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Brent Goodrum (left) trains under the watchful eye of RARE CrossFit trainer and owner Adam Eidson.
Rise Wood (center) performs push-ups and Dave Petitt does pull-ups during an afternoon training session at RARE CrossFit near Four-Mile Fork. CrossFit workouts vary from day to day, but all involve short, intense periods of exercise designed to build strength and overall fitness.
Adam Eidson, RARE CrossFit trainer and owner, discusses a session's performance with 13-year-old gymnast Karah Naples. |
It's 9:30 a.m. on a recent Saturday, and in an industrial building in Spotsylvania County, fans blast, rowing machines hum and weight bars clank as they fall to the ground.
More than 20 people are moving in groups from station to station. They're lifting, jumping, squatting and rowing.
Meanwhile, out in the parking lot, two groups are working to flip a giant truck tire end over end across the lot.
Are these a bunch of meat-heads practicing for one of those television strongman competitions?
No, they're soccer moms trying to get in shape, triathletes trying to drop their times, married couples bored with other workouts and law enforcement officers looking for added strength.
This is a typical Saturday at RARE CrossFit, one of three local workout facilities that have opened as part of a back-to-basics fitness trend that has spread across the nation.
A NEW ROUTINE
CrossFit was created by Greg Glassman, a former gymnast. The workout regime is different from almost anything you'll find in a typical commercial gym.
It's a constantly varying combination of basic movements that focus on functional fitness--skills that will help you lift heavy things, for example--and that don't usually take longer than 20 minutes.
These moves are performed in different combinations as a "workout of the day" in facilities that are usually no fancier than an industrial building equipped with weights, pull-up bars and padded floors.
All the information you need to participate is online.
People all over the country have created CrossFit gyms in their garages, but others pay to work out at CrossFit affiliate gyms, where they get access to equipment and advice from a trainer.
Three such affiliates have opened in the Fredericksburg area.
A NEW CHALLENGE
Adam Eidson opened RARE CrossFit in the same facility where he and his business partner, Tony Rogers, were running soccer training.
Eidson runs ultramarathons and stumbled upon CrossFit one day while reading another runner's training blog.
Lisa Quinn, another affiliate owner, has been in the fitness industry for 20 years.
The first time she tried a CrossFit workout, "I was smoked," she said. "I was so humbled, and angered that I was not in the shape I thought I was."
Quinn runs CrossFit Spotsy out of an industrial building behind the Fredericksburg Field House.
Tim Taft first saw a CrossFit workout when he was working as a contractor in Afghanistan in 2004.
"I saw this guy running around the gym doing a lot of wacky things," Taft said. "He seemed to be making a lot more progress than I was, plus he seemed to genuinely enjoy his workouts."
Taft has built CrossFit Fredericksburg out of the workouts he led his wife's field hockey team through at Courtland High School.
NOT JUST FOR JOCKS
Can a workout that appeals to ultra-runners, triathletes and longtime gym rats be for everyone?
Marilyn Graves, 62, said she has never enjoyed exercise, but she's tried over the years to find a regimen she can stick with.
Her husband, George, 66, told her about CrossFit after Quinn leased space in his facility for CrossFit Spotsy.
The Graves have been doing CrossFit workouts for the past year.
Marilyn Graves said Quinn helps her to modify the workouts to avoid injury, since she has arthritis in her back and feet.
"I am never going to be the bodybuilder like a lot of those people there, but I am not intimidated by that," Graves said. "I am not looking for big changes. I am looking for lifestyle changes."
She said she's found those. Her lower back doesn't hurt as much when she climbs stairs now, she can walk longer without breathing hard and it's easier for her to stand up from the floor or a chair.
Karen Demps, 31, has been working out at RARE CrossFit since May. Before CrossFit, her workout routine had consisted of walking and a few aerobics classes. But she knew she could get more out of that time.
She said she's been pleased with the way the workouts make her feel.
"I can do so much now," Demps said.
She says she now squats to pick up her children's backpacks so she doesn't hurt her back. She's hoping soon she'll be able to do a pull-up on her own.
NOT A WALK IN THE PARK
CrossFit has drawn criticism from some in the fitness industry who say it is too intense, and throws beginners into moves that could be dangerous if not performed correctly.
Nobody disputes that it is intense or that form is important.
"The methodology demands that you embrace physical discomfort to a certain extent," said Taft of CrossFit Fredericksburg. "It's not a comfortable workout."
Pete McCall, an exercise physiologist with the American Council on Exercise, said people who have not been doing any exercise at all should probably work on building more basic fitness before starting CrossFit.
"For someone who hasn't done any exercise for the past five years, is 30 pounds overweight and pre-diabetic, it is absolutely the wrong thing," he said.
Someone like that should put in at least six to 12 months of consistent weight training and exercise before starting CrossFit, in his opinion.
Once someone builds that base, McCall said CrossFit is a great option for people who have become bored with other workouts, or who want a challenge.
From a physiological perspective, McCall said CrossFit's intense metabolic and power training builds lean muscle mass, and the variety of workouts helps avoid overworking any one muscle group.
McCall said he thinks CrossFit is filling a niche that health clubs and other fitness programs haven't hit, and won't be just another fitness fad that soon fades.
Quinn agrees.
"This is true functional fitness, things that have been out there that a lot of people have been trying for many years to incorporate into the industry," she said. "I see this as taking fitness back to where it should be, helping people become more than fit, but become well."
Emily Battle: 540/374-5413
Email: ebattle@freelancestar.com
WHAT TO EXPECT: If you're just starting the program, you'll probably be put through a "baseline workout" to determine your fitness level. From there, you'll begin learning some of the basic moves, like the air squat, which is a lot harder than it sounds. Expect to do lots of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups (modified if you can't do them), some rowing and running. Do not go without water and good running shoes. HOW IT'S DIFFERENT: If you're used to workout plans that follow the same routine each week, this will be a big change. One day you may be trying to lift as much weight as you can, and the next day you may do something more aerobic, like several rounds of running, pull-ups, squats or other moves. In place of the Nautilus machines you see in a lot of gyms, you'll encounter less conventional workout equipment, like truck tires. You'll learn all the various ways a pull-up bar can make you sore. WHAT IT COSTS: Most affiliates charge significantly more than a typical gym membership, but a lot less than a personal trainer. RARE CrossFit's monthly rate for individuals is $100, Crossfit Spotsy is $125 and CrossFit Fredericksburg, a nonprofit, is $30, though its workouts are all outside and don't have access to some equipment, like pull-up bars. Most affiliates offer drop-in rates of $10 to $20 a class. Classes are usually small, with trainers monitoring participants for correct form. Time commitment: The typical workout takes only 15 to 20 minutes, but adding in the warm-up and discussion of the moves that most sessions entail, you should block out an hour for each. crossfit.com rarecrossfit.com crossfitspotsy.com crossfitfburg.com |
