5 Reasons Why I Switched to CrossFit, And Have No Intention of Ever Going Back

All of this was true and it worked well, until I discovered CrossFit for the first time, and suddenly everything I was doing in the gym became laughable. 

Here are five reasons why I switched to CrossFit:

1. The Structured Workouts

There's a program laid out for you that will enhance your strength, endurance, stamina and overall energy level. If you find a box with a good programmer, you can't go wrong. The Olympic lifts mixed with the knockout workouts crammed into an hour of daily intensity, which makes planning your day that much easier. All you have to do is pick a class time, show up and give it 100%. People spend hundreds of dollars a month and thousands of dollars per year for personal trainers to give them a workout once or twice a week. How would you like to have that option for a fraction of the cost FIVE times a week?  

2. The Competition

Everyone in the building is working their ass of to complete one more rep, and lift one more pound. Everyone is attempting to complete the same workout you are; and there's no secret…they're trying do it bigger, better and faster than you! If you have one competitive bone in your body, it will show itself and bring out the best in you. Being able to compare yourself with the best of the best is the greatest measuring stick of all. I will never be on the field against Deion Sanders or Ray Lewis, but I will attempt to complete the same workouts as the best CrossFitters from all parts of the world in the comfort of my own box. And if it's not your goal to be an elite CrossFitter, perhaps your goal is to beat your previous “Grace” time from 6 months ago, or your previous clean and jerk weight from last summer — that's the beauty of competing at all levels and CrossFit provides the best of both worlds. 

3. Change

The change and development my body has gone through is greater than any change I've ever experienced before. Guys, remember puberty? Remember our adolescence in high school and college? Let's get serious, that was pretty dramatic (and awesome I might add), but at no point in my life have I experienced such a drastic change (internally and externally). Like I said in the intro, I played college football, and we worked out hard (or so I thought); but if you're workout is literally going in circles, CrossFit will open your eyes to a whole new world. I'm now 32-years-old, going on 33 and in the best shape of my life. My body is better suited for football now than it was 12 years ago, and for what it's worth, better suited for a day at the beach followed by a happy hour at the beach bar (if that's what you're going for). 

4. Community

Okay, let's crush the myth that CrossFit is a cult, because it is. Who cares? You mean you go to the box 4-5 times a week; sweating and bleeding with the same people for the same purpose, and you happen to strike up conversation and exchange cell phone numbers…what do you expect to happen? It's a part of the lifestyle to want to be friends with your teammates on the field, your frat brother in your fraternity house and your neighbor at the box. It's all good. I love the friends I've made at CrossFit because they are a lot like me and the last time I checked, that's what most of our friends are to begin with. 

5. Rewards

I love watching the progression of the athletes. Whether you are a true beginner or an extreme sports junkie, CrossFit will allow you to set, and then blow past your benchmarks. If your goal is to lose weight, it will happen. If your goal is to gain muscle, it will happen (strong is the new skinny anyway, right ladies?), and if your goal is simply to gain confidence, it will happen. I've been fortunate enough to work under the tutelage of David Lee and I've seen his programming take people to levels they didn't think were possible. Thousands of pounds have been lost and thousands more lifted overhead, and it only gets better everyday. 

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