Take a look at these photos. There are a lot of women in them. These women come from all ages, fitness backgrounds, and abilities. They come from all walks of life.Some sit on their butts all day at work. Some are on their feet all day. Some are moms. Some run marathons. Some are diehard CrossFitters. Some do triathlons. Some are police officers. And for some.... I have no clue what they do!
This I do know: All these women have committed themselves to make changes in their bodies. Some female athletes want performance increases...mainly faster paces and shorter times for races. Some want to lose excess weight. Some enjoy the stress relief from a high-intensity workout session. Some just want to push their bodies to their limits, in search for elitism.
In a previous post called Poor Excuses, I explained how a select few reasons for not getting into a functional fitness program are getting old. There are plenty of acceptable reasons (injury, sport-specific training for a particular event/sport, family commitments). These women could easily throw down the we're-not-as-strong-as-the-men card. But they don't. They realize that excuse doesn't fly in the functional fitness world. Weights are scaled down to manageable loads, and other adjustments are made. But the overall workout is done simultaneously with men.
So, we'd like to hear from some of you women. What draws you to functional fitness? Post to comments.
We see more and more women joining our ranks each week. For more posts about females and fitness, click the label "FEMALES" below.
8 comments:
Running is my first love--but what draws me to functional fitness is the drive to continue to be healthy, strong and functional as I age. Functional fitness makes me feel "well rounded."
Hoping to run 'til I die- but I want to be fit no matter what.
I hate seeing my peers lose the ability to bend over and pick something up or run up a flight of stairs. No thanks for me! I want to be able to move like a kid even if I'm not one.
I am an endurance athlete. Half Ironman and Ironman distances are my specialties. While I am able to push myself through long distances, I find the Cross-Fit intensity for short, varied exercises a strong addition to my normal training. Will it make me faster? I'm not sure yet, but I finish every Cross-Fit session craving more of the high-intensity, puke your guts out exercises and they make me come back for more.
I once told a friend that I work out so I can continue to do the things that I love to do, like hike and bike. Functional fitness workouts although challenging make you feel awesome.You can't match in a gym the feeling you get facing the morning sun as you swing a kettle ball at Swallow Cliff. It seems as if I am getting stronger in leaps and bounds. I enjoy being able to workout with my younger Ironman friends. It is fun to workout side by side with them instead of just sitting on the sidelines watching them go by.
cf chix are hot
I like working out hard, feeling strong, being unafraid of challenges, mixing it up and hey, I like looking good!
I am drawn to functional fitness/CF because of the results in my overall health, strength, and general wellness. The intensity is key, and this type of training brings about the greatest changes and challenges to my workouts.
Although I will never join the elite CF ladies, I still enjoy the rush of the WOD's and the community that this type of fitness brings to my life.
Bonus, having to shop for smaller clothes!
I've been a tomboy all my life. I've played all the aggressive sports (football,rugby,etc) but I could not find a workout that was challenging enough to keep me interested for a very long time because most workouts were repetitive and boring. When I attended the first Stairclimbing session on Sat Apr 11, I wasn't expecting to be truly challenged but boy, was I wrong!! I haven't worked out that hard since I was in Army Basic Training in 1995! Not only was I motivated to finish the circuit (despite reaching muscle failure, not a bad thing in this case) but I found myself very motivated to push myself past the point of exhaustion. Granted I'm still pretty sore but I'm looking forward to attending another session (albeit,schedule permitting). I'm in the Army Reserve and a cop so physical fitness is not an option but a necessity. I found that as I have gotten older, I adapted a mindset that I couldn't do the things I used to do in my 20's. This program showed me that I can do anything I put my mind to and the working out with these guys forced me to accept the fact that I've just been making excuses, not taking action! Thanks for the eye-opening experience and for introducing me to a workout that can challenge me! See you at the next workout!
I came up with a list yesterday (some serious, some fun) while Tom was working out:
1. Respect
2. I like to beat the boys
3. In a sadistic sort of way, I like trying on 15 pairs of jeans at the store to find 1 pair that fit over my quads.
4. When I look for an avatar pic, I realize the hubby takes nothing but pics of my butt!
5. I entered a lift (75%BW benchpress) AND run (5K) and got 15th place M&F, beat next closest F by over 2:30!
6. Seeing guys at the gym use a working weight that is less then my heaviest warm-up.
7. Overall, I am stronger and more resilient than I ever have been in terms of fitness. "I can't" has turned into "Give me another couple breaths, I can finish this!"
8. Anonymous up above ;)
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