So as you may have noticed I have sorta drunk the Crossfit Kool-Aid. One of the challenging things about Crossfit is the workouts are so varied it continually keeps you a little bit out of your comfort zone and quickly exposes your weaknesses. When I worked out on my own I was apt to just stick at the things I was good at, like the bench press. Crossfit quickly showed I had a weak “core” and hip flexors and — like so many other runners, or perhaps even moreso — completely inflexible.
So in hopes of remedying this I have been doing pilates and (gasp) yoga.
The pilates I have been doing since December … my building offers classes with Lindafit Pilates. It is good and relatively challenging. In case you’re not familiar with pilates, it is basically exercises for your abs, spine, lower back, etc. It is not like a workout that is going to kick your ass, but it does make me feel like I am strengthening those muscle groups.
The yoga is more of a stretch (sorry). I had only ever done yoga once or twice before, with S. when I was dating her in 2002, and I pretty much really didn’t like it. I felt out of place and really couldn’t see the point … it seemed like time would be better spent running or lifting.
But a lot of the Crossfit NYC trainers are big yoga guys and actually recommend it. And it was clear I wasn’t going to get very good at certain aspects of Crossfit unless I get more flexible. Plus — and this really was the clincher — there was maybe the prospect that it might actually improve my running. Like as one of the trainers said after I had shown a pretty tremendous weakness in my hips, “Gee Derek, it’s a good thing you don’t have to use your legs for running.”
So the gym at my work is run by Plus One Fitness and they have yoga on Thursdays. I tried it out a few weeks ago … there was only two other people in the class, so you really get individual attention. Forty-five minutes, which I guess real yoga buffs would scoff at but hey, the classes are free. And it definitely gave me a good stretch.
So before the Super Bowl on Sunday I actually decided to venture back to a real yoga studio: Kula Project Yoga, not far from me in Tribeca. It was a beginner class, which was definitely what I needed. I definitely worked up a sweat trying to hold these poses that had me stretching all over the place. And for a little moment, I could actually see why people might enjoy doing yoga for the sake of doing yoga, once you get good at it. (Which I am decidedly not). But I am going to keep at it.
Have you considered boxing? I’ve been training with a really good coach for the last few months. It is definitely good for your core, hips, and back, as well as overall quickness. You can also be assured that it *IS* a workout that will kick your ass. My conditioning is a lot better than when I started but I still often finish a round thinking I might pass out, vomit, or both.
I haven’t considered boxing until you mentioned it. There is actually a boxing gym like two blocks from me. Checking out their website, it does look v. intriguing. On the other hand I have a lot on my plate right now.
That gym looks good. The membership with instruction deal is a pretty good one if you had the time to commit to spending a lot of time there… I guess they have a $5 Fridays deal so you could go check it out.
yeah often times I see a lot of big guys doing yoga, and it actually amazes me that they are so flexible!
Have you ever thought about trying a pilates private or semi-private lesson on the pilates equipment? It might be right up your alley. The pilates equipment challenges the core even more than on the mat and works in flexion, extension, and rotation of the body to an even greater degree. Most of the equipment uses a spring system which also adds resistance to the movement.
Good for you for opening the doors to pilates!
I’m a pilates instructor and write short articles to help my clients and those on the internet. You might find this article helpful.
Pilates As Smart Exercise
Here’s to your core!
Zoe
I have been practicing pilates for two years now and have done yoga off and on for about seven years. I still have a loooong way to go on my flexibility and balance, but I’m definitely improving. I’ve toyed around with CrossFit before but officially started Elements this week. Let’s just say I drank the Kool-Aid, but I’m still intimidated by it! It’s all good.
Definitely pursue yoga and pilates. I think they are worth it in addition to any workout program. Good luck!
So I wrote that post back in Feb 2008 … now 1 1/2 years later, let’s see. I’ve pretty much stopped doing Crossfit. I do love it, but the gym is like a half-hour from my home and office and it was just too hard to get to. I also haven’t done pilates in a few months. Instead I’ve pretty much just been doing yoga (mostly at Kula Yoga Project, and also some bikram classes), running and occasionally lifting weights at the gym. There are some TOUGH yoga classes out there. (check out David Regelin’s multi-intenso class at Kula if you’re in nyc and are up for a challenge) I am maybe not quite as buff in the upper body as I was when I was doing Crossfit three or four times a week, but I actually think my core and abs are stronger. Also I really want to work on my inversion practice and get to where I am doing headstands and handstands in the middle of the room.
I do love Crossfit, overall, but I do have some criticisms of it. It definitely has an ideology that kinda embraces primitivism — the caveman diet, very simple weights and exercises, etc. Which is fine, but you also see them criticize very valid and useful high-tech training tools like heart rate monitors which is just stoopid. And then there are the people with the T-shirts that say things like, “Be Hard to Kill,” etc., as if they’re preparing for the aftermath of a nuclear war or something. (Okay, I’m sure people who wear that sorta gear aren’t completely serious … but I do think they might be a little bit serious). It does have some slightly cult-like aspects.