A little background about me:

I’m a motorcycle road racer with lots of nagging injuries.  I’ve broken more bones that most people know they have.  As reminders of those injuries, I’ve got a rod in my right tibia, a plate and seven screws in my left collar bone and a screw that replaced one of the sesamoid bones in my right foot.  Doctors told me a few times that I couldn’t run again and might have trouble walking for the rest of my life.  At the time I didn’t care as long as I could ride.

Racers are pretty good about getting back up, so I managed to get back to running which was good for me as my team does alot of endurance racing and I need to be able to ride consistent laps for an hour.  I eventually suffered a few stress fractures in my ‘better’ foot and the running had to take a hiatus.

I discovered Crossfit in February of 2009 while searching for bodyweight exercises that I could do while healing the broken foot.  (The doctor told me I could do anything as long as I wore the big moon boot on my foot.)  I think I took my first workout from one of the body weight WOD lists..something like 4 rounds of 50 squats, 50 walking lunges.  It crushed me, but I was able to finish.  I woke up the next day and could barely get up/down the stairs.  I slowly worked my way into Crossfit with more bodyweight only WODs until the foot was healed well enough to get out of the boot, then I started on the main page WODs and discovered BrandX and GD’s scaled WODs.  I did a scaled Helen as my first girl and it crushed me. 

I think Crossfit works well with a racer’s mentality because of the clock.  We always want to better that time or get more rounds during an AMRAP. 

I started the Zone in May and have lost 12 pounds but keep setting PRs on almost every WOD.

So here I am only 5 months later.  In addition to racing, I teach for a trackday provider and that is often more exhausting than a couple shifts during an endurance race because we’re on track for 5 or 6 hours thoughout the day.  We’ve actually had a surprisingly mild summer here in California (at least during trackdays and race weekends), but this past weekend I spent two days teaching in 104+ degree weather.  Almost everyone else was crushed by the heat, looking lethargic and dazed.  It didn’t bother me at all, in fact, Saturday was my Rest Day and I was contemplating doing some double-under practice at the end of the day because I felt restless.  After finishing up Sunday, I drove 2 hrs home, unloaded the truck, then did the dirty 35 WOD and PR’d.  The next day I got up and ran the 5k and set another PR and then followed that up today with a PR on the Deadlift.  I am glad tomorrow’s a rest day, but I never was able to cope so well with the heat prior to Crossfit!  I also play tennis: My legs never get tired now, I can get to more balls because I’m faster than I used to be.

I’m in better shape at 37 than I was during my 20s and it continues to improve!  Whenever someone asks what I want for Christmas, I answer, “A trip to a Level I Cert!”

GD, thanks for scaling the WODs.

Everyone here on the forums, thanks so much for helping me with my questions and being so accepting of newbies like me!

EDIT: I forgot to mention, all my nagging running injuries have all but disappeared after switching to the pose running method.

Go for broke and ask for a kids cert as well!  Glad things are going so well.

Garddawg - 21 July 2009 07:16 PM

Go for broke and ask for a kids cert as well!  Glad things are going so well.

I sure should!  I used the kids cueing for my ‘squat therapy’ today and it helped ALOT!!  I also used the angry gorilla back during the deadlift on Tuesday and during DT today.  Those cues work WAY better for me than any of the other cues I’ve ever heard!

While not willing to take the risk of starting a thread that could be easily taken out of context/sidetracked, I believe I’d speak for a lot of crossfitter’s in a thank you for improvement in sexual health, FWIW.  New found fitness has made all areas of life better.

Fernman - 06 August 2009 03:38 PM

While not willing to take the risk of starting a thread that could be easily taken out of context/sidetracked, I believe I’d speak for a lot of crossfitter’s in a thank you for improvement in sexual health, FWIW.  New found fitness has made all areas of life better.

LOL. I just thought about this earlier today. It must be the crossfit gods way of blessing us.

...anyone notice a noticeable change in just two weeks?  The guy instructing me said that’s the norm for his classes but doesn’t bring it up since most wouldn’t believe it.

SMDScott, I know I definitely experienced improvements in just two weeks…and then at two months I was astounded to see what had happened to me.  I highly recommend keeping a photo record of your progress, so you can SEE what is happening to you.  I have, and it is tremendous.  Literally being in the best physical condition and appearance of my life at nearly 34 is a blessing.  If you Crossfit with dedication, and follow the Zone, you cannot go wrong. 

Good luck, and Get Some.

FooteSoldier - 18 August 2009 06:24 AM

SMDScott, I know I definitely experienced improvements in just two weeks…and then at two months I was astounded to see what had happened to me.  I highly recommend keeping a photo record of your progress, so you can SEE what is happening to you.  I have, and it is tremendous.  Literally being in the best physical condition and appearance of my life at nearly 34 is a blessing.  If you Crossfit with dedication, and follow the Zone, you cannot go wrong. 

Good luck, and Get Some.

That’s great.
Can you post those pics so we can all share your success?

BathMatt - 18 August 2009 07:07 AM

That’s great.
Can you post those pics so we can all share your success?

sure thing…lemme me work on some compressions, and I’ll get them on soon…

I like that Crossfit is limitless- the only goal is to get better, not to achieve a certain number of reps.

So…the pictorial of my progression, as mentioned earlier.  A lot can happen in a two-month period…

The photos were taken on 4 May and 8 July, a time span during which I cut from 193#/16.6� down to 180#/10.4�...also gaining a good bit of strength and improving my metcon tremendously.  I have leveled out at 180, and getting better with the Zone is keeping my energy levels high.  My workouts are strong, and I’m feeling pretty much the best I’ve ever felt.  Finding the balance to maintain myself physically and mentally has made me feel like a better person, and I have to thank CrossFit for all of these improvements…

Get some.

@ FooteSoldier - those pictures tell a thousand words - and it’s a great story - well done.

I have worked out in a typical gym on and off since I was 16 through till probably 2 years ago. Then I gave up on ‘gym life’ for good and concentrated on doing circuit weights at home. Come and go as I pleased (or could), equipment available when I needed it and no travelling time were all benefits.

I have also trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for the past 7 years which keeps me relatively fit and flexible. So I thought I had everything I needed until…....

Competition does not consider your feelings. Being soundly beaten in my division at the BJJ State Champs served notice that I was not fit enough. Now they say that hindsight is always 20/20 but I can see that while I was training off the mat regularly, I wasn’t keeping a record of my exercises or my output. Which is a long winded way of saying I was kidding myself. Taking it easy or staying in a ‘safe’ zone left me with nothing in the tank when I really needed it.

In my search for motivation I came across the main CF site. The WOD’s all looked beyond my ability (still do most of them) but after gathering as much information I could I found the Brand X site - Happy Days.

So now for the good news.

My weight has stabilised at about 76 kgs or 167 lbs. I used to weigh about 74.5 kgs and would drop 2 to make the 73 kg weight limit. Not any more. I am confident I can stay at my natural weight and compete @ u79kgs without being monstered. My strength is up, my endurance is up, my ability to recover has improved. I am learning lifts I would never have used in a regular gym and most importantly I am learning something about myself. I am breaking down barriers that previously I would have stalled at. On top of keeping a crossfit diary (in addition to posting here) I am about to start recording my food intake as well.

Within the first 2 or 3 weeks I had some of my BJJ training partners comment that I looked bigger, which was good for the ego. But lately people have been commenting on how much stronger I am. I have been able to take my game up a notch when needed, and have been getting sweeps and submissions that I have previously missed or been 50 / 50 with. So I am definately seeing the benefits from improving my GPP through Crossfit.

So thanks to the guys and girls that make this site possible and keeps my in my basement, working out. When I come back up to the house my wife has a look on her face like “What the hell have you been doing down there?”.

The other big plus of Crossfit I have found was a little more unexpected - and that is how motivating it is to get onto the forum and post my results! Reading the updates posted by others is a big motivator - just to have someone post a “Well Done” or similar really has put a spring in my step lately.

So I’ll keep training hard, not missing WOD’s and finding out what a GOAT is. But till then, I’ll keep tearing up the mats and prepare for my next competition - wherever it may be.

I appreciate the compliment, and I can relate to your story quite well.  It’s true that seeing a “well done” posted because of something you accomplished is great for you ego and your performance.  Humans are creatures of production (well, some of us are), and a large part of production is motivation.  By supporting one another on the forums as we do, we are providing a much-needed boost of morale to everyone who gets into the gym, day after day, and leave it all out there to pound through the WOD and push to their limits.  For those of us without a Box to which we can go to train, this forum IS our Box, filled with other CrossFitters who know the unique mixture of pain and pride that goes into crushing a WOD and finding your new PRs…

Every new story is a lift to my drive, keeping me going in there and giving it everything I’ve got, until I’ve left a trail of sweat behind me on the way out the door…

Thanks to everyone that provides that motivation, and keeps us all on the playing field.

Get some.

Thanks for sharing guys.

Ok, I’m feeling a little sentimental this morning so here goes…I got my first rope climb ascent ever in my life this morning…followed by about 9 more during the WOD!  And I’m confident that I can walk up to a rope at any time now and climb it.  I’ve gotten a lot of firsts through Crossfit, but this one was important because of 7th grade gym class.  I was a fat kid in middle school and couldn’t get off the ground when trying to rope climb.  I remember the day the class did rope climbs clearly.  I think I was the only kid who couldn’t do it…including the girls(no offence ladies).  It’s crazy how things like that stick with you…well I’m 26 now and I can f’n climb a rope!  I wonder if those kids from 7th grade still can?  Thanks Crossfit!