How CrossFit changed my life

by Brodyn Reed

About 4 years ago now I came to the realisation that I wanted to bring drastic change into my life, I was overweight, on and off with destructive habits and was highly lethargic and to a certain degree, depressed. Ever since a young age I had always admired people who were stronger, fitter (and heaps more ripped) than me. I remember thinking that they were just lucky to be born like that and I was terribly unlucky to be born with a body fat problem and a strong tendency to hate hard work.

So, this is how CrossFit changed my life…

I joined a gym. A big expensive looking thing (it even had TVs!) in Knox City, they were very keen to take me on board and get me signed up. What they went on about sounded good, so I wrote my name down straight away. I started that week. The treadmills and bikes were the only things I went near for a long time, mainly due to the feeling of hostility and intimidation coming from any section with weights and big dudes in it. On the other hand, there was also my total inexperience with gyms in general, so should I attempt to use the weights, it could end up with me being seriously injured, or worse getting laughed at by guys twice my size.

Interestingly enough, what I did find is that I loved the shit! Man, getting up a serious sweat and busting my nuts on that bike for 30 minutes was like going to hell and back but it gave me a rush like I only thought some drugs could give me, as well as a relax switch I thought only another variety of drugs could allow me. I was hooked on workin’ out. A couple of months into my membership I decided I wanted to get into the weights. Get bigger, stronger. So I went to the staff and asked for some advice. They didn’t seem as keen as they were when I was signing that piece of paper but they did hook me up with a personal trainer who worked there at the gym. “Excellent!” I said. And “Um..okay!” I said when he told me the price.

It was great at first, he would tell me to sit on machines and “Do ten” then he would move a pin down a bit and say “Do another ten”.  And I got results. I was bigger and stronger than before. And even though I had no idea what I was doing most of the time, (I thought) my trainer did, and it seemed to be working. This ritual went on 2-3 times a week for 3 months or so. By this time I had almost completely lost interest in what I was doing. It wasn’t fun anymore and I feared I was turning into one of the people that I didn’t like the look of when I first entered the gym in the first place.

In the end, I couldn’t justify the money and the repetitiveness just for beach muscle, which over that 5-6 months seemed to be the only reason anyone I saw at the gym, was actually there. Day in, day out, triceps in and biceps out. Reflection in and Ego out. You get the idea.

I stopped going to the gym, I put the weight back on, I turned back to destructive habits for my jollies and I hated hard work again. I noticed the struggle more so this time, activities became harder, doing anything was a chore and my moods were atrocious. It wasn’t long before my initial concerns and reasons for joining the gym returned to the foreground of my mind.

Around this time I was also diagnosed with high blood pressure (Mine was around 200/100, and to give you an idea, healthy is 120/70. The doctor told me I practically should be having a stroke).

So back to the gym it was…

Another gym this time. The staff there seemed much more able to help me out as half of them were competing bodybuilders and the owner was once Mr. Australia or something impressive like that. During my induction I was pleased to learn that the nice man would not only write me a 2 day-split program, he would show me how to use the machines and free weights properly, something I still did not know how to do as my ex-trainer would control all of the buttons and levers while I just sat there and pushed or pulled.

So there I was, enthusiastic to try out my new sense of independence. “I’ll be my own personal trainer!” It was a cool idea. I started educating myself with books and was training like a demon, 2 days on, 3 days off, back-biceps-legs-abs and shoulders-triceps-something and something. It was great and once again I got the results. I still got the unfriendly vibes from everyone else in the gym and rarely shared a moment with anyone but myself, but I was over that now. Who cares? I didn’t need friends at the gym anyway, just an hour of mostly available equipment and mostly terrible music will do me just fine thanks. It was just me, my bottle of Powerade and an the prerequisite gym towel.

Once again, 3 months down the track, with my health and figure on the up and up, my motivation and my enthusiasm were dropping with every 2 day split. The only things that really changed were the amount of kilograms I had on the stack. And once again, I lost my reasons for joining the gym from the foreground, and my fear of putting so much time and effort into becoming just like the others around me returned. And once again I stopped going.

This Cycle repeated itself for a good 3 years with every membership getting shorter and each period of “downtime” getting longer and longer until I was a hefty 103 kilograms, covered in stretch marks from weight gain and totally sure that this 2-day split thing wasn’t for me. But neither was doing nothing at all.
I started reading more books and I stumbled across something called periodisation or “phase training” which seemed a lot more varied and at least cycled over about 6 months to a year instead of 2 days.
But first, according to the books, I needed some “Anatomical Adaptation”, basically tendon training and core strengthening. My book told me that functional bodyweight exercises and cross-training would do the trick but I didn’t really know how to go about it at first.

It was when I was watching the TV program “The Biggest Loser” that I saw this guy named “Commando Steve” taking his crew through kettlebell swings, pull ups, push ups, carrying logs and flipping tyres. And right then I knew that’s what I wanted to do. A quick Google search landed me at the CrossFit Victoria site and I was soon punching Adam’s phone number in my Nokia.

Even though Adam seemed a little wierded out when I told him I needed something for “Anatomical Adaptation” and I wanted to start “Phase Training” he was nice enough to just recommend that I make it down to the weightlifting stadium in Hawthorn that night for one of Simon’s CrossFit classes.

That night I noticed three things very quickly.

The first thing I noticed was that I didn’t know what the hell “Olympic Weightlifting” was and why the plates were made of rubber. The second thing I noticed was that Simon was a decent, intelligent guy, and everyone else that rocked up that night shook my hand, introduced themselves to me and had absolutely no ego, or stares to offer. The third thing I noticed was that there were no mirrors. Anyway after a warm up and some technique instruction I was ready to roll, I was impressed by the organised structure and the attention to detail that I now know as the CrossFit model.

Eight minutes and 40 seconds later I was lying in a pool of sweat, swallowing the puke in my mouth and not entirely sure of what just happened to me. What I did know is that while I was painstakingly finishing last in the workout I was actually getting cheered on by the people around me. A few claps on the back later and I was on my feet again knowing that I never wanted to step foot in a conventional gym again.

I signed up with CrossFit Victoria as soon as I could and over the next few months I was melted down and all the bullshit was un-learned. All the fads. All the drop sets, cable cross-overs and the low carb-high fat, high-fat-low protein-high-carb confusing diets. What I did find when all of that was gone was a group of trainers: Adam, Pete, Scott, Zane and Amy (and Simon for a short time at the start), who believed in me and were ready to meet me halfway on whichever road I wanted to travel no matter what.

I was empowered by a new sense of independence, I had a sure feeling that I could go anywhere, whether it be a bedroom, park or the CrossFit gym and have everything I needed to get a workout, an intense workout of sweat-drenched, super-human proportions. Turns out the secret ingredient you need is yourself, simply sprinkle with a little knowledge and motivation and BOOM! No magic and no trends, just hard work, relevant and functional fitness, achievable goals and some good friends.

I now do day-to-day activities like they were child’s play. Nothing is too difficult. I am to life what knife is to butter, and now all I can think about is getting better at handstand push ups, nailing the clean and jerk and one day getting an iron cross on the rings.

It’s been eight months now and if anything I am only picking up pace, building motivation and knowledge. My blood pressure and resting heart rate are now at healthy levels and I’m a meaty 87kg. I’m fitter than ever before and there’s no sign of me slowing down. No waning interest, no lost reasons or false justifications.

There is only me and my family of Tyre-Flippin’ Motherfuckers at Unit 3/62 Rose Street, Fitzroy.