Exercise is no more a routine

POORVA TAMHANE explores the idea of Crossfit or mixing of many training techniques to strengthen the body instead of just one scheduled gym

In a world driven by fast foods and hectic lifestyles, Crossfit might just be the answer to your stressridden day. This new fitness trend is fast becoming a personal favourite to many celebs like Deepika Padukone, Kangana Ranaut, Jacqueline Fernandes, Nimrat Kaur, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty. It is very different from body building and a lot more exciting than your routine workout. Maybe you’ve been thinking about trying it, maybe you’ve judged it or maybe you’ve never heard of it. Regardless, this new fitness fad has people from all walks life and all ages making it a part of their lives.

For the uninitiated, Crossfit is a kind of strength and endurance training which has a variety of exercises – you could be squatting or using kettle bells one day and climbing a rope and doing sprinting circuits the next. The idea of Crossfit is to rid your body of the feeling of being complacent and routine.

Keep the bore out

Crossfit workouts are based on functional movements which reflect best aspects of activities like rowing, gymnastics, weightlifting, running and more. Think of it as the basic or core movements of life. The reason Crossfit has caught on fast is because you no longer need to spend hours at the gym, a 45minute Crossfit workout can be as strenuous and fat burning as your routine workout as it focuses on intensity. Avoiding routine and striving to always challenge your body in new ways is the key to an effective Crossfit workout.

Crossfit includes all kinds of squats, burpees, push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, sit-ups, deadlifts, box-jumps and also makes use of medicine balls, wall balls, ropes, kettlebells, dumb bells and much more. It is catered to make your workouts new and interesting and will eliminate boredom from your vocabulary!

Get fitter and healthier

“Crossfit helps people become more able-bodied and healthier human beings. It encourages health at every stage of life. From children to the elderly, the idea is to cultivate a sort of functional fitness that enables a person to be fit even at the age of 70-80 years,” says Neha Agarwalla of 303 Crossfit Drive in Mumbai which has over a hundred active members

since the past one year that they’ve opened up. What makes Crossfit appealing to members and confusing to outsiders is that it’s more than a workout – it is a sort of cultural identity. Crossfit doesn’t just transform bodies, it changes the way one thinks of them. It is a lifestyle. Fitness guru, Ashutosh Bhosle of Crossfit Blackfire gym located at Andheri says, “Crossfit is fast becoming the new fitness regime. It is more enjoyable than a normal workout and helps one with weight loss and building up one’s stamina. Crossfit workouts bring people closer and the members of my gym are more like a close knit community that help each other out. We also socialise outside the gym and even go to watch movies together. It is a supportive and fun community.”

Options galore

There are also some outlandish and exciting Crossfit programmes like the ones offered by Crossfit My Den which offer a personal challenge checklist for personality development or also a special tone up before your wedding. Such institutes also cater to train professional athletes with a personalised programme.

“An important and attractive aspect of Crossfit is that the chances of potential overuse injuries which occur with workouts like running are highly reduced due to the varied nature of Crossfit. It works on different muscle groups all in one workout which makes it easier to burn fat,” says Shivoham, celebrity trainer, who is also the founder of India’s first Crossfit boxes and owner of recently launched Smaaash Shivfit. So, if you like new challenges, but are tired of routine workouts then this training may be your next dare.