I spent five minutes of my morning responding to a few devil’s advocates about Crossfit.
One young man went straight for the kettlebell, stating just as many coaches see their clients getting hurt.
(When I called that bluff, he noted the world does NOT revolve around Dooley Noted. One day, it might just be planetary.)
Others noted that not all Crossfit gyms are the same. True. Enough are open to create some of the scariest videos I’ve ever seen – most of which did not even make it to the Internet.
So, I will state the same thing about Crossfit, marathon running, Parkour, kettlebells, and all workouts:
Your workout should never break you.
All of us need to sit down and assess what we want out of our workout.
If you want sore muscles, you can fall down the stairs. You’ll be sore and hurt. Is that a workout?
You completed the 15 mile run, but you hobbled out of bed the next day. Did you build fitness on a dysfunctional platform?
I assumed the workout was in place to make one healthier. There is nothing healthy about beating oneself up.
Eustress – positive micro stresses – can have huge medicinal benefits. We are adaptive beings. But the workout making us hobble is not eustress.
If your goal is to deadlift 500 pounds, then earn it – safely. Put the time in. Get a good coach. Or get a new goal.
If your goal is to be “healthy,” I’m here to tell you that no one knows what that means but you. What does health mean to YOU?
Seriously, sit down and contemplate what you want from your workout.
Time is valuable. You can spend it beating yourself up, or you can spend it BUILDING yourself up.
As always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley