Help in battling the bulge: Trident Crossfit

My historical approach to exercise can best be described as intermittent.  Particularly now that I’m starting to encounter the nagging injuries that come with the crappy little gift basket that is turning 40.  So anything that makes getting a workout easier and faster is welcome.  Working with a personal trainer (in my case Chad Cirri) helped a bunch.  But with that as my main thing, I found it became the only thing, and was again pretty sporadic given a) the challenge of scheduling in the very popular early morning window for working stiffs like me and b) my a la carte, generally sucky approach to workouts in between trainer sessions.  What I needed was a way to mix in something more flexible but consistent with the good return I get from personal training.

Enter Crossfit, at new local gym Trident Crossfit right on Rt 1.  There’s a ton of info online about the Crossfit discipline overall so I won’t repeat that here.  But here’s a quick hitter on why I’m liking Crossfit at Trident so much after getting started this past month.

• Easy to use format – Everything about Crossfit at Trident is so nicely stripped down to the essentials.  From the membership plans, to the workouts, to the warehouse space.  What you need, not more, not less.  Take the class approach.  Group classes (usually about 6-8 plus instructor) are the only thing offered.  They hold them throughout the day at prescribed times.  You just show up at a time you like and have at it, no sign ups, scheduling fuss, etc.

• Fast, killer workout -  In 45 minutes you get a killer workout (both strength and cardio) without all the fuss/overhead of charts, machine settings, etc. that I used to hate about the typical gym approach.

• Core strength/form emphasis –  I learn something about my body and posture every time I take a class.  The instructors are very focused on form, safety and proper technique for strengthening the whole you, not just your most visible parts.

• Welcoming for all – No question you work hard in a Trident session but the workouts are easily modified to your situation.  With the net result that a relative schlub like me and a total fitness beast can (and regularly do) participate in the same class, over the same time period, doing same/similar exercises and both get a great workout.

• Great vibe – When I first read about Crossfit generally, I was a little concerned it was only for the hard core with little patience for the hopeful meddler. If anything I’ve found the opposite at Trident (despite the sort of scary photos on their web site).  Folks (classmates and instructors, vets and newbies) are friendly, quick with a tip or encouragement, and full of enthusiasm for this approach to exercise whether you’re just getting going or look like an Olympic swimmer already.

I’ve now taken 4-5 classes and am arriving at what I think will be a pretty good fitness mix that I can do a better job sustaining – couple Trident classes a week on their super flexible schedule, plus 2-4 personal training sessions a month where I can get a little more specific input on my progress, injury management, etc. without breaking the bank.

Whatever your mix, if you’re interested in trying something new, just show up for a class at Trident and see how you like it.  First one’s free.  All of the instructors I’ve had have been great, including Andrea the co-owner who’s a total motivator and my guy Chad who’s also an instructor there in addition to his personal training practice.