Crossfit

So now that we have taken over, sent the last unit on their way, and settled into our schedule, it's time to try and accomplish a couple goals.

First and foremost, it's time to actually put some effort into getting in shape.  Sure, I can pass the standard Army physical fitness test, and I do a lot better than some people, but there's always room for improvement right?

Every guy comes to a contingency environment with the thought of 'I want to get big' in the gym. That's not me. I don't want to take additional supplements and just sit in the gym lifting weights to the point where it becomes a monotonous routine. Boring. I tried it my last tour in Iraq, and it just didn't do it for me. So it's time to try something new...

Enter Crossfit.

In Iraq, the mechanics in my unit did Crossfit daily, but I worked too hard in the yard to actually feel the need to engage in such a challenging workout, or have my work performance lifting heavy crates suffer. Oh, but how the tables have turned. I now sit behind a desk.

Here we have a gym that dedicates itself explicitly to Crossfit. Kandahar Crossfit. It's staffed completely by volunteers that are ready and willing to teach you the basics and the proper techniques of the exercises. These volunteers are from all branches of services, several different countries, and include civilians as well. They teach you the right way, what it puts emphasis on, and take the time to help you out individually (at least in the intro classes they teach at night).

My first impression: I hate it.

Go ahead. Take a look at the link and look at the Workout of the Day (WOD). It's no joke. It's strenuous. It pushes you to your limits. But I sure as hell bet it's going to get me into shape.

I'm a firm believer in training to standard and not time (Irv has probably heard that several times in his career but it tends to happen the other way around). And that, to me, is the appeal of Crossfit. You either get a set amount of time, or a set amount of rounds. If given a set amount of time, you do the round of exercises as many times as possible. If given a set amount of rounds, you try to complete it in the least amount of time possible. And you record your times so you can reference them later when this same WOD turns up again.

And you should see improvement.

Hopefully I will and I'll keep you updated!