Jason Burgar, an area middle-school science and health teacher, noticed the results of his latest exercise program.
"My stamina improved quite a bit, [and] my strength gains jumped quite a bit ... . I was looking for a workout that would push me but not take an hour to do," he said.
The program is called CrossFit, and it has become a global phenomenon. It's what police, marines, members of special-ops units and elite athletes are doing to get fit and stay conditioned.
The goal of CrossFit is to enhance fitness in cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy.
Greg Glassman, founder of CrossFit and publisher of CrossFit Journal, says variety and simplicity are the primary draws.
"The key is doing a multitude of different tasks," he says.
Glassman designed CrossFit to incorporate a lot of different types of exercise - gymnastics, traditional cardio workouts and Olympic-style weightlifting - into a daily workout that applies basic principles of high-intensity training with functional movements.
It's also constantly varied. There are about 50 basic exercises that are mixed into a Workout of the Day (WOD).
"Each workout is so different, you might not do the same workout in a year - to constantly change and improve. You work in every single area of fitness," says Molly Suhadolnik, a certified CrossFit Level One trainer and director of group fitness at Gold's Gym. "Your body is constantly trying to get faster and stronger, so it doesn't have a chance to plateau."
Not only do workouts change on a daily basis, but the time spent in the gym differs each day.
"Some workouts last two minutes. Some take over an hour to do," Suhadolnik says.
She says she started CrossFit to learn first-hand what it is all about. She says she's stronger, leaner and fitter than ever.
Speaking scientifically, CrossFit "provokes neurologic and hormonal adaptations across all metabolic pathways," Glassman says.
Put another way, CrossFit is designed to confuse the muscles and metabolism to make your body build more muscle and burn more fat.
Gym members like it because it reduces the boredom associated with a routine workout or class. It has also turned into a sort of extreme sport for CrossFit enthusiasts who enjoy the motivation of tracking and scoring fitness levels.
Burgar has done CrossFit on his own but is thinking about making it a group activity to help keep his focus.
"I really believe if you have a group of people suffering through the CrossFit workouts with you, that a person would be more inclined to stick with it. ... you are competing against others but at the same time cheering them on to finish the workout."
"People's needs differ by degree, not kind," Glassman says. "Olympic athletes and our grandparents both need to fulfill their potentials for cardio-respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, speed, power, coordination, accuracy, balance and agility."
Local classes
The class CrossFit Methods is being taught at Gold's Gym. The gym is on its way to becoming a CrossFit Affiliate, which involves marketing classes under the official CrossFit name. Trainers specializing in CrossFit Methods are Molly Suhadolnik, Tim Hahn and Brian Chandler, who offer three classes:
CrossFit on your own
For most people, CrossFit is most easily done at a gym. For the dedicated and brave, free daily workouts are available online at www.crossfit.com.
A complete list of exercises and demonstrations are available on the site. Basic equipment to keep on hand includes a weight bar, squat stand, bumper plates, rings, pull-up bar, kettlebell, dumbbells and an AbMat abdominal trainer.
CrossFit for Kids
www.crossfit.com has a daily workout designed for children.
Safety
Nutrition
Getting fit involves changes to your diet as well as exercise. Here is some advice from the CrossFit Web site:
