I know what you’re thinking – another cult obsessed cross fit psycho preaching about their obsession with their barbaric daily work outs that look like straight up torture. Chill out – I’m totally good with my serene, cushy barre classes at my gym. Why would I want to go into some garage like space with a bunch of crazies and climb ropes and lift all sorts of scary, metal weights that look like they’ll kill me and just look like the last thing on earth I’d be interested in doing? No, thanks, I’m good. Are you though?!
If you’re a busy mom like myself, you’re likely trying to all of the things for yourself and your family into a day and really need to make that measly 1 hour a day you take for yourself to be the most impactful.
Honestly, after trying all the high end gyms, boutique studios, at home personal trainers, online streaming classes and essentially every class and work out combo imaginable, I was still not feeling like I was getting a fulfilling and effective workout that worked for my lifestyle and was sustainable.
Also, I’m going to be 40 this year (Ahh!) and let’s be honest, 3 kids later and I was seeing that my ass wasn’t as perky as it once was, my energy and drive was lower than ever before and I was gaining weight in places I didn’t want to much quicker than before. I knew the answer to all of this was gaining muscle mass by increasing my metabolism, giving me more energy, stamina and drive, while also keeping unwanted weight off and helping me sculpt sexy muscles and a perky butt! I cover my 6 tips to building muscle mass in this blog post!
What I seek in a work out
I personally find working out with a trainer to be boring and love group fitness situations for the motivation and community element, but find that in most group fitness classes, the instructor doesn’t have the time to ensure each person is doing each and every movement or pose 100% correctly. The biggest issue with that is that nine times out of ten, you’re not actually working the right muscles or working them as effectively as you should be, so you’re not getting an effective work out and wasting your TIME!
Lastly, I truthfully get overwhelmed by all the class options at times and feel like if I try a barre class, I may not get the full body work out or caloric burn I’m looking for that day, but if I go to the Metcon class, I might hurt myself or find it too intense. I get so twisted about where to put myself and it honestly just gets exhausting! I already feel like I have a bajillion decisions to make a day with running a household and a family, I want my workouts to be on autopilot – let me go, get a full body work out, exactly what’s best for me, giving me the attention, support and camaraderie that I need and get me out of there! Sounds like a dream, right?
Well, that’s what CrossFit is! Let me explain further and really break it down for you!
*This post applies to all CrossFit work outs, however, my experience is with CrossFit Mount Kisco and I’m obvi partial to them. 🙂
1. Efficiency
Crossfit workouts are designed in such a way that they give you a full body work out each time, with the strategy that if you go every day, you will not over work the same muscle groups and will most efficiently train your body in varied ways to effectively maximize your fitness regimen.
Having the workouts predesigned with the intent of you optimizing your body’s work out in the most efficient manner, is HUGE for this busy mama, as it takes the thinking out of my head and allows me to trust that each day I walk in there, there will be a new work out for that day that is perfectly suited to my needs. This allows me to leave the workout after 1 hour every single time feeling confident that I got the best work out for my body that day.
*It is common and customary to speak to the coach that day if you have any specific injuries or just aren’t feeling your best, and the coach will give you an appropriate “scale” for your work out, allowing you to participate at your capacity that day, still giving you an efficient work out, while working around your particular needs.
2. Education, Support & Personalized Approach
At Cross Fit Mount Kisco, the coaches start each class reviewing the entire work out’s components and demonstrating the movements and effective form. They go over common mistakes and show you how to self correct.
They have you warm up each of the movements you’ll be doing in your work out before hand to ensure that you understand how to effectively do it and the coach will come around and support you in ensuring you have it correctly and that you understand it for the work out.
In addition, throughout the workout, you can be sure, that if you’re not doing it correctly, they will let you know and correct you. You are being continuously educated and trained on proper form supporting you in a healthy forward progression and development of your health, strength and fitness journey.
Honestly, I truly feel like you’re paying for group fitness but getting the benefits of a personal trainer (or many), which makes it a really cost effective investment, while also being time efficient, and not to mention, FUN!
3. Community
As I mentioned before, I enjoy group fitness as I find it motivating and an opportunity for personal connection. The Cross Fit Mount Kisco community is an incredible and beautiful community as it pulls together a diverse cross section of people of a wide range of ages, ethnicities, personalities and socio economic background, all with the common goal of wanting to be their best and support others that are looking to do the same.
When you join Cross Fit Mount Kisco, you’re not joining your average gym. You’re joining a family of people that will support you in your fitness, health and life journey when you’re within those 4 walls and when you’re out.
Aside from Cross Fit’s scheduled work out’s in the gym, they host many different social events and community group fitness challenges, races and events, allowing you to continuously grow fitness and health into other areas of your life, while also expanding those gym relationships into friendships. It’s a really incredible part of the experience that truly, there isn’t even a price tag that can equate to that element.
4. Accountability
Another incredible element of Cross Fit, especially for those of you that are type A and super goal driven, is the level of accountability and measured metrics, to keep you on track and pushing towards those goals. When something isn’t measurable, it’s a little harder to really understand the level of your progress.
When you start at Cross Fit, it’s recommended to start with a set of 3 personal training sessions with one of the coaches that will teach you the anatomy of each movement, proper form and functionality, while also assessing your state of fitness and understanding your issues and goals. During this time, while you’ll walk away with a basic and comprehensive understanding of how to do some of the main movements in your workouts, the coach will walk away with a strong understanding of your body’s capabilities and goals.
After each class, your scores are recorded, including the level of weights and any other pertinent details, allowing you to have a reference point of where you are and where you are in relation to your goals.
Now, those metrics are not at all to compete with others at all. They are simply a reference point for you. While I personally use the way I feel and look as a gauge versus the metrics, I have to say, having the data to look back on and see how far I’ve come can be quite inspiring and fulfilling at times! It also helps keep you on track and moving forward always!
5. All Encompassing and balanced
I shared above how each day’s work out is unique, full body and efficient, allowing you to effectively maximize your body’s full potential in 1 hour. However, that doesn’t mean you will feel drained and taxed every day.
I feel like there is this daunting thought that people have, (especially tired mamas that need some mental space for calm), that they’re going to walk into the gym and be thrown into some crazy medieval torture style experience that’s intense and hard core with people beating their chests and in the first minute they’ll have to lift up some unearthly sized weights when they are still half asleep from the morning rush and trying to find their center.
People, no. Have we met?! Do you have any idea what a hard core zen master style person I am?! Do you know I used to have burned out adrenal glands and I would never put myself through the gauntlet like that?! This mama needs a nice build up, balance and normalcy.
The first 10-15 minutes are a warm up often with about 4-5 movements/activities to warm up your body. The second 10-15 minutes are stretching and discussion of the work out. Then it’s either 5-15 minutes warming up the movements for the actual work out and then a 15-25 minute work out, give or take. You can always stay a bit to cool down and stretch afterwards.
By the end of the work out, you’ve stretched, done cardio, strength training, sometimes Metabolic Conditioning and had fun and been social along the way! But it’s always a gradual, properly thought through build up which feels very supportive. By the time you’re going to do the actual work out, you’re ready and it’s not an entire hour, it’s half or less! Again, extremely efficient, fun and balanced!
I truly feel that Cross Fit is the best investment you can make for yourself if you want efficiency, education, support, a personalized approach, community, accountability and an all encompassing and balanced work out.
Truthfully, I feel that there are a TON of stigmas associated with Cross Fit and they all paint a very inaccurate picture to the truth. Aside from you hearing this raving feedback from a deeply spiritual empath that needs her zen, I think the other thing to think about, is the fact that the proof is in the pudding. I mean, think about the fact that there are all these people that are in amazing shape, from all walks of life, that are obsessed with it. Doesn’t that say something?
As you know, I believe health is not measured only by your fitness level, but by your mental, spiritual and physical health and fulfillment, and I can say that my overall health, including some incredible physical health and fitness improvements, have changed dramatically from joining Cross Fit Mount Kisco. But the BEST and most important part is that I’ve been having a blast along the way because of the people there.
Lucky for you, Cross Fit Mount Kisco is offering an incredible promotion for this January and February 2020 to help you make your health and wellness goals for the decade come true! You can find them here or email them at crossfitmountkisco@gmail.com.
Have any questions about my Cross Fit experience or journey? Comment below and I’ll be happy to answer!
