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Some jokingly refer to it as a cult, while others think it’s just the latest fitness fad.
However, a small but growing number of KMC Soldiers, Airmen and civilians are turning to CrossFit at facilities on Landstuhl and Sembach as their answer to staying fit and healthy.
With its own lingo — that includes words such as functional, scalability and WODs, or workouts of the day — CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program that features high intensity workouts that can be tailored to anyone’s ability.
Developed in 2000 by Greg Glassman, the program is great all-around workout and is inclusive, said Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Bross, Company C, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, who is the new director of the Landstuhl CrossFit facility.
“You can make it as hard for elite athletes or simple for people like my wife who just had a baby,” Bross said.
One of the many benefits that CrossFit devotees like about the program is the functionality of the movements. Each of the nine core CrossFit movements mimic everyday life scenarios, said Master Sgt. Marcus McClain, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, unit liaison officer at LRMC.
“For example, we do squats, which we do every day from bending down to get groceries, playing with kids to going to the bathroom,” McClain said. “On the other hand, typically at the gym we do bicep curls. It makes your arms look good, but what does it do? We don’t really lift anything like that.”
Another benefit is its ability to be done with a minimal amount of equipment. When Lt. Col. James Walker, U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern provost marshal, was deployed to Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan, he had little gym equipment. He saw a group of Soldiers doing CrossFit daily, but was hesitant at first. Then, he tried it once and was hooked.
“I was sold after that,” Walker said. “It is all about the intensity you put into it. At 42, I don’t have the time to spend an hour and a half at the gym anymore.”
After returning from Afghanistan, Walker bought a few pieces of equipment and set up his own CrossFit home gym. He’s gotten his wife and young daughter participating as well.
“Bodywise, I may not be as large anymore, but I see tremendous benefits,” Walker said. “I have had no decrease in ability and am able to hang with these young kids.”
Another benefit, according to those who take part, is the CrossFit camaraderie.
After being injured in Afghanistan, McClain was sent to LRMC. The first thing he did was seek out a CrossFit gym.
“I knew that is where I would feel at home,” he said. “I wanted to be around people with similar attitudes and goals. It is a community. It’s not a way of working out, but a lifestyle. If you choose this, you are choosing to adapt to a healthy lifestyle. It is a challenge everyday just like life, but you have the support of others.”
Instead of plugging in headphones and tuning the world out while working out, CrossFit participants can be heard chatting and encouraging each other on as they work out, said Airman Rob Weybret. When not at the gym, he is talking to fellow CrossFitters and hanging out with them.
Recently, Weybret and two other members of the Landstuhl CrossFit facility attended a CrossFit invitational in Belgium and the Netherlands in October. All three local competitors made it to the finals, with Weybret finishing in eighth place overall.
While some jokingly call it a cult, others see CrossFit as a welcoming and inclusive community.
“If it is, it is a good type of cult,” Walker said. “It is all about striving to make yourself better. Working out in a community makes it a lot easier and a lot more fun.”
Both the Landstuhl and Sembach programs, called CrossFit Rage Cage, maintain Facebook pages. To find out more about the local CrossFit programs, visit http://landstuhlcrossfit.com.
