I'm Not Doing CrossFit Anymore (Mostly)

Ever since that first time doing "Fran" with jumping pull-ups and 45# thrusters in October of 2012 and getting my ass absolutely handed to me, I knew there was something legit about CrossFit. I knew it was what had been missing in my exercise life. Something that can knock you on your ass and make you question what happened to you and if you're actually still alive, but then help you stand back up only to knock you back down and again back up, but always ending with you on your feet; something like that is too good to be true, but when it is real you have to just do it. And that's exactly what I did. I committed myself to doing CrossFit, whatever that really is. I learned everything I could about the movements, progressions, programming, everything. I learned about all the games athletes, these gods amongst people who can snatch 300# and run miles on end and do muscle ups and everything else in between, I almost idolized them wanting to be them. I just had to know everything there was about this new thing that had just destroyed me.

On and off for 2 years, I continued learning as much as I could and preaching to everyone I knew that they should do CrossFit, that it would change their life. Yes, I was that annoying guy that everyone thinks about when they think of CrossFit and how you need to join our "cult". In those 2 years, I also learned a lot about myself as a person, gained self-confidence, really developed a passion for fitness and wellness. I started asking for different pieces of equipment for birthdays, getting a pair of Rehband knee sleeves and rings last year for my birthday, and as an early present this year I got Nike Romaleos 2 (weightlifting shoes). Training had become just about everything I would think about (well I still thought about music and food, I can't give up on my 2 real loves of life) and I was learning that I can't just annoy the crap out of people about it, they have the be ready to listen (shout out to my mom who started doing CrossFit this past December after a year of asking and changing her diet in May, and is now healthier than she has been in years). All in all, I loved CrossFit, fitness, wellness, training, everything about it, and I still do, but it's different now.

Like I said, I got a pair of weightlifting shoes as an early birthday present this year because I couldn't wait until December, I had to have a pair. One day at school I was just messing around with a new barbell that the weightlifting club had just gotten and I decided to snatch even though the last time I had was in March. I was able to move better and be in better positions with these shoes, but even more, I had so much fun. I loved picking up a weight off the ground and just throwing it over my head and catching it. I had never felt something so exhilarating. I wanted more of it, I needed more. It had become like a drug to me, something I had to have. So the next few times when I went to go to work at my CrossFit gym, I decided to do some snatches and just work on it and see how it felt as well as doing all of the conditioning required. 

Then it hit me, I really like this. I really like Weightlifting. I like that it is a challenge that is out there for me to tackle head on, something that will take a lot of work, and patience, and practice (all things that I normally hate). I want to do this, and I want to do it as much as possible. But to be a good weightlifter, you have to spend a lot more time than the average crossfitter is able to spend on it, whether that's getting your squat up to be stronger or working on positions, or simply just getting in all the reps needed for the snatch and clean and jerk. Then my next realization happened, I'd have to stop doing as much conditioning if I wanted to get good at this, I'd need to spend the energy I have, I need to spend it on getting better at this. 

And that is where the title comes from, I'm not doing CrossFit anymore. I still love it. I love everything that it has done for me, and countless others. I still love coaching it and teaching it to others, I just don't have that passion and desire anymore to do that myself. I want to do this Weightlifting thing. I still might do 1 or 2 conditioning sessions a week just so I don't become a complete lazy slob, and that is where the mostly comes from, but really I am not going to do it anymore. Since I am such a beginner in weightlifting, I can get better by doing other things as well, so that's why I'm still going to work on the gymnastics elements of CrossFit since those will transfer and make me a better lifter, but that's about it.

*Edit* Just to make it clearer, my program is basically a combination of Weightlifting, Powerlifting, and Gymnastics strength training. For now, I'm doing my own programming for the first two, and adding in a gymnastics program as well to complement it. I'll still be doing some powerlifting type stuff in order to still get stronger for weightlifting, but also because I'd like to try competing in that as well; I've heard it is a lot of fun. 

Is this the end of CrossFit for me as an athlete? Maybe, I'm not really sure, and I don't know when I'll know. I do know one thing though, if/when I do decide to come back to it, I know I'll be better because of the increased strength, mobility, power, and speed that I will have gained through weightlifting. As of now though, my plans are just weightlifting (and maybe a little powerlifting, like I said, I'm still at the point where getting strong will be beneficial) and I hope to find a meet sometime next spring to compete at. Who knows what lies ahead for me, but right now, I'm really excited by it.