You’re a CrossFitter, which means you’re an athlete. You care a lot that you’ve gone from a black band to a red band (because you should). And you now know that form follows function. In other words, CrossFit makes you look good naked. Even though we seem to only care how heavy your thrusters were last week, we all know why we’re in the gym 5 days a week! Be smart about your progress and use the right tools to know for sure, that you are making steps toward achieving your goals.
Step Right Up: The Scale
We all know muscle weighs more than fat. If you haven’t yet seen a picture of a pound of fat vs. a pound of muscle, Google it; it’s amazing. Muscle is a fraction of the size of fat, which is why it looks so much better on your body. The scale can’t take into account that weight from your belly is now in your glutes (thank you, squats!). Also consider that the scale fluctuates more than any other measurement. That glass of water you should be drinking out of bed? That’s a half of a pound that is unfortunately counted on the scale.
Don’t ditch the scale, but don’t stress over it. We recommend weighing yourself at least once a week.
Smoke and Mirrors: The Mirror
The mirror is a pretty good measure of success. Unlike the scale, the mirror tells you if you are exchanging fat for muscle. When you look good, you feel good, and not by coincidence. However, the mirror can change almost as much as the scale, and it’s not your imagination. For instance, the amount of salt you had two days ago compared to how much water you had yesterday, has a huge impact on how you look today. Or consider your sleep the last couple of nights. That, too, can have an effect on how lean you look.
The mirror is a dependable tool, better than the scale, but far from perfect.
Objective, Measurable, Repeatable...Better: InBody Assessments
Getting a good body fat measure, is a necessary tool for your success. Whether you have a target percentage in mind or not, you should be improving every time you test it. You are an athlete, and deserve to see a measure of your hard work. We work to bring you this option, at a really affordable price, to help you stay on track. The next session is coming up in a couple weeks. The sign up sheet is on the board; if this is your first time, ask a coach for the day-of testing details.
As an athlete, this is one of the most important ways you can make sure you’re achieving your goals. Sure, watch the scale, look in the mirror, but if you want to see your body change, come in and get an InBody Assessment, and then check back at the next round to see how your body is changing.
Don’t miss out, you won’t regret it.
