Student Papers

This term in cross fit I feel that I have made a lot of
progress. Over the course of six weeks I have lost two percent body
fat and gained several pounds of muscle. The first few workouts were
the most difficult and I was so sore that I could barely move the rest
of the day. Although it was painful it didn’t bother me a lot because
I knew I was making progress. I have asthma which makes sprinting and
long distance running hard for me but the symptoms have gotten a lot
better since cross fit. I have heard that if you do a lot of exercise
it helps you outgrow asthma so that has been one of my goals. Another
goal I had was to be able to jump higher because I have never been
able to jump very high and leg strength is good for fencing.

Also I learned a lot of new information about nutrition
and what it takes to make a better athlete. I had never heard that
nutrition is the most important part of improving your sport but it
makes sense. I learned that athleticism isn’t just about having large
muscle mass, it is about utilizing all of your muscles. I started
eating better and I get less head aches and have more energy. For
breakfast I started taking fish oil supplements and multi vitamins and
made sure that I add some fresh fruit. For lunch at school I don’t eat
the pizza or fries any more and I get water instead of soda. For
dinner I try to eat healthier meat and more vegetables.

The results that I have seen are really good. Things that
have previously been difficult for me are now significantly easier for
me. I can do more push ups, burpees, and sit ups than before. I
struggled to do ten push ups in a row and now I can do twenty. Weights
don’t feel as heavy either. The first time I tried squat ninety-five
pounds I could barely do three. When we did squats again I could
easily do many sets of five at that weight. I don’t need my inhaler as
much as I used to.

My first fencing practice during the pre season was a lot
easier this time around. We run five miles and when it was over I
wasn’t nearly as sore as I though I was going to be. It feels good to
return to an obstacle and find that it is much easier. I even managed
to do better than a few of my friends who always beat me last year.

I still have the same goals for the next term in cross
fit. I still have a lot of room to improve on. I am confident that I
will be able to lose another two percent body fat and gain more muscle
like before. Although I hope that I can make a bigger improvement
because I am also doing fencing for this half of cross fit.

The psychological aspect of cross fit is important too.
Having a confident state of mind is necessary for pushing yourself and
doing hard workouts. I didn’t think that I could do most of the
workouts from the beginning but if you really want to succeed than you
can do it.

In conclusion I am glad that I chose to do cross fit and
would recommend it to anyone hoping to get better at their sport or
just to get in better shape. I have learned a lot so far and made many
improvements which I hope will continue.