“Yes, I’m a CrossFitter”

What makes a CrossFitter a CrossFitter? When can you officially call yourself a CrossFitter? Is there even an accepted universal definition of a CrossFitter? WOD Talk examines these questions to provide an encouraging perspective into what makes you a CrossFitter.

I remember those early days of CrossFit. They weren’t really all that long ago. The workouts were the most difficult I had ever done. I was learning something new every day. When I spoke about my new fitness endeavor I would exclaim, “I’m trying CrossFit! These are the hardest workouts I’ve ever done! It’s amazing!”

Somewhere around hitting my one year mark of going to CrossFit the conversations started to change.

“So how long have you been going to CrossFit?” an excited newcomer would ask me.

“About a year,” I would reply.

“So you’re a regular CrossFitter now?”

“Um. Yeah, I guess you could say that,” I would awkwardly respond.

Then the doubt started to creep in.

I’m still not doing pull-ups. My double unders sometimes escape me during a WOD. I still don’t do handstand pushups.

No longer a CrossFit newcomer I found myself in unexpected territory. The truth is that a part of me felt uncomfortable when I was called a CrossFitter because I thought that I should have progressed further than I have in the past year. Sure there have been plenty of improvements, but I still lack a lot of skills that are commonly used in WODs. Knowing this, how can I call myself a CrossFitter?

However, the more I debate this title of CrossFitter the more flawed my logic becomes. What happens when I have pull-ups but lack muscle-ups? Will I be halfway there to becoming a CrossFitter? Or, will I be seventy-five percent complete on my journey to become a CrossFitter? Sure, my lack of skills might keep me from RXing the Open or competing in certain competitions, but it doesn’t mean my effort at the box is any less.

So exactly what is a CrossFitter? Does it mean you can do gymnastic skills with ease, have a jump rope pass under your feet twice without even thinking about it, or climb a rope fifteen feet above the ground? In a sport that focuses on effort instead of results, I don’t believe so.

Being a CrossFitter means that you’re willing to put in your best effort.  It means you are willing to accept a new task. It means you are willing to try something you’ve never done before.  It means you are willing to dig deep and push through the pain even when you want to quit. It means that you show up to the box every day willing to give the best of yourself.

You know it won’t be easy. You know there will be challenges. You know there will be fear. You know there will be doubt. You know there will be pain. But you also know that you will become a better person as a result of it. That is what it takes. Yes, I am a CrossFitter.

About the Author:

Sarah Warman is a former college volleyball player who decided to try CrossFit as a way to challenge herself. She is also an active runner, having completed one marathon and six half marathons. In her spare time she enjoys reading, writing, drawing and gardening. Sarah and her husband reside in Pittsburgh, PA. You can find more of Sarah’s insights from her blog fitsarah.weebly.com.