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An Experiment in Fitness
By John Hobbs
It's the workout responsible for cutting up those impossibly
sexy Spartan bodies in the graphic novel turned film, 300.
In January 2006, Men’s Journal touted it as the workout
that will get you in the best shape of your life in 20 minutes.
And in June, TMZ.com reported that the object of Justin Timberlake’s
affection, actress Jessica Biel, was overheard going about
the same workout, a report that caused such a buzz in the
blogosphere that the servers at Petranek Fitness, a Santa
Monica-based gym specializing in the workout, were hit so
often they crashed.
So what is this hardcore workout that’s got everyone
talking? It’s called CrossFit, and it may change the
way you think about physical fitness.
The secret behind the program is simple—it takes the
most effective movements from the worlds of gymnastics, calisthenics,
weightlifting and plyometrics, and combines them with cardio
for high-intensity workouts that range from 7-30 minutes.
Having heard the buzz surrounding this fitness regimen, I
devoted myself to finding out more. Would I, a reasonably
in-shape guy, be able to get through the high-intensity program
and walk away with a kick-ass new body? To find out—not
unlike Dian Fossey, who studied gorillas by joining them
in their natural habitat of the Rwandan mountain forests—I
infiltrated Petranek Fitness as a student to live among the
CrossFitters for six weeks:
Introductions and baseline workout
I pried myself from my bed at 6:30 a.m. to make it to Petranek
Fitness for a 7:30 a.m. appointment. Once there, I was
joined by another novice, Matt, who went through the baseline
workout with me. A very affable Andy Petranek, the owner
of Petranek Fitness, welcomed us and began explaining the
concept of the program to us and how it differs from many
other programs (a more holistic approach—the program
aims to create stronger bodies by simulating real-life
situations rather than just building muscles as big as
possible). We did the baseline workout, which consisted
of a 500-meter row, 40 squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 push-ups,
and 10 pull-ups. In and of themselves, the exercises may
not seem too intimidating, but done one after the other,
it works out to be a very intense experience. Andy told
us we had as long as necessary to do them. I did mine in
more than 7 minutes, coming in 2 minutes behind a man who
was a bit older than me. The workout was so intense that
by the end I thought I was going to vomit. I tasted blood
in the back of my throat and thought I might pass out because
I was so dizzy. These results are not normal. I had been
warned beforehand about working out too intensely, and “going
off the cliff." Afterward, I left quickly, struggling
through the light morning traffic to my apartment, where
my bed and two hours of recovery time awaited me.
Day 1: What have I gotten myself into?
My initial reaction to the other CrossFitters was that they
were incredibly welcoming, introducing themselves to me and
cheering me on as I stumbled through my first day in class.
An alarm bell sounded when I saw some of their black Petranek
T-shirts espousing such slogans as "It's Okay To Cry,
Just Don't Quit," "I Do The Impossible" and "Go
Hard or Go Home." But it was their shared war stories
of how their palms had ripped open from doing hundreds of
pull-ups the week prior that really had me sweating. "What
had I gotten myself into?" I wondered.
Day 2: Feeling the pain
I am sore from head to toe. I am feeling muscles today that
I didn't even know I had. My lower and upper back, glutes,
legs, abs—everything was hit by this workout. It's
the kinda sore that you wear with pride, knowing that you
have made a step to tone your body. Sure, I can't bend over
that well and walking is a little tough, but I look forward
to the next six weeks to see how much impact the workout
regimen will have on my somewhat flabby body.
Day 3:
I spoke with a fellow CrossFitter after class today. He told
me that not only had he managed to whittle his weight down
20 pounds in the first five weeks of class, but also his
percentage body fat had dropped from 17 percent to 12 percent.
Tonight, the class was instructed to do a 500-meter row,
some squat/front push presses and dips. It took me just
over 20 minutes to complete the exercise. I felt pretty
accomplished afterward.
Week 2:
We started Tuesday’s workout with a pre-warm-up exercise
of skipping rope. Afterward, we got to the warm-up, which
involved running, push-ups and throwing a 5-pound medicine
ball. I was incredibly winded and sweating profusely by the
end, at which time the instructor informed us it was time
to get the workout started. "Get it started?" I
thought to myself. We then began a cycle involving running,
squats, sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups. My workout was cut
in half because of the fact that I was so new. By the end,
I was completely worn out. But, above all the fatigue and
such, I felt accomplished, truly proud that I had made it
through.
By the end of week 2, I was asked to do the baseline workout
again as part of a special event at Petranek Fitness where
everyone came together to do one of three challenging workouts.
I had some serious nerves, especially with everyone standing
around cheering me on. But, still, I managed to complete
the work out in 6 minutes and 35 seconds, which means I cut
40 seconds off my time. It felt great to walk out of there,
knowing that I had managed to improve in such a short time.
I am not feeling so sore anymore. I suppose I am getting
used to the workouts. What I like most about the program
is that each day before I go in, I am nervous, not knowing
if I will be able to actually do the assigned tasks and get
through the hour. And each day, I somehow manage to do it.
While recovering from my workout, I overheard other CrossFitters
talking about how much the program has grown since they started,
and that was just six months ago. The CrossFit revolution
is really taking hold, it seems. It's understandable. The
program is challenging and the trainers are so encouraging.
Overall, it's an extremely positive environment.
Week 3:
On Tuesday, I faced one of the exercises that I have dreaded
the most: the rope climb. I told my instructor at the very
beginning of the class that I am not sure I could even
make it up, but he took some time to show me a little trick
with my feet, which really helped out. I only ever made
it half way up the rope, but I am fully confident that,
with some practice, I can totally master this workout.
The workout today was intense—lots of running—but
I made it through, doing about 65 percent of what the others
were doing. I realized today that all the working out I
had been doing before this class was child's play. I feel
like I have never really been challenged before doing this
course. It's really had some positive effects on me, especially
mentally. I feel more empowered, especially after facing
down each workout and managing to get through it without
too much stopping and resting.
Week 4:
I am starting to notice little differences in my body. I
have muscle definition in my chest. My pants are fitting
very loosely and, according to others, I have lost some
weight.
This entire week, I really rocked during classes. On Tuesday,
we did a 2,000-meter row. The instructor coached me on my
form and, by the end, I felt a lot more confident in that
arena. I finished in 8 minutes and 44 seconds, which was
a pretty good time. I came in second or third place, which
felt really amazing. On Thursday, we did a series of double-unders
(jumping rope) and sit-ups, which was exhausting. Double-unders
are not easy. I could only do one at a time, but I was determined
to get through the workout. I have actually really taken
a liking to the program—partially due to the results
I have already seen, but partially because I really enjoy
pushing my body to the limit and feeling the accomplishment
afterward.
In just four weeks, I have seen amazing results, and what’s
more, I feel much more motivated. I love that every single
workout is different. It never really gets old or boring.
Week 5:
On Tuesday, we warmed up and then did our baseline workout,
but instead of once, we were instructed to do it three
times. After round 1, I felt exhausted, but I pushed through
and managed to get all three baseline workouts done in
26 minutes and 38 seconds. I left class feeling horribly
exhausted. I thought I might collapse. This is the thing
about CrossFitting: It's not an easy workout. It's tough
almost every single day I go in, which is what makes it
so valuable. I am seeing results. I am tighter; my arms
are bigger, and I am a little bit more adept in class.
On Thursday, instead of having regular classes, there was
a seminar led by a champion CrossFitter. Her name was Nicole
Carroll, and she's been practicing for three years. She laid
out the basics of the program for an audience of about 45
CrossFitters and physical trainers. I think the aspect of
her speech that resonated with me the most was when she discussed
how boring the gym is. That is perhaps one of the best aspects
of CrossFit for me. It is such a varied workout; it's difficult
to get bored. She said something to the effect that the gym
is f--king boring and it's just you, a bunch of mirrors and
weights. I couldn't agree more. There is definitely something
special about CrossFitting. There is also something a little
insane about it, too, but it's a good kind of insane. She
also mentioned that CrossFit is something the military and
law enforcement are drawn to because it prepares you for
any type of situation that could arise. It’s not about
specialization in one field, but about being the best athlete
you can be and training across as many different skills as
you can.
Week 6:
The same guy who began the regimen with me nearly six weeks
ago was in class today. It had been since that first day
that I had seen him. After a workout that consisted of
flexed arm hangs, handstands and squat holds, he came up
to me and congratulated me on my success in the class.
He said he could tell that I had really improved. "It
seemed like you were about to die after that first class," he
said with a grin on his face.
Last Day:
I did the baseline workout again and tore it up with an amazing
time of a little over 5 minutes, effectively shaving off
two minutes from my initial workout. We also went over
my numbers. Though the number on the scale didn’t
budge, I lost 2.5 inches off my waist, gained an inch on
my arms, an inch on my chest and have cut my body fat by
more than 2 percent. All of this in just two weeks. After
class, I cancelled my current gym membership and signed
up for four months at Petranek Fitness because I am so
enamored with my results—a move I had been considering
for the past two weeks.
Sample Workouts:
All Petranek Fitness classes are one hour and consist of
several warm-up tasks, stretching and a main workout which
might range in time from 7 to 30 minutes.
Workout 1:
How many rounds can you complete in 20 minutes of:
5 weighted pull-ups (25 lbs)
10 weighted sit-ups (25 lbs across
chest)
15 weighted walking lunges (2, 25-lb dumbbells)
Workout 2:
For time:
750-meter row
75 squats
15 handstand push-ups
500-meter row
50 squats
12 handstand push-ups
250-meter row
25 squats
9 handstand push-ups
Workout 3:
Three rounds for time:
500-meter row
10 clean & jerks, 115 lbs
20 pull-ups
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