Crossfit offers military-style workout
High-intensity program gaining enthusiasts outside military and police training
It’s a windy Tuesday afternoon and Crossfit trainer, Ed Martin seems pleased with the turnout for his noon training session. He smiles as he watches the group of six start their warm-up — 10 minutes of laps around the gym that include skipping, crawling, sprinting and jogging.
“This is going to be a tough workout,” he says. “Most of these guys are coming back from Christmas vacation where they ate a ton and didn’t do much exercise. So they are going to feel it today.”
Despite the chill outside, things at the Crossfit Aurora gym on Argyll Road are starting to heat up. And the group of Crossfitters are starting to sweat.
The south-side gym is just one of a number of workout facilities in Edmonton offering the unique combination of strength, endurance and fitness training known around the world as Crossfit. Originally tested at the Edmonton Garrison for military workouts, Crossfit is used by police academies, tactical operation teams, military special operations units and professional athletes among others to develop strength and improve overall fitness.
Launched in 2000 in the United States by founder and training guru Greg Glassman, Crossfit combines weightlifting, body weight exercises and cardiovascular exercises into a high-intensity workout hammered out in a short time. And as the Crossfit craze grows and affiliate gyms continue to pop up around the province and the country, it becomes obvious that Crossfit is much more than a just workout — it’s a lifestyle.
Martin, who tried Crossfit for the first time three years ago, explains the workout can be unforgiving.
“It kicked my butt the first time I tried it. I was sore for a week — I couldn’t walk.”
Today he’s not only a fan of the regime, but a certified trainer dedicated to improving the strength and lives of the Crossfitters at Crossfit Aurora.
“When you get a person who has never been an athlete and they come in and work hard, (you can tell) it really boosts their confidence.”
Crossfit Aurora owner Brett Gamble says he has seen all shapes and sizes come into his gym looking for an alternative to pounding the tread-
There is nothing really different about Crossfit that a rugby or soccer team wouldn’t be following. It is just a blend of movements. Brett Gamble, owner of Crossfit Aurora
mill and pumping iron for hours on end without seeing any noticeable progress.
“My whole philosophy is to help people help themselves. The method and the amount of information behind Crossfit is substantial,” explains the 44-year old Gamble. “It is based on good body mechanics and good foundations for fitness.”
The three fundamentals of CrossFit are simple: constant variation of functional movements performed at high intensity. So by switching up the workout each day (Workout of the Day or WOD) and integrating moves that are used in everyday life at varying levels, depending on the participant’s fitness, anyone can reap the benefits that Crossfit has to offer.
“There is nothing really different about Crossfit that a rugby or soccer team wouldn’t be following. It is just a blend of movements,” Gamble says.
At Aurora Crossfit, participants range in age from 11 to 60 and come from diverse backgrounds. From stu- dents and chartered accountants to oil workers and stay-at-home moms, Gamble assures that Crossfit is for everyone.
Nabil Fallah, for instance, is a former skeptic who is now a Crossfit devotee.
“My first day, I did probably 15 per cent of the workout. I packed it in and said, ‘This is not for me,’ ” Fallah recalled following his Tuesday afternoon workout, sweat still dripping from his forehead. “But then I went home and I thought about it and I (decided): ‘Give it another try.’ And that’s what I did.”
The 40-year-old father of two said his biggest motivators to get in shape were his two daughters and the ability to enjoy time with them as they grow up. After one year of Crossfit, Fallah is down 10 pounds and continuing to improve his strength.
“As far as cardio, (before) I wouldn’t have been able to run a kilometre without dropping to the ground and trying to catch my breath. Now I can run 5 K, 10 K no problem. As far as pull-ups I couldn’t do one or two and now I can do 20 without a break.”
Gamble agrees that Crossfit might not seem to be the perfect choice of workout for everyone right away. “You need to do about 10 to 20 Crossfit sessions before you start drinking the Kool-aid.”
But he’s quick to say Crossfit shouldn’t be written off by skeptics as a cult. The workouts, he explains, are designed to inspire more than basic strength and fitness.
Crossfit is meant to promote all-around health, relieve mental stress and develop participants’ confidence. Gamble refers to this as “building the human capacity” and considers it one of his top priorities as a Crossfit trainer.
As the clock strikes 1 p.m. and the Crossfitters begin their cool-down, Martin is still beaming from ear to ear. He points to the clock and says, “See? Not even an hour.”
Despite the blushed cheeks and sweat-stained shirts, it is hard not to miss the grins stretched across each of his trainees’ faces. Another day and another workout completed.