Crossfit – A Family Affair
It started out so simple: a quick email to ask Glenn if he did strength training for teenagers. On a quiet April morning, we met at “the box” which was still being painted and not yet opened for business. Looking back now, oh how naive we were…
The brief 15-minute meeting with Glenn extended to over 60 minutes of our teens’, Elizabeth & Nicholas, fitness being tested on squats, ring dips, and pull ups. We heard about core, intensity, WODs, GPP, nutrition, and the importance of sleep. The kids were sold… and I was completely intimidated. As a working mother of three, much of my recent exercise consisted of climbing in & out of the car to drive them somewhere. Sweating in a box with elite athletes and a skeleton on the wall was not in my comfort zone.
The kids loved it. Pretty soon, our 10-year old, Julia, signed up for kid’s crossfit too. But it wasn’t enough. Our son, Nick, was relentless in his quest for my husband, Nabil, and I to share the experience and to get fit. Somehow he talked us into the Introduction class and managed to keep a straight face while lifting me out of the car afterwards.
This first year at Crossfit has made a tremendous impact on our family. Dinner conversation revolves around that day’s WOD. We share a new language (snatches, cleans, wall balls, paleo), new friends (Fran, Murph, Angie), and celebrate when someone PRs. Crossfit helped Elizabeth, now playing D1 field hockey at UPenn, start off on the right foot: the only freshman to pass Penn field hockey’s required run test and the trainer’s choice to demo all the lifts because of her form. Nick passed his Crossfit Trainer Certification at 17. In addition to practicing handstands everywhere we go, Julia ran a 6:38 mile, missing the Middle School girl’s record by just 7 seconds with no running-specific training. Finally, together Nabil and I are down 50 pounds and 5 pants sizes. (It is the first time I have fit into size 8 in 20 years!) Nabil has gone from the green band to doing 13 strict pullups, and I’ve graduated from walking the 200m to running a sub-10 minute mile. Along with the measurable success Crossfit brings, there is a special camaraderie at the box that encourages and celebrates working hard.
As a side note, crossfit is contagious. When my brother came for an Easter visit, we talked him into the Introduction class as well. He and his wife, now members of a Crossfit in Florida, are also down a combined 55 lbs in the last year.
Our story shows that anyone can do Crossfit. So, no excuses; it’s time to get moving!
