Today’s post is a guest blog post by Guy Randazzo. Thanks Guy! -John
When I first joined CrossFit Genesis, I was apprehensive as I knew nothing about how it worked. I just knew that after going through chemotherapy in early 2008 that by the end of 2009 while I was doing OK, I was playing basketball and tennis and skiing, I was a relatively weak 50 year old with poor metabolic conditioning. I needed something besides my 35 minute elliptical workout with occasional dumbbell work. As I told John when I first joined, I’ll never be like the CrossFit athletes I saw in the videos, I just wanted to “Be all that I could be” (and no, I did not ask permission from the US Army to use that tag line). You could say that I was doing CrossFit to live, to try to improve my strength and stamina for skiing, basketball and tennis.
It does not take long to realize that doing CrossFit is unlike almost any other workout routine that most people do. We track all of our workouts, we try to get better every day, we do crazy workouts and the variety is endless. It makes you naturally competitive, mostly with yourself, but sometimes with others. The CrossFit Genesis community engulfs you and supports you like no other workout process or business, anywhere! Even though I was one of the weakest and least fit athletes in the gym, people cheered me on, they inspired me and I’ve been told that I inspire them with my grit and effort. Even though I was totally embarrassed by it, I was even selected as the first CrossFit Genesis “Athlete of the Month” back in September of 2010.
By this point, my attitude towards CrossFit and the CrossFit Genesis family was starting to shift. I was being challenged constantly with complex weight lifting techniques, kipping pull-ups, double-unders, etc, etc, etc. Trying to do every workout better and faster, improving my technique on so many movements. CrossFit was way more than just a way to improve my stamina for the other sports, it became an important part of my life and at the end of 2010 I changed to 3 times a week and it became an even bigger part of my life. At this point, I was Living to do CrossFit at least as much if not more than doing CrossFit to Live.
So what about you? Do you do CrossFit to Live or are you one that Lives to CrossFit?
Autumn and Semyon playing with kettlebells outside, 4/4/12
April 17, 2012 WOD
Back Squat
1X10 @ 60%, 1X8 @ 65%, 1X6 @ 70%, 1X6 @ 75%, 1X6 @ 80%
Rest 2-3 min between each set
* Use percentages of your 1-rep max
Then:
“Annie”
Double-under
Situp
50, 40, 30, 20, 10 reps
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Good blog Guy. Keep on grittin’. For me, it is completely, fully, and undeniably both.
Very well put Guy. Thank you for sharing your history and story. I feel we start CrossFit to live and the journey transforms into living to Crossfit.
This Crossfit stuff really does bring out our inner athlete. Nice post, Guy.
Great post Guy!
I think I started a little different. I started live to Crossfit and that feeling has increased over the last 2 years. But the more I Crossfit, the more I realize how it will help me live a better life. So I am still more Live to Crossfit but I love what it does for my life as well.
Thanks for sharing Guy! I think that I live to CrossFit. It was love at first WOD for me. I honestly can’t believe how lucky I am to be a part of this community. I know that Crossfitting has added years to my life, so it also could be be construed as CrossFitting to live. Living to CrossFit has given me the chance to live my best life.
Totally live to CrossFit. You just can’t see via my body yet, but she’s in there . . . chipping away at the outer shell to get to the fire breathing dynamo within!
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