One month of Streetparking

Last spring I was talking to one of my TA's and I found out that she did CrossFit, I promptly asked her if it is true that CrossFit tries to take over your life.  Now, one month into Streetparking, I am well into the stereotype that I am always thinking CrossFit.

What is CrossFit? The definition comes from Greg Glassman, the founder:

CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity.

In their definition of fitness, CrossFit recognizes that there are 10 broad areas of fitness (What is Fitness?). They are cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy.  The theory is based on the need to exercise three metabolic pathways: two anaerobic (Phophagen, Glycolytic) and one aerobic (Oxidative), with a bias towards the anaerobic under the theory that aerobic can be taken care through interval training (maintain effort over time)

And the exercises they use to get there are taken from gymnastics, power and olympic lifting, and endurance sports.  Because of the skills and raw strength required for power and olympic lifting, CrossFit gets grouped with the weight training sports (the others are bodybuilding and physique).  And like power and olympic lifting, the weight training is focused on few exercises working multiple joint large muscles, with the stabilizer muscles being taken care of using other exercises (gymnastic type exercises with weights in the case of CrossFit).

So, some thoughts on the first month of following Streetparking (Instagram) programming.

1. I like workouts where I have to learn technical skills. But that is basically true of every other aspect of my life.  By this I mean that I like having to learn how to do the basic power lifts (deadlift, squat, and press) and olympic lifts (clean, snatch) and that these are not straight strength moves.  (which is why exercise machines bore me)  I also like having to learn the various bodyweight/weighted gymnastics moves.  While this would normally require a coach or trainer, the Streetparking videos on Instagram/Facebook and tutorial videos do the job reasonably well.  (their tutorials are not just the normal howtos you see on YouTube, they talk through the finer points/common errors of the movements and substitutions).  And CrossFit has lots of movements to learn. (and then you have the fact that the Streetparking coaches create movement combinations, that elicit a "did that say what I think it said" reaction.)
2. The focus is on movements, not muscles. The goal of CrossFit is capability, not strength (but you need strength to be capable, just like you also need endurance, power, stamina, . . .) So every workout has options that are easier, either based on strength (lighter weight) or easier movements where they are chosen so that you are building strength, power, flexibility, . . . so that you will get to the goal movement.
3. Programming matters.  As I remind my students, programming is the sequencing of activities for a goal. CrossFit gets knocked for being random programming. But it is not.  It is varied programming that makes sure that you get a range of fitness (see 10 broad areas of fitness and three metabolic pathways).
4. There are benchmarks.  In one month, I saw two of the standard CrossFit benchmarks (two of "the girls" Fran and Jackie).  There have also been 3~4 other workouts that were repeats (allowing for performance comparisons).  And I also have done two other named ("hero") workouts. This is in addition to a mile run, which I expect will show up again someday. The benchmarks mean that the improvements are measurable in the course of the standard programming.
5. Working out at home is great.  The Streetparking programming is designed to be done at home. Which means I can work out when my schedule allows it. And this can range from first thing in the morning to around midnight (which makes going to a trainer at a gym out of the question). It is also programmed for a range of free weight based equipment sets, from minimal (dumbbells/kettlebells + pullup bar/rings/suspension bands) to a full barbell rack.  And since I'm not going to spend $1000s on weight equipment, this works for me (the standard CrossFit equipment set begins with a powerrack with barbell and a pullup bar. But this is on the same order in cost as the more well known home gym machines)
6. It is time efficient.  Compared to running in my marathon days or my strength based workouts from earlier this summer, the base CrossFit workout in 20-30 minutes is more challenging than an hour workout of either endurance or strength exercises, and it challenges both strength and conditioning in that time.  What that means in practice is that if I block off an hour, I will stretch, practice TKD, then do the CrossFit workout.  And I will finish the workout wiped.  As the founder of CrossFit comments when faced with questions on if one should do multiple workouts of the day, if that thought comes up, you probably were not doing the workout intensely enough.  That was not true when I was running or doing strength training (well, unless my run was > 3 hours)  When I did trainer sessions at the YMCA earlier this summer (which was a mix of freeweights, bodyweight, and machines) an hour workout would tire me out, but I would be recovered in a few hours rest.
7. It is a good counterpoint to TKD.  I use TKD (martial arts) as my warmup into CrossFit.  The TKD becomes the skills session, while CrossFit challenges my strength and conditioning.  And the CrossFit folks make a point of saying that CrossFit is intended to make you capable of something else, not as an end in itself, so it fits together.
8. The online Streetparking community is great.  While they use an app (Wodify) that is in use in gyms for recording progress, they have a strong presence on Facebook and Instagram. I basically have an Instagram account I use only for fitness stuff (to spare my Facebook friends from experiencing the friend who can only talk CrossFit).  And the Streetparking coaches and other members are believers in that you cheer people on who are at the limits of their ability, whatever that may mean.  Not just the stars or those who look good, but anyone who works out hard enough to struggle.  The marks of a good workout seems to be the sweat stains on the floor and how close you came to failure by the end of the workout, not the pounds on the bar. And this encouragement is enough for me to push my workouts. And I freely admit to looking forward to seeing likes and comments on my posts from real people on my Instagram account (all the marketing accounts hitting my posts are merely amusing).  There are a few people that I actually interact with regularly (enough that I know something of their history), some of whom are highly competitive. And that kind of interaction is pretty cool.  Especially for an old guy (by fitness standards)
9. The emphasis on capability over looks. There is a lot in social media focused on looks. And in fitness, this shows up in all the marketing accounts that have found me that are into fitness, bodybuilding, physique. This contrasts even with lifting accounts.  But the CrossFit focused people are all about growing in capability, being able to do something rather than looks, or weight.  There are references to looks (bikini bod, gains (muscle)) but these are secondary (even though they are acknowledged as human motivations). The goals are long term, not short.  And the runner's slogan of "no short cuts" definitely applies.  I like that type of attitude, that we reach our goals through hard work over time, not special equipment, techniques, or programs.