Getting fit the Crossfit way
Raj Moorthy caught up with CrossFit Ceylon Co-Founders Andy Andrews and Alexandria Senanayake to talk about the CrossFit culture
CrossFit Ceylon, a brand new CrossFit gym opened its doors last month in the heart of Colombo in Slave Island. The gym founded by four enthusiastic CrossFit Certified Coachers Andy Andrews (Head Coach), Alexandria Senanayake, Rakhil Hirdaramani and Dimitri Sheriff. The gym is equipped with Rogue Fitness, the official equipment supplier to the Global Reebok CrossFit Games.
Andy explains that CrossFit is a methodology of 10 recognized fitness domains; strength, power, speed, agility, accuracy, cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, flexibility, coordination and balance. All its programmes are designed and balanced including all ten domains in order to be fit. CrossFit in a nutshell we are told is balancing the 10 domains and while the rules may change the principles remain the same.
Andy also mentioned the teams hopes of setting up 10 -15 CrossFit gyms in Sri Lanka in the next few years with CrossFit Ceylon establishing its footprint here.
CrossFit was founded by ex-gymnast Greg Glassman from California in the US in 2000. He tested a few fitness techniques when he was young and later became a personal trainer. He trained his clients through the methodology that he had developed by testing gymnastics. Glassman defined what fitness is all about with language, methodology and protocol to broaden the base of fitness. Today US Navy, US fire squad train CrossFit and started implementing this programme.
On the training aspect Alexandria Senanayake elaborated that anyone who joins CrossFit Ceylon newly are tested with benchmark workouts. “From day one we train them through variance for six months and then their workout is retested. We see whether they have become faster, can lift heavier weights and if their movement has improved. Through measurable and observable data we determine whether they have become fitter or not. For anyone joining the gym with no experience or who have not stepped into a gym, we don’t test them to see whether they are