keep learning to do new stuff.  We built a Crossfit gym in our garage.  We've even had friends over to do a Sunday WOD.  

Along with the exercise program, Crossfit promotes the Zone diet (zonediet.com) as a way of eating for performance.  It's made a difference for us; losing fat, more alert, less sleep, more energy, quicker recovery.  Now some of Kirsten's co-workers are starting to Zone.  My mom came to visit, wanted to eat the way we're eating; now she Zones at home.

Finally, I've withheld my last log posts until I've written about changes we've been making.  Because Crossfit aims at all-around fitness, some sports have created offshoots of Crossfit.  During the week Kirsten and I have been using Crossfitendurance.com interval workouts for our morning rowing.  A very different take on training for endurance; do main-site Crossfit workouts, then add three days per week for your endurance sport - an interval day, a pace/time trail day and another interval day.  As you'll see from the log, the workouts tend to be shorter and intense.  That's great for us; now we can finish a morning workout!  On the weekends we do whatever Deb & Dennis have cooked up for us.  

Crossfit has been quite a success so far.  Crossfit Endurance, I'm not sure.  It's designed for triathaletes, ultramarathoners and rowers, but I don't yet see how the shorter workouts will translate to long-distance success.  I'm going to stick with it, except for Deb's time trials.  We'll see with indoor racing how it works out.  I think I'll know by February.

This is getting long.  I'll post the remaining workouts in the posts to follow.

Ciao,

Charles