If you haven't already heard of CrossFit in some way, you have been living under a rock. It is the fastest growing sport worldwide, and in my humble opinion - freaking fabulous!! I suggest you watch the video above to get a quick look into the sport that has become my obsession. And trust me, it's a healthy obsession!
So, what is all the hype about? It's quite simple really - CrossFit is about combining all sorts of disciplines into one great sport that constantly changes, constantly tests you, and is very clearly measurable. Every day you arrive at the "box" (gym), you are presented with a brand new workout. It could combine gymnastic movements like handstand walking or ring dips, weight lifting like dead lifts or thrusters, runs, swims, rowing, the combinations are endless! There are however some "Benchmark Workouts" which are standard the world over. With names like Fran, Nancy and Grace you may be fooled into thinking they are easy workouts. WRONG! They are tough - and you do them every now and again and record your scores, so that you can measure your progress and improvement over a period of time. You can even measure yourself up against the elite athletes, because everyone does the exact same workout.
Every year at the end of February the CrossFit Open starts. This is the first stage in a worldwide search for the fittest man and fittest woman on earth. The Open is a 5 week competition, with a new surprise workout being released once a week for 5 weeks. This year the first event will be released in the early hours of the morning SA time - tomorrow! So far almost 173,000 people have signed up, including me. Although I am out of shape, having not been to CF for a few months, I am super excited to participate. The great thing is that you submit your scores each week, and can see your ranking compared to the current champions (Rich Froning and Samantha Briggs - if you want to look them up!) as well as the people in your region, box etc. I entered last year and had an absolute blast! I pushed myself far beyond what I thought I was capable of, I improved in massive leaps, and learned so much! Watch this space for some weekly updates as I participate again this year. At the end of The Open, the top 48 men and women in each region participate in the Regionals. At the end of Regionals, the top man and woman are invited to the CrossFit Games in California - held in July. So it really is a worldwide search, narrowing it down bit by bit to find the fittest athletes on earth. And trust me - they are FIT!!!!!
(For more info about the CrossFIt Games you can look here.) 
The CrossFit Games in Carson California 
Strong is Sexy!
One of the BEST things about CrossFit is he sense of community. Whether you are the best or the worst, you stop and cheer for the others you are competing against.
This one is for the ladies......
Oh - and this one too. Can you even handle???
I started CrossFit in January 2013. From my very first session I knew that I had signed up for something that would change my life, change me, change my body and my future. My first session involved a 7 minute burpee AMRAP. Translation? Do as many burpee's as possible in 7 minutes. I think I managed around 14. To put that into perspective, the record for this workout is 162, with the average being 89.
I felt close to death. I felt useless. I felt heavy, and cumbersome and uncoordinated. In fact if I'm honest, I still feel that way for 90% of every workout. Every single workout I do is a test of my physical and mental strength. Can I lift a heavier weight? Can I run faster? Can I hold that handstand a second longer? Can I push harder? Can I jump higher? Can I move faster? And it is because of that challenge, that I always leave a workout feeling proud, inspired, motivated and determined. I have people cheering for me, clapping when I achieve the tiniest little thing. The guy who lifts 120kg, is proud of me for my 20kg! The girl who is competing at Regionals, claps for me when I take 2 seconds off my time for something. How can anyone NOT love a sport that is all about community support and encouragement??
Not a great quality pic, but I think it's a pretty great pic of me snatching!
Not the prettiest face, but hey - check my weights!!
I was determined that I would manage 1 toes to bar last year, and managed to get my one, despite the damage to my hands!
As you all know by now, I am 40% disabled, with a left leg that is pretty faulty. This makes CrossFit even harder for me. A lot of the movements are fast, they require you to be nimble, they require good balance. I am none of that. For example, some workouts include box jumps. Jumping on and off a box around 54cm high. I simply can not jump that with my floppy foot. (I did try once, let's just say it ended with me in a heap on the floor half laughing and half crying!) So I have to jump on the baby box, and it sucks. But the people jumping next to me shout for me when I manage my baby box jumps as if it were a meter high! Sometimes I think my floppy foot gets me even more love than most, so thanks for that box mates! My disability means that despite my Provincial sports background, no matter how much I love CrossFIt - I will never be good enough to compete. I'm not talking about the big international comps, but the little local ones. There is just so much I can't do. Most of my workouts are modified to accommodate my floppiness, which is disheartening, and makes me feel pretty useless.
But let me assure you - that has not dampened my LOVE of CrossFit. I watch all the video clips, I read the articles, I follow the blogs, I learn as much as I can. I get a thrill when someone "famous" retweets or likes something of mine on Twitter. (I'm @anewweigh if you want to follow me!) I am probably South Africa's most enthusiastic supporter! I would like to one day reach a point of fitness and experience and skill where I can complete my level 1 coaches certification, so that all my passion and knowledge can be used to help others reach their CF goals.
Have you ever tried CrossFit? Let me know what you think of it. (Promise no judgement here if you didn't like it!) Are you looking for a box to try out a session or join? Let me know and I will refer you to some in your area.
PS - Check out this link for some of the best bodies of CrossFit. It's worth it!
PPS - Tomorrow is workout 14.1 - the first one of this years Open. Wish me luck!