I started CrossFit with StreetParking a year ago. So my fitness journey started with running and hiking. I have done 6 marathons plus three Rachel Carson Challenges (34 miles), plus an assortment of half-marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks. I was at the point where a half marathon did not require any special training, I could basically do one on a day's notice. But then as I had kids, and the running diminished. Eventually I took up taekwondo, mostly because my son enjoyed it. As I approached black belt, I realized that at that point I could not call myself a beginner much longer (I always try to be a beginner in some aspect of life) so started looking at weight training to supplement TKD. I went to a trainer at the YMCA, but that really was not what I was looking for (weight machines bore me, and I wanted something I could do at home. I was doing some movements with dumbbells, but wanted actual skill work. At this point, in my basement gym I had:
- Mats: ~240 square feet of matted floor (3/4" mats for TKD)
- Dumbbell handles and 92 lb of plates
- Stepper
- Bench
- Total Gym (unused)
- 1 20 lb sand kettlebell
- Free standing punching bag
- Assorted TKD punching and kicking targets
- Suspension band
I started looking around at programming, and I discovered https://www.instagram.com/myleslifts/ videos as he was trying out Street parking around the same time. Also https://www.instagram.com/thegymlabrat/, https://www.instagram.com/jecker/ https://www.instagram.com/schoes84/ where posting videos as they were trying it out and I copied a few of those, some workouts on the public instagram, https://www.instagram.com/streetparking/, and I thought that this was 1. doable, and 2. tough. and a great complement to TKD.
So, one year later, I have been averaging 5 workouts a week (on top of TKD) I now have:
- 2 sandbags (1 currently at 50 lb, the other currently at 65)
- 282 lb of plates
- 4 dumbbell handles
- 2 standard bars (1 5', 1 6')
- Adjustable kettlebell + a handle for KB swings.
- 3 medicine balls (6, 10, 14 lb)
- Jump rope
- Pylo box
- Magnetic rower
- Power cage
- Assorted resistance bands
This month, my birthday present to myself was a one month membership at a local CrossFit Box, which includes their Group Fundamentals class, the standard on-ramp to CrossFit. While I've been doing the movements, Fundamentals is meant to lead the standard powerlifting (deadlift, squat, and press) and olympic lifts (clean and jerk, snatch) with good form.
Some thoughts:
- Learning new movements. In the course of doing the workouts, there are always movements I just don't have the skill level to do. So I scale them (use an easier movement that provides a similar stimulus, or uses the same set of muscles). But in warmups, I will try to push my abilities, and the eventually, when a movement shows up, I can actually do this.
- Increasing the weight. At all times, I know how much weight I can:
- stand up with (deadlift)
- lift to my shoulders
- Lift overhead
- any of the above a few times
- any of the above many times
And everytime I increase one of these, I celebrate
- Community that celebrates. Streetparking is done online, and what you really get is the other members who are also posting. And this is a group that struggles honestly. The discussions people put on their workout posts come alive when you also did the workout, because your body reacts the same way as their's did at the same points in the workout. And it is fun to say I felt exactly the same way at the same point in the workout.
- Parenting. Street parking is marketed as not for the super-serious athlete, but for the athlete who is also holding down a job, is raising a family, or has a weird schedule. And its most loyal following are probably the parents. Because Streetparking workouts have so many options and scaling methods that my kids can work out with me. And not only is that something I could not do in a gym, it is legitimately fun. I get an honest workout, my kids get an honest workout, and we enjoy our time together. And we have never done a WOD where we were grumpy at the end. We warmup and stretch together, and both of my kids actually enjoy the exercise of writing out the workout and figuring out what scaling options each of us will do. And my kids are actually learning the movements along the way from watching me.
- Parenting 2. Because what we do is like what these CrossFit competitive athletes do, my 5 yr old will watch CrossFit competition videos and talk about watching people exercise too much, just like us. And she will watch these athletes and ask if that is what I do! yes, my 5 year old thinks I'm a full on badass!
- Attack weaknesses. I am still picking up new movements. Some notable ones are clean and jerk, the KB snatch, box jump overs, burpees, wall walks, and most recently, my first double unders. Everyone of these represents something that at one point I could not do, but I can do now.
- Travel. There are so many scaling options, when I travel I have a few ways of doing this. I can use dumbbells at a hotel, there is often a bodyweight only. And more recent, I can bring a sandbag with water filler bags or my DIY pocket Monkii bars (suspension band trainers) along.
- Programming - The goal of CrossFit style programming is constant variation, which means that your weaknesses will get targetted on a regular basis. In each workout, there is a discussion on the desired stimulus scaling options and how you can choose the appropriate scaling option. And the idea that I know I choose the correct scaling option because I finish the workout in the right amount to time is a great means of feedback. In the large, the StreetParking newsletter has been a wealth of information. I have a project with my university strength and conditioning coaches, and I comment I can speak with them on a fairly knowledgeable level about their area of expertise because of we have learned from the coaches through the newsletter.
- Goal is consistency. StreetParking has a mantra that it will value and cheer on consistency over everything else. In particular, it will cheer consistency and improvements over performance. Which is so much different than a place that celebrates being a badass! So the reality that some days I'm up for different levels of work than others is not as big a deal as just showing up and pushing with whatever I have to bring with me today.
- Flexibility. Doing these at home gives me flexibility with time. While I can get to a gym during the summer, during the school year my time is at a premium. TKD gets three sessions a week (and I am fortunate that they have they are flexible in which sessions I show up). So CrossFit happens when it can. And when I do have an evening open, I want to spend that time with my kids. And online programming (that scales down as far as needed for strength, skill, or equipment) makes that work.
- Coaching. Every time I have shown up at a Box, I get a little bit of individual coaching (same is true at my TKD school) And that little bit has always been valuable. There is always a progression of improvement in technique in one movement or another. And the coaches have that as their focus. This is a difference from coaching that is motivational in terms of performance, or seems to be generic in nature.
- Balance. There are many potential optimization objectives in fitness/training. There is endurance, power, strength, size. CrossFit focuses on performance and conditioning, with the side effect of improving all of the desired potential goals to some extent. And since I already have a sport, this is quite helpful, as it improves conditioning and strength across multiple time domains.
- Efficiency. CrossFit is just incredibly time efficient due to its focus on intensity. One hour of CrossFit (including warmup and technique practice) feels as hard as a couple of hours of weights or several hours of roadwork. And this helps, as one of the reasons I don't run like I used to is the difficulty of justifying hours of roadwork after kids.
Thank you to all the coaches at StreetParking for the programming and education. Also thanks to the coaches at CrossFit Iron City and CrossFit Pine Creek for their attention to everyone one in the gym.
And finally, thank you to all the StreetParking members whom I have shared the joys and struggles of our fitness journeys. Keeping it real on the struggles, celebrating every success and joy along the way.
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