1) What is CrossFit?
Constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity.
2) What the heck does that mean?
a) constantly varied- we do different workouts every day. Are you sick of going to the gym and doing chest and tris, running on the treadmill. Then back and bis, running on the treadmill. Shoulders and legs, running on the treadmill… STOP doing the same thing and expecting different results! Our workouts are FUN and DIFFERENT EVERYDAY
b) functional movements- these are real life movements. They are movements you see little kids do on playground. Running. Jumping. Squatting. Pullups. They are movements performed by soldiers in battle. Picking up a fallen comrade, carrying weight over your shoulder. Deadlifts. Lunges. They are movements you do everyday at work and at home. Pick up your kids. Carry groceries. Put away something on the top shelf. Push presses. Front squats.
These movements are SPORTS in themselves. Rowing. Olympic weighting (clean and jerk, snatch).
These movements require your whole body to work together. From core to extremity.
We do NOT do bicep curls. We do pullups. We do NOT do leg extensions. We do front squats. We do NOT do db lateral raises. We do push jerks.
The movements we do make you better at LIFE. They are physiologically the way your body is supposed to move. You will feel better. No more sore knees and aching backs!
c)High Intensity- Gone are the days of slogging through a hour and a half routine for 1 body part, followed by a 45 minute cardio session.
Our workouts are fast and furious. Rarely do we exceed 20 minutes. The intensity level we work at elicits a hormonal response in your body that will increase levels of testosterone and growth hormone. You will have more energy. You will improve your libido. You will feel better than you did when you were a 21 year old kid!
3) Ok, I understand, but WHY workout like that?
EXCUSE ME??? Didn’t you read the last paragraph? Who doesn’t want more energy? Who doesn’t want to feel better than they have in years? The results speak for themselves. Not only will you feel better, you will look better too. We are not just talking about weight loss. Sure you will lose weight, but we are talking about body transformation. Getting that lean, tone, sculpted look. Not only do we coach you in the gym, but we equip you with the knowledge to make sound nutrition decisions at home. We explain how your diet affect how you feel. We help you put together a plan to make eating for health a realistic goal.
4) But I thought marathon runners were in the best shape? I thought they were the “fittest” people in the world!
I hate to break it to you, but you thought wrong! In order for me to say this with confidence, I must first ask you: what is fitness? Can you define it? Can you measure it? What are you using to gage how fit someone is?
Fortunately, someone much smarter than me already defined fitness and outlined 10 areas that one must be proficient in to be fit. I think you would agree that someone who is grossly lacking in any of these 10 areas could not possibly be the “fittest person in the world”.
The Definition of Fitness: Increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains.
5) What the heck does that mean?
To put it simply, it means the ability to do more stuff, longer, harder, and better.
That could mean lifting a heavy log off of someones leg, digging a hole, or running 50 miles.
If I can lift a 500 pound log, I am more fit that someone that can only lift a 100 pound log.
If I can dig a hole for 45 minutes straight and the hole is 6 ft wide and 6 ft deep, then I am more fit that the person that can only dig a 2 ft wide by 2 ft deep hole in the same 45 minutes.
If I can run 50 miles, I am more fit that the person that can only run 3 miles.
These are broad time lines. Lifting a log takes 1 second. Digging takes 45 minutes. Running takes hours and hours.
6) Are you still with me?
Here are the 10 general physical skills one must be competent in to be considered fit.
Cardio endurance-body’s ability to process oxygen
Stamina- muscles ability to process glycogen (energy)
Strength- your muscles ability to apply force
Flexibility-ability to maximize range of motion at a joint
Speed-ability to minimize time cycle of a repeated movement
Power-ability of body to apply maximum force in minimum time
Coordination-ability to combine several distinct movements patterns into one movement
Agility-ability to minimize transition time from one movement pattern to another
Balance-control body center of gravity over its base
Accuracy-control movement in a given direction or at certain intensity
So at CrossFit Will County, our goal as coaches is to make sure you are NOT horrible at any of those 10 things. You will not be better than the specialist at any one of them. But you will be better at any other activity. For example: By doing crossfit workouts, you will never beat a marathon runner in a marathon. However, you will be able to lift more than him, you will have better flexibility. You will be better at sports, even sports you have never played because you will have better coordination and accuracy.
There is no other program that will more efficiently get you better at all 10 general fitness skills. Period.
7) How does Crossfit stack up against other fitness protocols?
I have already shown you that long distance running by itself is inferior, but what about Yoga. Those guys are in shape right?? Have your yoga teacher do 30 pushups. Have him deadlift 150 lbs. Exactly. He’s lacking strength, power and speed. He is better off than the runner, as he is probably proficient in 7 of the 10 categories, but not all 10. What about the bodybuilder at the gym? He’s strong and he runs on the treadmill, so he’s got cardio endurance. Is he fit? Ask Mr. Big Steroid muscles to touch his toes. Ask him to shoot a basketball. Ask him to help you shovel your driveway. Again, he may be better in half of the categories, but not close to true fitness. You are not improving your balance, coordination, accuracy or agility by doing bicep curls or any of those machines at the gym!
SO, what are you waiting for? Even if you don’t want to be a super athlete, EVERYONE wants to be able to live at home assistance free when they are 75, not in a nursing home! Take control of your life now. The older you get, the more decrepit you will become. The best way to reverse the process? Add strength training to your routine!
8) But isn’t this stuff too hard for me? I am way too out of shape to start!
NO! Crossfit is scalable to perfectly fit the needs of ANYONE. I don’t care if you are an Olympic wrestler or an 80 year old grandma. If you are a 400lb man or a mom that just had a baby. An MMA fighter or a guy that just ran a marathon.
IF you haven’t worked out in YEARS, then I would say, CrossFit Will County is the perfect place to start. You don’t have to think about what to do. You have professional coaches to help you reach your goals. At CFWC, we start all of our clients with 10 one-on-one personal training sessions or a small group “on ramp” class, which ever they prefer. This allows you to learn the movements required at your own pace. There is no pressure and you get individual attention. With Crossfit, you get the best of both worlds: The attention and expertise of a personal coach and the discipline and motivation of a community group atmosphere.
9) Crossfit just like the “bootcamp” class at my gym?
Hell No! This is not a “Boot Camp” where there are 25 people running around and one instructor that is not watching you or anyone else. Class size is limited, so you will always be under the watchful eye of a coach. Your safety is our number one concern.
Also, we do a lot of gymnastic and body weight movements, but we also teach movements that require a very high level of skill and concentration, such as the power clean and the snatch. We are not just mindlessly having you do pushups and lunges until you puke!
10) What are you clients like?
We have an amazing community of athletes ranging from professional MMA fighters and baseball players, to executives, to moms with young children, to teachers, to college students, to firefighters and police officers, to social workers, to nurses, to chiropractors, from college age to 50 and 60 years old.
You will feel welcome and you will become part of the group. I guarantee it!
11) What kind of results do people get?
Check out our testimonials link. But to give you an idea, if you are looking to lose weight, during our last 40 day challenge our members lost over a combined 70 lbs! in barely over a month!
If performance is your goal, we have had clients max squat over 400lb in less than 1 year of training with us.
If feeling better is your goal, we have had clients that couldn’t move their arm over their head, no restored to almost a complete range of motion. We have had clients that couldn’t squat down on a box without knee pain, doing sets of 25 squats, below parallel pain free.
If you are willing to work hard, you will get the results you are looking for. We guarantee it!