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In my quest for all things active in the city, I came across a website for CrossFit Training. Naturally, it piqued my curiosity which lead to “let’s give this a try”. Here is my experience in a nutshell.

What is it:

“CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program built on constantly varied, if not randomized, functional movements executed at high intensity.” Coach Greg Glassman

The best way I can think of to explain in layman’s terms is its functional training. It gives you a little of everything you will need to try anything in life. Cardio, balance, stability, strength, power. The philosophy is not new, but it’s bringing back the concept of less complicated training but effective training. The majority of people are not specialized athletes or national level athletes and this environment does not focus exclusively on “one sport training” it empowers you to excel at all of them.

I personally checked out the location off Lakeshore on Logan Ave.

Owner: John Vivian

The first thing I thought when I saw him was, wow, this guy is so cool. Dressed in classic work out gear on top, he was sporting black and white striped socks and chucks. Awesome!

John is very approachable and very knowledgeable. I felt instantly comfortable meeting with him. He took a good chunk of time and explained the process and flow of his gym. His clients range from 20′s to 70′s in age and while I was there, a class of primarily women were just finishing up. It was highly motivating to see these ladies at work as they looked “fit” not over the top muscle bound and were lifting some very respectable weight.

John addressed my questions on issues of previous injuries, concerns and training styles with ease. You could see his passion for his work. After the talk, it was time to try it.

Environment:

John may kill me for saying this, but it really reminded me the old Gold’s Gyms without the excesses. Friendly, very hip and serious. You can tell the patrons are addicted to the environment. It definitely had a community feel to it and interesting ceiling art to look at when you’re doing sit-ups.

The workout:

John dropped me in 8 minutes. Seriously. And that was the warm up. It had a race feel to it as the clock on the wall counts down 10 seconds and away you go. Very unique. Very humbling.

500 meter row, 40 squats (done with proper technique), 30 sit ups, 20 push-ups and 10 pull ups.

It is about time in, but not hours in. You can get an effective work-out without spending hours in the gym.

The price plan is very reasonable.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience. I appreciated the time he gave me and Sean to try it all out. You can find more info about CrossFit at:

www.crossfitto.com

John’s studio is located at 32 Logan Ave, off Lakeshore. I highly recommend it!

N