After being part of Pearland Crossfit for over a month, I am noticing some differences, not only in class structure but in my endurance and capabilities. The class stuff is obvious–instead of working out for an hour, we warm up, practice some new skill (headstands anyone??) and then do a workout that last between ten and twenty minutes. Drastically different from boot camp, that was an hour in length but wasn’t as intense.

And this is why I am writing this blog post. When someone starts to research how crossfit, in general, is different from other classes, you get a bunch of research and essays on stuff like compound movements and it being practical for real life. This kind of explanation is for those people who have already “bought in” to the idea of crossfit and are drinking the Kool-Aid. And let’s not mince words, crossfit is a bit of a cult. As someone from the outside, making her way in, I want to express what I have personally found different and why it’s working for me.

1. Crossfit it more intense. The goal of one of their classes isn’t to work you out for an hour and 60% of your heart rate or less. Nope. Crossfit wants to jack your heart rate up during this workout, keep it up there for the entire workout, and basically see how far it can push you in 20 minutes. This was a hard thing for me to get used to, and I even emailed my trainer to ask about why the classes were so much shorter. Once she explained what was going on, I understood and stopping trying to pace myself and aimed to kick myself into gear.

2. To build on that intensity, the weights are made higher that you workout with, to maximize increasing your heart rate. Further it will make you stronger, faster. And yes, from personal experience, you will be sore for days. Especially your core. A lot of crossfit movements work your core and make it stronger. So much so, that for the first two weeks, that was the sorest part of my body, hands down!!

So if you are thinking of doing crossfit and felt that the explanations of it online were unclear, at best, like me, this is what makes it different from a newbie. I have also learned a lot of things are in my head, and that I am capable of doing a lot more than I thought I could (box jumps, headstands, etc.). Yes, crossfit does work you out in a way that is practical in real life, but no one cares when they are workout that what they are doing can be used theoretically on a farm or carrying someone from a burning building. I am thinking “Oh crap! This hurrrrts, ok two more rounds, let’s do this”. I honestly should have moved onto crossfit faster than what I did, I was ready. Now all I need to do is graduate from my body shop class to real crossfit. It’ll come!