CF Foundations, day 6, complete!

I've survived the class, no worse for wear. Mostly.

Much of my pain is easily "explained" by a few things:

• Though I can run (and "easily" pass the Navy standards, which doesn't mean much), I certainly am not in shape because of it; in fact, my legs have lot less strength than I thought they did, specifically in explosive moves and stamina.
• Though I can stretch decently (again, Navy minimums), I'm in fact a lot less flexible than I gave myself credit for.
• No surprise, but my upper-body strength is lacking. A lot. I need help doing ring-dips, pull-ups, and I'm certain I'll be scaling the WODs a bit to be able to continue for a reasonable time or number of reps.

Though I hurt, it's mostly soreness. In fact, I haven't had any neck problems since last week, which is a very good thing. I'm not certain if it was a random tweak, bad form, or what, but it hasn't come back despite some shoulder work. No, I'm sore mostly in my legs right now, though my lower back feels it a bit, too.

Today's workout was dead lifts and ring-dips. I was okay on the dead lifts (on a light weight), but the dips really suffered.

I must admit I'm embarrassed by needing as much assistance as I do (in the form of straps or light weights). I believe nobody there judges me, but there's always that moment where somebody 30-40# lighter uses no bands, heavier weights, and pumping out more, faster. Competition is a great motivator, no doubt about it.

One thing Chad (my instructor) said in the first class that rang true: his best performance on his semi-annual fitness test was in boot camp. After that, times and performance slowly declined. Though I can't claim CF is the answer, it certainly raises the issue that perhaps the military's physical training regiments could be tuned better.

I gotta say my initial reaction to my six classes of CF is good: the focus is on overall strength, symmetric and balanced. I'm certainly not training to be a modeling body builder, nor am I trying to "work on my shoulders" (especially since I feel it's obvious my legs are not as "decent" as I thought they were). My previous workout regiments (if you can call them that) lacked intensity, balance, or both.

According to my methods (posted on May 5th), I'm starting phase 3:

1. Improve my diet. I've modified it, leaning more towards proteins and fruits, controlling carbs. Not eliminating them, just being aware of when and how much. (Note: one of the instructors at PCF has a pseudo-CSA-like deal with local farmers and non-processed meats and dairy. I'll look at the prices and will likely get into some of it. I'll post more as I know more.)
2. Start the program. Foundations class, done.
3. Stay the program. Three times per week. Transitioning to normal WODs is a hurdle for me.
4. Stay the program, after leaving Potomac CrossFit and the DC area.
5. Stay the program, long term, after the Navy. (There's life after the Navy?)

 Out.