A new year is here. This means it’s time to conjure up some New Year’s resolutions. For many, these resolutions will center on getting fitter and healthier. If these goals are on your “to-do” list for 2017, there is a popular yet effective fitness regimen that will not only make you stronger both physically and mentally, but also help nurture a healthier lifestyle within a supportive community.

CrossFit, developed by American Greg Glassman in the late 1990s, has become a worldwide phenomenon. CrossFit incorporates varied, high-intensity functional movements intended to improve strength and conditioning. These movements feature aspects of gymnastics, weightlifting, rowing, running, and more. Glassman designed this regimen in a way that allows participants, or crossfitters, to track their progresses through reps, sets, time and one of such measures called AMRAP (as many rounds as possible).

As a registered trademark, CrossFit Inc now has more than 13,000 affiliated gyms across the globe. The number of licensed gyms in China has also been on the rise in recent years.

“Three and a half years ago, we were the second affiliated CrossFit gym in China,” said Murat Erbaytan, head coach of Reebok CrossFit MeWellness Gym in Shanghai. Erbaytan has also granted a series of CrossFit Trainer certifications. According to crossfit.com, the official website of the branded fitness regimen, China now boasts about 120 affiliated gyms, including 17 in Beijing and 12 in Shanghai.

Unlike some other fitness programs, CrossFit workouts are all based on movements many of us perform in daily life — for example, deadlifting movement which mimic lifting heavy boxes.

Beginners have to take a foundation class, where a certified coach teaches nine foundational movements, such as the air squat, shoulder press, push jerk, deadlift and medicine ball clean; as well as scaled-down versions of these movements tailored to individual mobility and fitness levels. The aim is to help new “trainees” understand the regimen, its concepts and, most importantly, how to workout safely.

Something for everyone

“CrossFit can be adaptable to every single individual, from athletes to elder people, even to kids,” explained Mauricio Reyes, head trainer of Style Fitness, which has a newly registered affiliate, CrossFit Duro, in Shanghai. Reyes has earned multiple certifications in strength and conditioning training and has over 10 years’ expertise in fitness.

In a typical CrossFit class, participants from novices to experts can do the same workout thanks to the scaled-down, or scaled-up, versions of each movement. CrossFit also has a course for kids between the ages of 3 and 18, which is intended to enhance their sporting performance by focusing on good movements and reducing sports injuries.

According to Erbaytan, it normally takes three to six months for people to wrap their minds around the ideas of CrossFit. Interestingly, along with achieving their fitness goals, many people fall in love with CrossFit in part because of the community the program fosters.

“CrossFit is about the community, brotherhood, and friendship,” said Reyes.

When it comes to the community, crossfit.com is a great place to meet crossfitters around the world. On this website, participants can post photos and videos of their workouts, and also share experiences and stories.

The website’s WOD (workout of the day) section is also quite popular. Many of these workouts though are aimed at experienced crossfitters. Coaches at local gyms can create workouts to match each member’s fitness level and help them turn their weaknesses into strengths.

White boards are widely used in CrossFit classes. “We log our results and everybody else’s to create a friendly competition, which is kind of giving you a purpose,” said Erbaytan. “The beauty of CrossFit is that you can track your scores and see yourself improve.”

CrossFit attracts participation from a variety of athletic disciplines. “Even professional Olympic weightlifters want to compete in the Crossfit Games,” remarked Reyes. These annual Games features three rounds, the Open, the Regionals and the Final. This year’s Open kicked off a week ago, and will last for five weeks. This round is open to anyone age 14 and above, and participants can take part at any affiliated gym in the world. Top athletes from the Open will then compete in the Regionals, happening in 17 locations around the world. Five athletes from each regional competition will go on to the Final, which is held in the US every year.

Of course, most crossfitters don’t work out for the Games. CrossFit is a fun and effective fitness program to build overall fitness. One concept that makes CrossFit so different from others regimes is that “CrossFit is to prepare for the unknown,” said Reyes, “Your fitness level and physical capacity may save your own life in a catastrophe, as well as others’.”

When you do CrossFit workouts, your focus is never only on strength and conditioning but mobility improvement as well. A class normally lasts 60 minutes, with 5 minutes of warm up, 10 to 15 minutes of mobility workout, 25-35 minutes of metabolic conditioning, and 5 minutes of cool down.

The workouts will pay off though be warned: they are tough and may sometimes push you to your limits. But in some CrossFit sessions, like Boot Camps, team workouts are deployed to help boost team spirit and ease workout loads for beginners.

Already interested? You can find an official CrossFit affiliate on crossfit.com. Affiliated gyms are officially licensed by CrossFit Inc and have at least one resident trainer with Level 1 certification on staff. Why not give it a try for yourself?

Notes

* CrossFit certifications

There are four stages: CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, Level 2 Trainer, Level 3 Trainer and Level 4 Coach.

* CrossFit glossary

For Time: the time it takes you to complete a prescribed workout. Similarly, Rounds for Time.

EMOM: every minute on the minute. You rest the remainder of the minute after you complete a prescribed task.

The Girls (Girl Name): a series of benchmark workouts named after girl names

E.g. Barbara: 20 pull-ups, 30 push-ups, 40 sit-ups and 50 squats for five rounds for time with 3 minutes’ rest between rounds.

Hero WODs: the workouts named after real military servicemen, law enforcement, or firefighters who have died in the line of duty as an extra challenge and reminder of their sacrifice.

E.g. Michael, 800-meter run, 50 back extensions, and 50 sit-ups for three rounds for time. (It was named after Michael McGreevy who was killed in Afghanistan in June 2005.)

WORKOUT Room

WODS by Mauricio Reyes

CrossFit Performance

Warm up: 400m jog

2 rounds:

10 muscle snatches

10 overhead squats

10 snatches (1 round PVC, 1 round bar)

WOD/A: EMOM 12 min.

6 deadlift @75-80% 1 rep max

WOD/B: 3 rounds for time

100m run

2 bar muscle ups

4 push presses

8 Burpees over bar

4 push presses

2 bar muscle ups

WOD/C: 6 rounds 30 seconds max effort

Push up hands release

CrossFit scaled-down

Warm up:

2 min. rope jump

10 single arm kettle bell swings L/R

10 lunges

10 Burpees

10 kettle bell swings

10 mountain climbers

WOD: for time

100 single skips (or 50 double unders)

50 wall balls

50 thrusters

50 lunges

50 Burpees

50 kettle bell swings

50 mountain climbers

1km run

WODs by Murat Erbaytan

CrossFit

Warm up: 3 min. row/bike/run

For each direction:

10-15 wrist circles

10 elbow circles

10 arm circles

10 arm rotations

10 tricep stretch side bends

10 torso rotations

10 walking lunge and twist L/R

10 side lunges L/R

5min workout specific movements

Athlete’s choice

3 dead lift+ 3 power clean +3 shoulder to overhead + 3 back squats + 3 behind the neck shoulder to overhead @ moderate weight

WOD/A: Build to heaviest bear complex in 15min

1 power clean

1 front squat

1 shoulder to overhead

1 back squat

1 b behind the neck shoulder to overhead

10min rest and set up

WOD/B: 15min AMRAP (alternating partners)

1 bear complex @ 185/130 (155/105) (135/95)

1 rope climb/3 chest to bar/3 strict pull-up/3 ring row @ 41 * 1

100m run

CrossFit Boot Camp

Anyone can participate in a CrossFit boot camp session without foundational classes as coaches will teach each movement and their scaled-down versions in class.

WOD/A

Team of 3

Max calorie row in 21min

Each participate row 1min + 1min wall walk/2 inchworm push-ups

5min rest

WOD/B: 15min AMRAP

20 double unders/40 singles

10 box jumps/box step-ups

15 kettlebell swings

WHERE to go

CROSSFIT Duro (by Style Fitness)

Address: B1, 1500 Huaihai Rd M.

Tel: 13585964549

MeWellness CrossFit

Address: Unit S2, 1F, 667 Changhua Rd (close to Anyuan Rd)

Tel: 6025-6838