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| - I am not a CrossFitter... I have not fully bought into the cult of CrossFit, I am not one to talk about the WOD, my AMRAP results, my PRs, PBs, or my time to complete Fran, Annie, or Murph. That being said, if you are a hardcore CrossFitter this is a box you want to visit where you can go Beast Mode to your heart's content.
As for me, I consider myself an athlete and I like to change things up, so I signed up for a 6-week challenge to see how I could do. For those who are unaware, CrossFit is a mix of Olympic Weightlifting, gymnastics, running, and rowing that gets your heart rate pumping and then has you lift heavy weights in ways that stimulate your largest muscle groups which in turn gives you a complete full body workout.
Additionally the workout changes everyday creating the aforementioned WOD, or Workout of the Day, and ensuring that your muscles don't get accustomed to the same efforts and you don't plateau. Also, the workouts are scalable which means that each person lifts the amount they want and you're not competing with other people, just with yourself.
The other thing that sets this box (that's gym in CrossFit lingo) apart is the coaches. Chayet was an awesome trainer who truly knows his stuff and has trained and competed at various places across the country. And if you're going to do Olympic lifts, who better to show you than an actual Olympian. Luz Acosta teaches what she learned when she competed for Mexico in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics and finished in 6th place in the world. She may not look like it, but she's probably the strongest person I've ever met.
Finally, the owner, Gayle Shalloo, provides great encouragement and kept us active and involved throughout the challenge, not just with physical activity but also by providing a paleo diet plan to follow and weekly encouragement.
So how did it go? Well I dropped from 200 to 186 lbs and took my body fat down 6%, from 23.6% to 17.6%. I also learned a lot of new exercises, started some new eating habits, and made some new friends.
So whether you're a seasoned CrossFitter or just a newbie looking to get in better shape, CrossFit Full Strength is a great place for you.
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