16 Weeks of CrossFit Style Workouts, The Result
I started this journey as a way to explore something new while training for the Warrior Dash. I have only been running(jogging) for less than a year but I have been strength training for years on and off. I am by definition a hard gainer. My muscles recover extremely slowly from workouts and my gains are made over years not months.
I said in the title “CrossFit style” workouts and I think this is important. I have never been to a local box and have not been trained in any local gym. What I did do, is I subscribed to the CrossFit Journal to learn some of the Olympic style lifts and to learn more about the community. The CrossFit discussion boards are also very active and I asked questions as they came up.
Over the 16 weeks, the past few have been a struggle and I drifted away from my original intent of becoming a faster runner. For the next month I plan on returning to more of a running based program with CrossFit WODs mixed in on days when I’m not running.
The real question is, Can I see any results. Well, not as many as I would like but I am happy with my progress. I have become much more comfortable with lifts that were new to me. I also have a lot in front of me to learn as I progress.
Some of my measurements
- Shoulders, -1.5 inches
- Chest, +.5 inch
- Upper Arms, -.5 inch
- Waist, 0
- Thighs, + 1 inch
- Calves, 0
My Weight was 226 when I started and I am down to 224 as of today. My body fat was 15% and I am now down to 12%.
The body fat number is probably the coolest measurement. Most guys don’t want to lose inches in their upper arms, at least I don’t. However, I know that part of that loss is plain fat and that is fine with me. If you consider the body fat number alone, I started with 33.9lbs of fat. I ended with 26.9lbs of fat for a loss of 7lbs of fat. BUT, even better still, I added 5lbs of muscle during the same period.
I plan on learning new lifts and progressing on my body weight exercises. I plan on making plyometric boxes and putting up a pullup bar someplace around our house now that summer is around the corner. I’ll be damned if I don’t eventually learn double unders and many, many other seemingly simple exercises. Thanks for reading.