Crossfit, ya'll.

Since moving to Louisville is taking me away from my beloved bootcamp class at the YMCA, I am considering Crossfit as an alternative to ensure I get some quality cross training in on my way to the marathon. Cross training is crucial: running is a full body movement which involves having a strong stable form and straight back. Lack of cross training leads to increased injuries as the core and hips become fatigued, form suffers, and what should be a nice floating gait turns into a pounding march that destroys joints and muscles.

So this week I decided to check out Crossfit the 'Ville, a Crossfit gym in downtown Louisville. Crossfit itself is a franchise based on a style of working out that encourages short bursts of a wide variety of exercises to develop strength in all muscle groups. Some routines last only 10 minutes, though classes are generally an hour long and involve stretching and warm up/cool down.

Yesterday and today I had my "elements" classes which go through how to do all the kinds of exercises I might encounter in a class. While some things like burpees were already known to me, I had no idea how to do the olympic weight lifting. Thankfully, my instructor Kelly was patient while I learned proper form. In the end, she was very pleased and said I was coming in with a high level of strength and fitness that should only get better. So cheers to my bootcamp instructor and colleagues: we really can hang with the Crossfit crew!