Beyond the Body

Couldn't agree more!

"And at the root of this epidemic is the press and media. As usual, I blame print and video media for putting out what is popular vs. what is right. Supermarket check-out magazines advertise this flawed image of 5-lb. dumbbells, low-intensity cardio machines like the elliptical trainer, and unrealistic photos of airbrushed abdominals and thighs."

There are a lot of magazines that print what is right vice what is popular. And you've never heard of any of them because they are obscure or defunct. Life is hard, bad media is a given, and we are to blame if we fall for it. I blame them not at all for providing what folks want. Folks are the ones to blame for wanting it, if anyone must be blamed.

It's a small point and my own pet peeve to equal the one you have for the media. As for CF ladies - well hell yes, and one of the most loving things my wife has done with me was to join me in CF!!!

I guess I'll stop calling those things 'girl pushups.'

Great article. It's very true. My wife started CrossFit about 6-8 mons ago, losing track now of our start date, and at first she was very scared of O lifts, and was certainly convinced she'd never be able to do a pull-up. Now even pregnant she can pump out about 5-6 pull-ups, no kipping because the bump gets in the way of that. In fact, the other day we were running a 5K (my pregnant wife ran it in a PR) and the USMC was there recruiting. They had a pull-up station. They had the girls doing the dead hang, which meant many of the ladies were just hanging, quite literally, from their chins! They were giving out free t-shirts for men who did 20 pull-ups and women who hung for some time period. So my wife walks up after a fella who barely squeaked out 8 pull-ups or so and knocks out about 6-7 good form pull-ups. They didn't give here a T-shirt because she didn't hang! WTF!?! Anyhow, great article. CrossFit makes the whole package hot - inside and out! Nice article!

i think it is also appropriate to reverse this notion and take a look at the crossfit men for just a moment. Would the women thrive in crossfit even if the men were the run-of-the-mill human male (both in attitude and approach to fitness)? The women pre-disposed to be driven probably would, but I'm not sure that the rest would make it past day 1. The men of crossfit are equally as inspiring as the women. Of course there are always exceptions but in my experience crossfit men are open-minded and embrace the spirit of their sisters, girlfriends, wives, friends, or trainees. That is also super hot. I've always been strong and tackled every task before me with gusto. The male population, at large labels me as "intimidating." At 5'7" and 125# I'm far from intimidating in stature... The only time I've ever been called intimidating in a crossfit environment is when I beat all the dudes in the gym at cindy. From my perspective the respect and admiration flows both ways an it is beyond refreshing!

i think it is also appropriate to reverse this notion and take a look at the crossfit men for just a moment. Would the women thrive in crossfit even if the men were the run-of-the-mill human male (both in attitude and approach to fitness)? The women pre-disposed to be driven probably would, but I'm not sure that the rest would make it past day 1. The men of crossfit are equally as inspiring as the women. Of course there are always exceptions but in my experience crossfit men are open-minded and embrace the spirit of their sisters, girlfriends, wives, friends, or trainees. That is also super hot. I've always been strong and tackled every task before me with gusto. The male population, at large labels me as "intimidating." At 5'7" and 125# I'm far from intimidating in stature... The only time I've ever been called intimidating in a crossfit environment is when I beat all the dudes in the gym at cindy. From my perspective the respect and admiration flows both ways an it is beyond refreshing!

Thanks Louis, great article.

Random thoughts:

I think males and females are equally guilty of falling for the Globo Gym idea of working out.

Is having a lesser weight in the WODs another example of telling women that they can't do it?

Go Linda!!!!

It is a fact, that women have come a long way in everything, but more especially in sports. When I started high school in 1953, there were no co-ed sports. The girls basketball was only half court, and they played skins and shirts. In fifty-seven years, we have certainly made a lot of progress.

This is such a great article, more people need to hear stuff like this. I think you guys should make this article available to everyone, it's the kind of thing you want share with everybody you know!

I like the attitude and determination phrase. While working out at a globo gym as a masters powerlifter I had the great fortune to become friends with a College student who was also a powerlifter and also record holder in the WABDL with a world record as a teenage deadlifter. We both became interested in Crossfit and as you can imagine they asked us not to do the WOD'S In their gym. Solution build our own garage gym complete with everything including 16' rope. Talk about a pitbull attitude this young lady has just qualified for regionals out of Oregon and will be doing sectionals in Washington in a couple of weeks. Cold mornings, hot summer days she never misses or complains but don't get in the way of her training. If she isn't training she is going somewhere to do a certification. Thank you for bringing into perspective the complete athlete AKA Women Crossfitter's.

Very inspiring and motivating article!

Love the article!

I'm a dedicated crossfitter and have a past in the Danish Armed Forces :-)

Sarah Lindasdatter Troelsen Krarup

That was a fantastic article. I've known that even before crossfit, women were very sexy if they did more than the run of the mill cardio only workouts. So Crossfit and the women therein has ramped up the sex appeal.
I'm also glad the article was a free download. I wanted to let a friend of mine read it.

Excellent article. Thank you.

My wife is a former college athlete (traditional weight training and running coupled with her sport of choice). Watching her start and continue with CF has been amazing. Now, almost 8 months pregnant, there is nothing more beautiful than watching her do what she can on the WOD.

There is truly something to be said (and seen) of CF women.

Well said, well said.
Gladly married to a CrossFit woman myself whose progress and dedication inspires me!
Thanks for the article.

Great article. I see things like this a lot in the school system, as I coach the boys and girls shotput and discuss throwers. I try to constantly challenge this way of thinking when dealing with female athletes and students. I wish I could see more articles like this in mainstream press, but alas. Until then, ladies, please keep it up. Nothing tells another person that they can do something like seeing someone else do it too.

Kent

My behavior has changed a multitude of ways since begriming CrossFit. The main

change I have experienced is confidence. I went from being a stereotypical

female who was afraid to show the stronger side of herself. Unfortunately, I was

more concerned on pursuing the same outer appearance that many young women fight

to achieve in hopes that they would be considered beautiful by media standard.

It is sad that many women, (including myself at the time) feel as though they

are looked down upon if they are capable of the same physical achievements as

their male counter parts. I no longer believe that, after only a short time of

following CrossFit my confidence level has sky rocketed.I am no longer

apprehensive about having a strong outer appearance and feel as though I no

longer need to hold myself back when competing with the "big boys". I will from

now on put my heart into everything I do both physically and mentally no matter

what challenge or opponent I may face. That is how Crossfit has changed my

attitude, I believe for the better.

Appreciate it.

I started doing Crossfit earlier this year and it's literally changed my body and the way I live my life. I do WODs with girls every once in a while and there's nothing sexier than watching them push themselves. Great article!