Someone finally convinced you to drop in for a workout. Or you foolishly decided that maybe it was worth checking out. However you find yourself in the box, things are never, ever the same after you start CrossFitting regularly. You may think it’s just an hour of your day, a few times a week, but over time…..things change. Here are 10 things that happen you after you start CrossFitting.
10 Things That Happen After You Start CrossFitting
- Your Goals Might Evolve – You may have started CrossFit with the hopes of losing a little weight, maybe “toning up” a few area’s, or just wanting to improve your overall health. Most of us start out with fairly simple goals. And then one day, you find yourself coming in early to work on muscle up progressions. Or double-unders. Or you may set your sights on getting your deadlift over 200lbs. And once you reach these new goals…..more will appear. Rest assured, there is no “finished” when it comes to CrossFit; there’s always more to accomplish.
- Money Will Disappear – You may think that CrossFit is only going to cost you the amount of your monthly dues. Which are not cheap. But one day, you’ll wake up and realize you really need your own speed rope. So it’s the right height, of course. And your clean and jerk would probably be a lot heavier if you had a pair of lifters. Or two. Speaking of shoes, those New Balance cross-trainers you walked in with, they need to be replaced with Metcons or Nanos or NoBulls. Once you start making “a few” purchases of home equipment, for supplementation, it’s all over. You will never be rich.
- Workout Clothes Invade Your Wardrobe – And while we’re talking about the investment you’re now willing to make (for your health, of course), let’s not forget the new wardrobe you’re going to aquire. You used to wear blue jeans on the weekends. Maybe a cute sweater if you’re meeting someone special. But once you realize the freedom of leggings and sports bra’s, there is no turning back. Sure, the clothes may be name brand, super pricey, and very flattering, but make no mistake. Your entire wardrobe is athleisure now.
Related Post: Ridiculous Things We Only Do In CrossFit Workouts
- Your Appetite Will Increase – Seasoned CrossFitters all have one thing in common. We always have snacks. And by snacks, I mean full size meals. That we stash all over the place. Initially, you might try to continue eating like a normal human being. Three meals a day, maybe a couple of small snacks to hold your over. But it won’t be long before you find yourself hangry, and impatiently waiting for the 17 year old Chipotle employee to make your damn bowl already. All that lifting, rowing, and swinging kettlebells around has a way of increasing your appetite. Probably much more than you expect.
- You Will Have a Preferred Class – When you start working out, it’s pretty likely that you will hit up whatever class time happens to work for your schedule that day. Need to cut your lunch hour short? No problem, there’s a 5:00 class waiting. But over time, you will start to notice just how different the overall vibe is at different class times. The earliest sessions are full of ambitious people who survive on caffeine and get enough done by 9am to make you feel bad about yourself. The mid-day group is mostly college students or adults with flexible schedules who don’t want to deal with the 74 people sized classes in the afternoon. The 5 and 6 crowd? Well, they’re rowdy and have a lot of energy (and volume) for people who say they’ve been at work all day.
- Your Vocabulary Will Be Different – Do things like AMRAP and EMOM sound like a foreign language? Does “as prescribed” mean nothing outside of how to take medication? Well very soon you will find yourself saying things like “Do I really have to do a 4 clean and jerk EMOM for 8 minutes before I even start the WOD? Are they push or split? What’s the rx weight again?” It doesn’t take long to pick up a whole new vocabulary, and trust me when I say that you will.
Related Post: CrossFit Tips for Beginners
- You Will Get Comfortable With Barbells – Most new CrossFitters find things like Olympic weightlifting and gymnastics to be a little intimidating. The kettlebell and dumbbells are familiar, and fairly benign. But most of us don’t have a ton of experience lifting barbells outside of the odd deadlift or back squat. But tossing that sucker above your head while you’re at the bottom of a squat? Well, that probably seems a little more intense. And it is. It takes a while to get used to using a barbell without the guardrails of some sort of gym equipment. But it won’t take long before grabbing the barbell and cleaning it off the floor is just part of your every day routine.
- Your Schedule Will Change – Remember how I said you’ll find yourself with a preferred class? Well, it won’t take long before you start rearranging your entire day to make sure you get in at that time. You might find yourself waking up 2 whole hours earlier than you ever imagined. Or having an actual “hard stop” to your work day. But that won’t be the only schedule change. There’s also all those extra meals you’re going to need to find time to prep and eat. And then the social events like Friday Night Lights during The Open (don’t worry, you’ll find out what that is pretty quickly). You initially thought you were just committing to 1 hour a day, 3-4 times a week? LOL, so did the rest of us.
- Your Body Will Also Change – This is one area that looks a little bit different for everyone. Some people may initially lose weight, while others put on muscle they never knew was even a part of their body. You jeans might not fit after a few months. Maybe because the waist is now too big….but the legs are also now too small. Regardless of where you start your CrossFit journey, there’s a good chance that you body will be somewhat different after a few months. And it may not be what you initially imagined. But you will be stronger, fitter, and a whole lot more comfortable. Especially since you ditched those leg prisons back when your whole wardrobe became workout clothes.
- You Will Sleep Like the Dead (when you aren’t dying of DOMS) – One of the many perks to working out more consistently is how it can improve your quality of sleep. Where you used to pay in bed, watching 7 episodes of The Office to try to lull yourself to slumber, now you find yourself struggling to keep your eyes open after 9pm. Partially because your worn out. Partially because you started waking up at an unGodly hour to either workout or meal prep. The only time you’ll find yourself struggling to drift off to sleep now is when abs are so sore you can’t find a comfortable position. Or your lats keep twitching. Or a calf cramp catches you right when you hit REM. But outside of those times, you will sleep like the dead.
All joking aside, the changes that happened in my life after I started CrossFitting have been all net positive. Recognizing my own strength, having a place to let go of my anxiety, and finally getting some good sleep was well worth all the money that has seemed to just disappear over the past few years. And for the record, I’ve never once missed the jeans.