CrossFit strives to be a gym for everyone
What do a marathon runner who can't do a pull up and a weight lifter who can bench 800 pounds but gets tired walking up the stairs have in common? Neither of them are "physically fit," according to Daniel Bove.
Daniel Bove is a senior at Penn State majoring in Kinesiology. After injuring his neck while wrestling in 2009, Bove was on the hunt for an equally intense workout regimen that would tend to his aggressive and competitive instincts. It wasn’t until 2011 that he stumbled upon CrossFit and instantly fell in love. During the spring of 2012, Bove sought to further his involvement with CrossFit and not only became a certified instructor, but an intern at the local State College branch, CrossFit LionHeart. Through his internship with CrossFit, Bove has refined his passion for personal training and has decided to pursue a career in strength and weight training. After he graduates in May, he plans to continue teaching classes at CrossFit LionHeart.
Cross Fit is a strength and conditioning sy
stem that is built on constantly varied functional movements that are executed with highintensity. Founded in 2000 by Greg Glassman, there are now approximately 3,400 CrossFit-affiliated gyms worldwide. CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide.
The gym prides itself on being broad, general and inclusive, saying, “our specialty is not specializing.” CrossFit claims that the needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree not kind, saying, “our terrorist hunters, skiers, mountain bike riders and housewives have found their best fitness from the same regimen.”
CrossFitters believe in three definitions of fitness. The first definition of fitness recognizes ten general physical attributes that comprise being fit. These attributes are: cardiorespiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy. CrossFit proposes that you are only as fit as you are competent in each of those attributes. Their second model proposes that if someone is fit, they have an ability to perform well at virtually any task, even unfamiliar or unknown tasks, or tasks in infinite combinations. CrossFit’s third definition of fitness recognizes that there are three main engines that fuel all human activity. These engines are the phosphagen system, glycolytic system, and aerobic system. The phosphagen system fuels high power activities, the glycolytic system supplies moderate power activities, and the aerobic system supplies low power activities. The fitness that CrossFit seeks and delivers requires training and competency in all three of these engines and pathways.
The State College location, CrossFit LionHeart, was founded in 2011 and now has over 80 members.
Healthy Eating
Daniel Bove explains two popular CrossFit diets: the paleo diet and the zone diet.
