The First... And Definitely Won't Be The Last

Upon first entering the gym, it was a little intimidating. Unbeknownst to me, this gym happened to be a CrossFit Gym. CrossFit terrifies me a bit as there is such a powerful following and sports some of the most jacked and cut athletes out there. But, I vowed to really go outside the box with this "resolution" so I realized that there would truly be no better place to start. 

The locker rooms were well stocked with towels, a couple showers and hooks to put up your belongings. Sort of wish that there were locks to store your things, but the gym atmosphere made me feel comfortable with leaving my next to empty bag in the locker gym. Honestly, not quite sure why I bring the bag around seeing as how there's probably only a small container of chap-stick and a piece of gum, but I do. 

Anyway, I entered the class and the instructor (Scarlett, I believe) asked if I had any injuries or things that she should be concerned about. I shook my head "no" when I really wanted to say "well, I haven't truly worked out in months and I might collapse on the floor within the first five minutes..." She, then, explained the workout and the class was under way.

Workout: 

1 minute on the PureForm treadmill - For those of you that haven't been acquainted with this machine, it's pure torture. There is no engine or battery so it is completely propelled your movement. This may make it seem like it's easier, but I assure you that it's not. Sprinting for a minute seemed like sprinting for hours.

1 minute on the rower - Another painful machine that is a full body workout. My shoulders will definitely be feeling it. 

1 minute of burpees - Ouch. These were the hit the deck burpees which place more emphasis on your shoulders and are way more cardio based.

1 minute of overhead push press - The exercise that made me feel super weak. I was using 10 pounds dumbbells while the guy across from me was casually pushing 40 pounds dumbbells.

1 minute of kettlebell swings - Manuel corrected my form for a solid 45 seconds so got out of that little bit for a while... Little did I know that we would be going through these exercises four times...

After those four rounds were over and I had left a nice little pools of sweat all over the gym, we did a small ab set that focused on stability of the obliques. 

Consensus: 8/10. The workout itself was very tough and had me sweating/knowing I would be a bit sore the next day. However, the AC wasn't running and breathing in that room was similar to trying to be in a dry sauna. Impossible. I would have also liked to have seen a water fountain closer to the work out room. There were a couple times where I really could have used a sip of water. Scarlett was a great instructor and I would definitely recommend taking her classes. She motivated me when all I wanted to do was lay down the fetal position. Always a plus! Overall, it was a great burn and I would definitely recommend trying out the classes at Brick!