De-Mystifying CrossFit-Style Training

About ten years ago, fitness enthusiasts created a high intensity training program in order to reach even greater strength and endurance goals and named it CrossFit. Over the last two years, this training method has been added to more than 6,000 facilities across the country. ESPN now covers the annual national competition.

Media representation has created a popular perception of CrossFit practitioners. They are typically men, 20 to 35 years old, in extraordinary physical condition, with ripped abs and bulging biceps. “That perception couldn’t be farther from the truth,” explains Pearce Community and Fitness Center program manager and personal trainer Liz Thorp. “In fact, it’s harmful because it scares away people who could really improve the quality of their life. This style of training is customized to each person’s unique fitness and ability level. We have all shapes and sizes of 16 to 67-year-old men and women in our classes.”

CrossFit-style training does not contain a set of super-secret exercises that only elite athletes can perform. It is functional training—training that improves your ability to complete everyday tasks—but the objective is to build intensity with the help of an individualized training plan, the one-on-one attention of a personal trainer, and the encouragement and support of other class members who are also pushing themselves as hard as they can.

“Our class size allows us to offer an average ratio of four students to one trainer, providing the focus and personalization of a personal trainer as well as the encouragement of your comrades,” explains Gavin Sullivan, sports and league manager and personal trainer at Pearce. “Each day we develop our workout of the day. It’s the first thing my students want to see when they arrive for class.” Some workouts are cardio-focused, while others are focused on strength. Each one includes weight lifting, whether it’s equipment or body weight exercises like lifting yourself during pushups and sit-ups. “It’s the load, intensity and duration of the weight lifting that determines if the exercise is strength or cardio focused.” Rowing and biking are part of the training as well as running both inside on the track and outside weather permitting.

CrossFit-style training at Pearce is led by Sullivan and Sean Gillen. Both are certified personal trainers, and both earned bachelor degrees: Sullivan in sports management and Gillen in exercise science.

 

Pearce remodeled the free weight room about a year ago to facilitate this specialized training style. The remodel created more open space to facilitate the camaraderie between participants, a trademark of this training style. It also brought new multi-functional equipment to reduce the space required to accommodate many pieces of equipment for each type of training. 

The 70,000-square-foot Pearce Community and Fitness Center offers an indoor swimming pool and a wide variety of group exercise programs including Zumba®, Spinning® and Silver Sneakers®. Pearce also offers two gymnasiums, an indoor walking track and one of the area’s largest weight rooms. Before and after school programs, day and summer camps, and soccer, basketball and volleyball youth leagues for kids are also available.

Pearce Community and Fitness Center is located at 610 West Cedar Street in Chillicothe. For more information, visit www.pearcecc.com or call (309) 274-4209.