I never expected to find myself in a CrossFit gym, but curiosity got the best of me and I decided to give it a shot. It’s a mix of many sports including weightlifting, powerlifting, bodyweight exercises, kettlebells, gymnastics, rowing, cycling, running, and more. At the beginning of March, I did my first trial class at CrossFit at Punt Uit Spaarne and I was immediately hooked.
As a sports chiropractor and movement specialist, I absolutely loved it. It was great to learn new movements every single day and challenge my body in different ways. The brain is stimulated by MOVEMENT and learning new things so this sport really excited me. Each class is completely unique and full body, which keeps it really interesting. Even if you find yourself doing squats for the second time that week, there is most likely a change in the tempo or quantity.
I spent the majority of lockdown training with my kettlebells so I felt relatively strong going into this sport, but I didn’t realize how much stronger I would get. The rings and pull-up type moves are so different and I love the cardio on the skiing machine and rower.
Things I love about it:
The instructors are fabulous. Anytime I had a question, they had an answer. They were very knowledgeable and were able to give guidance and modifications around my wrist injuries (yes, even chiropractors get injured).
There’s a variety of classes. The class CrossFit WOD (workout of the day) is a mix of functional movements and strength training. The Burn class works more on cardio endurance and aerobic threshold.
The emphasis on mobility and active warm-up before the heavy training.
You can view the WOD on an app before showing up to class. This helped me mentally prepare for the workout.
The feeling of community. All the gym members were friendly and helpful and I really enjoyed exercising in a group, instead of alone at my house.
Things I don’t love about it:
Classes book up really quickly so I had to commit a week in advance to my class time.
Sometimes I felt like a fish out of water. I’m still learning where equipment is around the gym and some of the jargon used to describe the workout. I recognize this comes with any new sport but the classes go really quick and it takes me a while to figure out where I’m supposed to be.
Most of the workouts are done for time over quality. This can compromise your ability to do the exercise well since you’re rushing through it. It can also lead to injuries. Luckily I’m not too competitive (yet), so I sacrificed my speed for really learning how to do the moves correctly.
In order to become a CrossFit instructor, no formal education background is required. Literally anyone can just sign up for the Level 1 class. It’s important to have instructors who have a good understanding of biomechanics so that you don’t get injured. All the instructors at PuntUit have a lot of CrossFit experience and knowledge, so I’m not too worried about it there.
In addition to taking the classes, you can reserve a time to go in and use the equipment at the gym for your own personal training. It’s a great time to fine-tune your skills and work on quality over quantity.
At the end of this first month, I’ve decided to keep going. I look forward to challenging myself more, especially with the upper body movements. I have a hefty goal of doing a pull-up by the end of 2023.
If you’re doing CrossFit in Haarlem and suffering from any pain in your back, hip, shoulder or wrist, I can help you. I have a more thorough understanding of the sport and can help you stay injury free.
