Tuesday, 06.28.11: MBS Editorial

<< Return to Main Blog

Leah at the 2011 Southwest Regional Games

What I Hear from People and in my Head
By: Leah H

Normally, I laboriously research information to write something that has a professional and legitimate opinion. I decided to simply write my own opinion. So here is my attempt to editorialize my nerdy, research ways. There are a couple things I hear a lot from other people and in my own head.

1. “I have to be in shape to start CrossFit.”

This one I never really thought because I was sheltered from B.A. gyms like MBS. I was simply following a program online, and it was working. Also, I was alone.  I didn’t have the pressure of comparing myself to pro athletes, like Dan, Ab Doctors like Rich, or genetic freaks like Pat and Sean.  (If you think genes don’t play a role I will direct you to Dave Tallman. I rest my case.) So, I empathize with the curious pre-CrossFitter who wants to feel confident before coming to the gym. And at the same time, that is utter and complete nonsense. My justifications:

- CrossFit is fun. Who gives a crap if you suck? When’s the last time you enjoyed exercise so much?

- Community. People were made to interact with each other. Critics say we’re cultish. I say we’re human. Running on a treadmill with an ipod in your ear while watching T.V. is not human. I might even argue aerobics is not very human. But that’s another article.

 - Universal scalability. There is not a single workout that can’t be modified to meet you where you are at. Period. If you have a problem with modifying, you have a problem with ego. And possibly a problem with patience. That is also another article.

2. “CrossFit will make me bulky.”

This is for the ladies. That is exactly what I thought when I watched some of those videos online 3 years ago. But point 1.1 got the best of me. I can’t stop what I love doing for aesthetic reasons. I won’t lie and say I haven’t struggled with this myself. What I’ve realized is that I am part of an elite, counterculture that moves against the current of media, modern medical science, and most sports and conditioning authorities. So, I am most likely not going to look like a woman who is paying attention to what members of those communities are saying.  I eat and move to thrive, not to mimic what our culture tells me, i.e. Hollywood, Shape magazine, Dr. Oz, or the FDA.

I have also noticed that CrossFit does not transform every body into a particular shape. What I see are people functional at their most powerful level whether they “look” like what we perceive as fit or not. People are brainwashed by a constant bombardment of images that are merely caricatures of reality. Meanwhile, CrossFitters are becoming more who WE were made to be, not what anyone else was made to be.  Look around our gym. We aren’t all morphing into a cookie cutter image of fitness. We are simply getting stronger, faster, healthier, and happier. We’re in a battle against the mediocre and photo shopped, and that motivates me.