Crossfit vs. Sport-Specific Training

Photo: Kay Hutchings 

Crossfit, I love you. I truly do. I’m addicted. I love having the strength in my upper body that I’ve never had. My back is stronger than it has ever been since having kiddies. I rarely feel a strain in my lower back. Even my twin skin (which is more like a twin FOLD) seems smaller. But if I really wanted to get serious about competing in mountain biking, I’d have to hit the pedals and cut back the crossfit.

Last week I did another mountain bike race. I’ve only been able to ride about once a week. I’ve been crossfitting about 4 times a week. On the other hand, my sister has been riding about 6 times a week. I was strong enough to complete a tough race with two laps of a pretty steep climb, but my sister left me in the dust. Her time was 20 minutes faster than mine!! So I think that shows me that crossfit keeps me in good all round shape, but not sport-specific shape.

I came 4^th in the beginner category. It was decent, but I know I could do better with some more riding. Maybe I can do some more night riding? I don’t know. I’ll have to be creative if I want to fit it in. I’m really happy to spend the time at crossfit though, it is just making feel better, sleep better, and it’s kind of fun—in a strange way.

I also rode with my girlfriends from Salt Lake. That was even more fun than the race. We did a really fun trail in Corner Canyon. I did have quite a crazy wipeout on my downhill though. Maybe I should get some armor!

Overhead Squats

 At our gym doing an overhead squat. How about that form?! This shot makes my butt look big--or maybe it just is big. Is that all a girl can think about? Okay, I'll try to be less self-conscious about my body.

This is a difficult lift!! It might not look too tough, but if you've ever tried it, you know what I'm talking about. If you've never tried it, give it a shot. It's kind of crazy. On a lighter attempt than the one pictured here, I actually dropped the bar in front of my feet and fell on my bum.


In this picture, I am lifting 75 pounds, which was my max for the morning, and a PR (of course, since I've never tried this before!) For an overhead squat, you take the bar at shoulder height and lift it overhead. Then keeping the bar overhead, you squat down so your knee angle is beyond 90 degrees and stand back up. It is reeeeeaaaaaally hard to keep the weight steady. I had to concentrate, take a breath, hold my breath, keep my core tight, keep my arms straight, keep my weight on my heels, keep the bar over the mid-mass of my body, and keep my shoulders "active", which means kind of hunched up. So much to think about. It's worse than learning to swing a golf club. 

It's great to be stronger every week. Even though the weight I can lift is much less than what others can do, I get better every week. That gives me a lovely, little feeling of accomplishment and keeps me going. I'm also getting stronger with my one-band pull-ups. After our workout last week, I had done a total of 100.

Feeling Guilty for Exercising??

At least get out there with them.
From Freesurf Magazine

“I would feel guilty getting a babysitter for my kids just because I was exercising.”

These words were actually spoken to my friend by her neighbor. So I’m just going to go on about that for a minute. Would this same woman say, “I would feel guilty getting a babysitter for my kids just because I was going to a museum (or going on a date with my hubby, or spending some time with friends, or taking a class, etc?)” Would this woman say, "I would feel guilty taking my daughter for a bike ride because she should really be doing something better with her time?" I don’t know. But maybe she is not familiar with all the benefits of exercise. Here are a few:

1. Exercise improves your mood.

2. Exercise combats chronic diseases.

3. Exercise helps you manage your weight.

4. Exercise boosts your energy level.

5. Exercise promotes better sleep.

6. Exercise can put the spark back into your sex life.

7. Exercise can be — gasp — fun!

8. Exercise can increase mental focus.

9. Exercise can improve digestion.

That’s just a little info. For more details check out

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676 

or

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/fitness/articles/2010/06/30/0630healthexercise.html

I’m not saying she has to exercise, but to make someone else feel badly because they are taking the time to exercise--that is a little weird and twisted to me. I think exercise helps me be a better mom by reducing stress, helping me have more energy for my kiddies, etc. I just want to take this woman by the hand and take her for a nice walk around a lake and see if she lets a little sigh of relief escape. Or maybe give her $20 to pay for a babysitter? Or maybe just tell her mothers don't have to be martyrs...