Last night I had the opportunity to do Crossfit at the Portsmouth location! I have been dying to try it but can never justify spending the money to do so. However, I heard that they have a guest/friend policy so I asked my friend, Meredith, if I could go with her and check it out while I was still working up in Portsmouth. And that is exactly what I did!
It was amazing! The gym was huge, open and super clean. Everyone was incredibly nice and welcoming. At first I think the Crossfit coach was worried I wouldn’t be able to do the work out of the day, but have no fear, the many hours in the gym for ski racing prepared me well!
The WOD revolved around the clean and jerk which is essentially a hang clean into an over head press, in two movements. We used to do these all the time for ski team practice, so after a little warm-up, I was ready to go!
The WOD is written on the wall in the gym and posted on the Crossfit Portsmouth website everyday so you know exactly what to expect when you arrive.
The workout starts out with a warmup, then you do the actual workout and then you finish with a challenge. Yesterday’s warmup was 3 rounds of clean and jerks with a PVC pipe, burpees and scorpion stretch. Each for 45 seconds, with 15 seconds rest between sets.
The WOD was 3 round of a 400 m run, clean and jerks, and chest to bar pullups. Before you begin the workout, everyone spends some time picking their weights and setting up their stations so they can do the whole workout as quick as possible because everything is timed!
After the workout everyone writes their results on the wall listing the weight they used, their name and their time. I didn’t know this before hand so I didn’t pay attention to my exact time (plus I felt a little weird writing my name on the wall since I was only a one-time visitor) and I felt uncomfortable writing my name on the wall. But I used 53 pounds to clean and jerk and finished just under 12 minutes, which was one of the faster times. I probably should of used more weight but I had no way of gauging that.
The entire experience is so cool; it’s like having a personal trainer telling you exactly what to do and when, which is something I have always wanted! And, with Crossfit you get to do it with a group of people and everyone supports and motivates each other to work hard and get stronger! I am going to look into joining a gym near me in Boston. Crossfit Route 1 is right near my house, I plan on stopping in soon!
After the awesome workout Meredith and I grabbed a quick dinner at Zahtar Mediterranean Sandwich Bar. I got a huge salad with lots of toppings. It was just what the doctored ordered! I picked some of the bread off, but everything else went right into my belly!
I had such an amazing time at Crossfit Portsmouth, I bought a shirt and I am wearing it to work today, because I am that cool!! Strong is the NEW SKINNY! Booyah!
Live Strong or Die…That is such a fitting motto (for al you non-New Englander’s NH state motto is Live Free of Die)
Have you ever done Crossfit? Did you enjoy your experience!?
