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Since I started CrossFit, I've been telling people about it and often times, I get the same reaction/have the same conversation.
Reaction: Why do you do that? Are you crazy? You want to lift weights? Why do you want to look like a man? If you do all that lifting, you're going to lose all your shape.
You must have me confused.
Yes, I want to lift weights.
I do not want to look like a man.
Lifting will not make me "lose my shape".
Yes, I want to lift. I've said it before, but there is nothing like breaking a personal record or putting good numbers up on a whiteboard. There's a sense of satisfaction being able to work out with a weight that only a month ago, was your 1 rep max. That's how you know you're really putting in work. Because you're getting better. Those numbers are direct indicators of how much better of a you you're becoming.
I do not want to look like a man. See this?
This is not for me. Don't get me wrong, ALL the respect to body builders, especially female body builders. It takes time, effort, and training to make your body look like that. Not to mention discipline. But that isn't what I do. I don't train to make my body look a certain way. I train to be able to move heavy stuff quickly. And my body changes to accommodate that. I never look at a work out and think, "oh, this is gonna be good to make my triceps really protrude". I just worry about how much weight I can move to do the maximum amount of work possible. CrossFit is not about looking good, it's about being fit. And looking good is the byproduct of being fit.
Lifting will not make me lose my shape. A shape is a shape is a shape, y'all. And I hate to tell you but if you're built like a rectangle, you're gonna be built like a rectangle. You might change the size of that rectangle. It can be a small rectangle or a big rectangle, but it's gonna be a rectangle nonetheless.
I am not built like a rectangle. I was "blessed" with baby-makin' hips, a small waist, and broad shoulders. I've had a love hate relationship with my shape my entire life. I can say that through lifting, my shape has gotten smaller, leaner, and the days that I hate it have gotten to be less and less. And through lifting, I have really gotten a chance to define my shape.
I CrossFit because I want to be strong. I want strength physically and mentally. I want to be able to feel as confident in my work shirt, jeans and steel toe boots doing work at the ranch as I am in a formal gown. I want to be happy with what I look like in the mirror and what I show to the outside world. I want to be able to pick up babies, carry all my own groceries, play with kiddos, and lift the couch to clean under it. And I want to still be able to do all that same stuff when I'm 80.
Main idea: I want to be as strong as I can for as long as I can to do everything I possibly want to do. And it helps to look great doing it, too.
