Updated Jun 18, 2008 - 5:49 pm
Hardcore athletes drop the gym for Crossfit
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710 KIRO Reporter
Listen to this reportAn underground ultra fitness movement is catching on in Seattle.
This exercise routine isn't like anything you've ever seen with people moving around rocks and tires. The training is in a warehouse. It barely even looks like a gym. There is no nautilus, elliptical machines, even treadmills, and that's exactly the point.
"The concept with machines is that they're going to keep us safe by constraining our movement, protecting us from imbalances, or uncontrolled movements. That's exactly the drawback." Dave Werner, founder of Crossfit Seattle, prefers a more natural way of working out.
"Sand bags, medicine balls, body weight, gymnastics mats, pull up bars, jump ropes, rope, old tires to drag. The tool isn't really important, what's important is the move movement," says Werner.
The movement seems to attract military types or firefighters. One woman in her 50s has muscles you only see in fitness magazines. One man bench presses 300 pounds. Clearly this isn't for everyone.
"These are people who have tended to be successful in some way in life, not necessarily wealthy, but successful at whatever it is that they've chosen to do. What I think is going on is they're folks that understand that it takes hard work to get results," says Werner.
He says recruitment is his biggest challenge, but it hasn't stopped the movement from growing. There are 150 members so far.
"I've gone from a size 6 to 2." Marlena Evans was an athlete in college and her specialty was swimming the mile. Last year she joined Crossfit after being plagues by injuries. "I have a stress fracture in my pelvis and bursitis in my hip," says Evans.
It's hard to think people don't get injured doing this routine, but Dave swears by it. "Isolation movements or movements that you'd only see in a gym or rehab setting really don't have a place when you're just trying to be fit."
Dave is a former Navy SEAL, but says his fitness dropped at one point. He gained weight, had back problems and could only walk with a cane. Now Dave, 47, competes against 20-year-old Navy SEALs. "I can't do this every day, but on certain occasions I can throw down with these young guys and beat them at these workouts. I've regained a lot of function and a lot of ability."
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