CrossFit PROPER | Corona, California

A woman’s place is in front of the barbell

Mar 19, 2010 Articles
Posted by crossfitproper

Our daughter, Charisse, is a petite 20 year-old dance major at UCLA. She CrossFits whenever she can fit it into her busy schedule. When she’s back home, it’s on. She’s at the box and typically blows people away. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at her. She’s 5’2”, 115 lbs with a small frame.

Recently she was assisting an oly lift class at UCLA. The head instructor asked her to go over to a group of guys training the Clean. She walked toward the bar and before she can set her hands on it, a male student blocked her from the bar stating, “It’s too heavy. You can’t pick it up.” She replied politely (although with a bit of shock and dismay), “Yes, I think I can. Let me try.” The male student insisted that she couldn’t and turned to the head instructor asking for his approval. With a smile on his face, the instructor told them to go ahead and let her try. Well, to cut to the chase, she cleaned the 95lb bar with perfection – a textbook Clean. Egos were probably bruised.

The head instructor is a CrossFitter and knows the capabilities of CrossFit women. The male students were just learning about CrossFit. The beauty of CrossFit is that it makes almost no distinction between men and women. For the most part, we are anatomically the same. Men may have more blood and muscle. More size. They have testosterone and appendages, but basically…we’re the same. So, we should train the same.

I’m blown away by the number of women I speak to who don’t quite believe that they can do a pull-up or do a heavy deadlift. Forget about convincing them that they can take heavy loads overhead! Often times women don’t know what they are capable of only because society has told us we shouldn’t even try because it’s impossible for an average woman to do this or that. This is perpetuated at the typical globo gym where for the most part, women end up in seclusion over at the aerobics or spinning room. Some will be at the nautilus machines, plenty at the treadmills, stairclimbers and ellipticals. Very, very few at the free weights or squat rack stations because it’s just not something women do, nor is it something that is encouraged or trained at the globo gyms.

In addition, women participate in the myth, by thinking they will get too big. They don’t want to look like men. To that I say, since CrossFitting I’ve gotten smaller and more proportioned. My muscles are toned. I’ve lost the pregnancy pouch. And, more importantly, I’m more fit and mentally tough than ever.

It’s impossible to get the mass of a man unless you’re on steroids or eat gobs of protein. Plus, CrossFit incorporates tons of metcon workouts and a sound eating lifestyle (I hate the word diet because we don’t diet in the way most people perceive dieting). You will get aerobic conditioning while training and toning those muscles. The end result will be a lean body.

So, don’t be afraid to train the Clean. Learn the press, push-press and push-jerk. Come in on heavy days and bust out a deadlift PR. There is nothing more satisfying than picking up heavy weight and dumping it on the ground. Our goal at Crossfit Proper is to get every female member to do pull-ups.

CrossFit women workout side-by-side with the guys. We’ve got a gal at our box that can take more weight overhead than some guys. Our ladies, with hands all chalked up and strategically taped, get sweaty and dirty doing burpees and pull-ups. And, you won’t only find men curled up in fetal position on the floor after Fran.

It isn’t unheard of for a CrossFit gal to get a better time or better numbers on a WOD than one of the guys. Respect is always given after an outstanding WOD performance, no matter who you are.

With that said, at the end of the oly class, the male students all politely said good-bye to Charisse, probably with a little bit more respect for a woman that can Clean (no pun intended).

-Carissa