CrossFit is great for many things. CrossFit is great for making friends, burning calories, building calluses on your hands, paying a lot of money to workout in a warehouse, getting in shape, and having fun. CrossFit is also great for coming together for a better cause. Every year the CrossFit box I belong to, as well as many others around the nation, come together to raise money for Breast Cancer awareness by holding and attending an event called Barbells for Boobs.

When the CrossFit community holds a charity event, we don't just hang around, drink some beer and grill some bacon wrapped steak. We get in a workout too! The workout for Barbells for Boobs is a Benchmark Girls workout aptly named Grace.  (Grace = 30 reps for time Clean and Jerks at 95 lbs for women and 135 lbs for men)

This year our gym decided to make up our own t-shirts for the event. All proceeds went to the Barbells for Boobs fund.

There was also a jar where you could throw in money for the owner of the gym, Mike. At the end of the event he'd have to do as many burpees as there were dollars in the jar. This year Mike had to do 400 burpees - way to go Mike! The money goes in the pot for the charity.

It's also a great benchmark to see if you've improved at all from the last time you did the workout. Last year I believe I used 75 lbs. and finished between 3 and 4 minutes. This year I used 85 lbs and finished at 5:01 - I'm happy with that. Take note of Rich's score - he PR'd over his time last year (2:58) at 2:30 - he's a beast - but a super cute one! (I'm Lil Sho on the white board below, in case you couldn't find me)

I'm sad I didn't get to spend more time celebrating after the workout, but life calls and we had to go home. Until next year...or the next cause which I think isn't until next year anyway - Memorial Day Murph - that's always a rough fun one!

Update: Note from Mike (gym owner/trainer/awesome guy):"I want to thank everyone who came down yesterday in support of the Barbell for Boobs fund raiser.  Between what was raised online through the Barbells for Boobs Website, proceeds from the t-shirt sales, the burpee jar and other cash people donated we raised over $3,500.  Great Job everyone!!!!"

Another awesome guy who CrossFits to give back to the community is Chris Donnelly. I wanna give Chris a huge shout - I love his message that people of all ages and sizes can get involved in physical fitness. To find out more about what Chris is doing and to join in on his journey, check out his YouTube channel. It's packed with loads of funny and informative videos all about the CrossFit lifestyle. Don't forget to follow Chris at the hashtag #TheJourneyTV.

Do you find joy in giving to others? If so, what are your favorite ways to give back?