Winter Training & Crossfit

After the Alpine Odyssey race in September, I officially started the off season and I was ready to get busy training for next year.  I'm not sure why I'm more motivated this year, but it seems I'm finally mentally ready to put the hours in this winter and battle the cold weather.  I've claimed for years, that I was going to train all winter, but really I was just never serious about it.  This year is different though and so far things are going well.
The weather has been really nice and I've been able to ride outside a lot.  We didn't start riding indoors on Tuesdays until November.  We've braved some cold days on the weekends but really until the snow last Wed I've mostly been riding outside.  I also switched over to base miles with only 1 day/week of high intensity,  this will be a good plan through January. 

The biggest news I have is that I started Crossfit in October. Depending on what information you read, you may hear things like "crossfit is dangerous" or "crossfit is a bad program for cyclists" This is a load of crap, and anyone saying such things is a complete twat waffle, YES, I just called some Carmichael Coaches Twatwaffles!

If you read the book, Weight Training for Cyclists, you will find that it pretty much prescribes Crossfit as what you should be doing over the winter for weight training.  Actually, Crossfit is better than what the book recommends, but I'm not here to rant about this topic. 

I do want to say how awesome Crossfit is!  Absolutely, the best workout there is, no debate about it.  Last year is when I first heard about Crossfit, not knowing much about it, I figured it must just be some trendy thing that would disappear eventually, or maybe at best just be another jazzercise place in a strip mall...  Was I ever wrong, as more and more people I knew, and respected, starting drinking the Kool-aid I figured I better take a closer look at it.

I knew a few things when I signed up for foundation classes,  First, doing something was better than nothing, next is was structured and I would not be able to slack off, and lastly, I knew it used the "bars"  as I called it, but formally known as the Olympic Lifts. 

Within 3 weeks I was hooked.  There is no doubt in my mind, Crossfit will dominate the fitness scene as it continues to grow in popularity, and it's not going away!  Not only is the workout fun, it's practical, and community is promoted equally to the workout!  Imagine that, actually going to a place where you like the people there and they like you! 

I could really write for hours and hours on how great Crossfit is.  What I do know is that my clothes fit looser, I'm a lot stronger, and I have more energy than ever!  I've always known in the back of my mind that only cycling was just not healthy enough for a balanced life, discovering Crossfit has certainly been a blessing in my life, not only just for my general health, but also for the great people I've met and look forward to seeing 3 to 4 times a week!