CrossFit Endorsement: Part 2

So here's the follow-up to yesterday's treatise.

CrossFit is a brand name.  There are other programs that are similar.   And there are a lot of rally great personal trainers that are providing really great programs.

What I'm really talking about is High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT.  That's the basis for what I believe to be the most effective fitness programs available today.  And I also believe that it is the best way to pursue high levels of fitness that have come along in...well...ever.

Again, I digress:  My first college degree was in Physical Education.  My fall-back plan was to go on to graduate school and teach Phys Ed at the college level, if I didn't get into physical therapy school.  I was an athlete then and still consider myself an athlete, so I've always been a student of human performance.

Through luck, persistence, and the good graces of Department Director Ann Hightower, the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center admitted me to their program.  Because of that, my day job since 1977 has been in health care. 

All things related to fitness, exercise, and the pursuit of health through an active lifestyle have been a big part of my life and my career ever since.  That's what led me to open a fitness center, Cherokee Health & Fitness, in 2003. 

And one of the smartest things we ever did was to hire Steve Bright as our Fitness Manager.  Steve was the one that brought CrossFit to Cherokee Health & Fitness.

But back to what lies at the core of CrossFit, High Intensity Interval Training.  The problem is, HIIT just isn't sexy.  It isn't marketable.  So you've probably never heard of it.

HIIT programs not only work, but they fit today's lifestyles.  By their nature, they can be done in a much shorter period of time than what has been typical of the industry since fitness gyms started appearing in the 70's.  It isn't too farfetched to finish a program during your lunch hour, shower, and get back to work in time to grab a sandwich

Good HIIT programs emphasize core strength, body weight exercises, and exercises that demand involvement in multiple body parts.  An isolated biceps curl has no place in a HIIT program.  It's just too much of a waste of time.

Moving rapidly from one exercise to another, in the method commonly called circuit training, provides an effective cardiovascular workout while also providing good strength training. 

And just as there are good rehab clinics and bad rehab clinics, there are good gyms and bad gyms. 

A good gym insists on good, safe technique.  A good gym allows everyone to go at their own pace.  

In a good gym, you don't have a bunch of people standing around a solitary lifter screaming "one more rep!" or similar encouragement that inevitably leads to injuries.

A good gym provides balance, supervision, and a positive approach to their programs.  A good gym eschews dogma, acknowledging that all people are different.

Find that gym and you've found a home.