Why we CrossFit

August 9th, 2010, by

I'm not gonna bullshit you, CrossFit is HARD. It's about as physically demanding as anything else you could ever be expected to do your entire life. As a matter of fact, most people will go their entire life without ever having to do anything as hard as CrossFit. Sissies.

On any given day, you'll find people at the Fort laying down breathless in their own puddles of sweat, snipping away their torn callouses, bandaging their bleeding shins and foam rolling aching muscles. You might wonder, why do you do this to yourself?

I get asked that a lot by my Mother. "Why do you do this to yourself, Jennifer?" (yes, she calls me Jennifer when she's lecturing me). It's hard to explain to people on the outside in a way that makes sense. I always start to explain the health benefits, the way I'm going to live to be 108, and the pride in doing something at a competitive level...but all I get in return is a blank stare and an eye roll.

Maybe I don't explain it well enough. Or maybe you just need to try it for a month so you know what I'm talking about. We do CrossFit not only to make our bodies faster, stronger and healthier, but also for an intangible benefit that can't be explained. The intangible lives somewhere between pride and self-esteem, and it's a little different for every member at the Fort. It goes beyond writing your score on the board, and setting a new PR...it's....something else.

Mom, I CrossFit because I like to lift heavy stuff. I like to run, sweat, lift and row until my muscles ache and my lungs burn. I like the weight of the bar on my hands when I pull it off the floor. I like the sound the jump rope makes. I like the intensity I feel the split second before I set my back and take a big breath. I like the intangible that comes with CrossFit, and it can't be explained, it has to be experienced.

Category: CrossFit

17 Responses to "Why we CrossFit"

  • Tommy Mo
    August 9, 2010, 10:16 am

    Request please?

    1) Print out this BLOG post and hang it on/near the whiteboard and highlight one line: "Mom....I like to run..."

    2) Write this line as the quotable on the whiteboard: "I like to run..."

    That's right - Jennie likes to run now.

  • Josh Tran
    August 9, 2010, 12:27 pm

    Another thing that needs to be said about Crossfit is the community and how everyone treats each other. There is nothing like being pushed by one another, class after class and how everyone supports each other. Keep up the good work everyone.

  • Jennie
    August 9, 2010, 2:53 pm

    wow, I DID say that I like to run. It was completely unintentional. However, I also said that I like to run UNTIL my lungs burn...and that is only like 600 meters. :-)

    • Michael
      August 14, 2010, 9:43 pm

      "I like the intangible that comes with CrossFit, and it can't be explained"

      This sounds like a cop-out. We should be able to defend crossfit through rational argument.

      • Terri B
        August 15, 2010, 8:48 am

        Even after a year of crossfitting i still get a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach before each WOD. My body starts swaying side to side in anticipation because i know i am fixing to be pushed to a very uncomfortable place inside my mind and body. It is my personal addiction and when i am asked to explain that, it IS very hard to do that without hearing something negative like...that cant be good for you, pushing yourself that hard! All i say to them is, try it for a month. Our community of crossfitters is a very close click and Crossfit Mt Olive rocks!!

      • Jennie
        August 15, 2010, 10:57 am

        Michael, it's not a cop-out at all. Trying to describe the intangible that I feel about CrossFit is like trying to describe the beauty of a sunset to someone who has been blind their entire life.

        Perhaps you'd like to share with us your "rational argument" that accurately describes CrossFit to a 61 year old lady who has never worked out a day in her life?? I'd love your help on this, because she thinks I'm nuts.

          • William Graham
            August 17, 2010, 7:16 am

            Jennie,
            This was SUCH an AWESOME article...short, but it hit home like no other!! i loved it! I'm an affiliate owner (CrossFit Charleston) is SC, and will def be sharing this article with my peeps!! Like you, I've stared at the those blank stares my whole life, tryin desperatly to explain it to others...while my own heart bleeds to for this stuff! For the "intangible!" Thank you for capturing, in words, the feelings that CrossFit brings to those who do it!!
            In health and God Bless,
            William Graham

          • Jennie
            August 17, 2010, 12:01 pm

            Hi Will! Thanks for checking out my little part of the internet, and for your kind words! I think some of the new CrossFit videos capture a small piece of what we do, but it truly needs to be experienced. Don't you wish you could kidnap people, blindfold them, and let them try CrossFit before deciding it's "too hard"?

          • Heath
            August 17, 2010, 1:22 pm

            Well written Jennie, I too second Josh's comments about the community. I look forward to getting back in there with my community in September. Until then, I'm trying not to get too out of shape. :-)

          • Jeff
            August 18, 2010, 1:58 pm

            I loved the article. William said it, but it was an effective short blog. Long enough to be emotive, but not so long as to get boring.

            My wife gets the same reactions from her parents. They think we're crazy.