The Crossfit Experience

Rigorous and effective, CrossFit is the new buzz word about town. Trishann Henriques takes a closer look at this new fitness form

The international CrossFit franchise exists in India under the name CrossFitOM and has two boxes located in Mumbai at Juhu and Colaba

Shivoham, founder of CrossFitOM in Mumbai “CrossFit includes movements that are borrowed from three different sports i.e. gymnastics, weight lifting and cardio.”

The effort to look good doesn’t just stop at being impeccably dressed and prepped; it also includes a disciplined fitness regimen. After all, it is the amalgam of both these factors that lead to a sound body and mind. In the wake of this, undertaking a form of exercise to keep healthy has almost become mandatory. One among the slew of exercises that exist today is CrossFit. Popularised in India by Shivoham, CrossFit is probably one of the most strenuous and fruit-bearing exercises that exist.

WHAT IS CROSSFIT?
Pioneered by Coach Greg Glassman in the 1900s in the United States of America, CrossFit includes a series of exercises that rely heavily on the building of strength, power, speed, stamina, coordination, agility, flexibility, balance and accuracy. CrossFit, more importantly, is used by the military, the police and other defence forces in foreign countries due to its hardcore dynamic. The stringent nature of this exercise is the reason why it has gained momentum across the world and even in India.
CrossFit aims at building on a person’s physical strength through extensive calibre exercises that are like no other fitness form. The workout regiment varies from one day to the next in terms of intensity and the amount of repetitions performed. However, what makes all the difference is the amount of time each one of these exercises are performed for, or how fast the repetitions are done in a stipulated time period.

THE CROSSFIT DIFFERENCE
There is a reason why we believe CrossFit is like no other form of exercise. While most exercises harbour on the fact that they are tailored as per the needs of a particular person, CrossFit is completely different. At a CrossFit gym, ‘one’ workout session is created for everyone from grandmothers to marines and even 5-year-old kids. So, irrespective of a person’s age, the same workout will have to be followed. The sole change is with regards to the number of repetitions to be carried out.
At a CrossFit gym, there is also a greater sense of community and belongingness. Since each session is performed in a group, every individual is well acquainted with the other. Words of encouragement – and sometimes criticisms – are thrown around all the time, making workout sessions more rewarding. The principle behind CrossFit is to prepare a person’s body for, literally, anything. This is one of the reasons why it is so vigorously brutal. At a CrossFit gym, be ready to sweat it out to high-energy exercises as the more the physical stress a body is put under, the stronger it gets with time.

THE ADVANTAGES
For starters, CrossFit prepares your body for the worse. Meaning, once your body has habituated itself to this hardcore exercise, performing them on a regular basis becomes a cakewalk. So, after a period of time, the physical strain becomes second nature permitting concentration on body building. One of the biggest benefits of CrossFit is that you can get the maximum benefit in the shortest possible time.
With no bar on age, CrossFit can be performed by everyone with equal vigour. In fact, the earlier a person is inducted, the better the results. Since the exercises or the Work Out of the Day (WOD) change on an everyday basis, there is a perpetual sense of excitement toward learning and experiencing something new each day. “Fitness is what CrossFit focuses on, but its benefits include weight loss, muscle gain and an amazing healthy lifestyle”, says Shivoham the founder of CrossFitOM in India.