BETTER. EVERY. DAY.
From time to time I like to step out of my comfort zone to see how I cope with a more intense speed than my usual Yoga Practice. Vinyasa Flow can be challenging but working with heavy iron and more than your bodyweight is a different story, as we can all agree, and it‘s definetely not mere Wellness. If you want to improve your overall Fitness including strong, sweaty workouts then you might want to try Crossfit if you haven‘t tried it yet.
The Crossfit Scene in Berlin has grown from just one Box (a BOX is a weightlifting gym including barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, gymnastic rings, medballs and cages but generally no machines) to about 12 Crossfit Boxes in every part of the city. If you‘re interested in training in Kreuzberg, then Spree Crossfit is your go-to address, with the benefit of having your own yummy paleo bistro Eat Performance to reload after the WODs, which is the Workout Of the Day. It‘s right around the corner of Moritzplatz, easy to reach by U8 and on sundays you can join the Cross Yoga class (Yoga for Crossfitaz) which I have initiated 2 years ago.
I‘ve talked to Head Coach Fritza after one hour of intense Skill and Strength Training and a WOD, which was, lucky for me, done after nine and a half minutes. My shirt was sticky, my face was red, those Box Jumps were instantly noticeable in my legs and I was reminded again, probably for the rest of my life, how much I despise Burpees at the end of a workout.
Hi, please introduce yourself to our readers:
Hi I‘m Fritza, I‘ve been working at Spree Crossfit since our opening of the Box in January 2013.
So, let‘s start with THE question of all questions: What is Crossfit?
It‘s a Core, Strength and Conditioning program created by Gymastics Coach Greg Lesmen about 15 years ago. He started increasing all aspects of Fitness of his athletes, including Olympic Weightlifting, Gymnastics and Metabolic Conditioning thus founding Crossfit. Looking for ways to move up from just wellness or being good at your favourite disciplines towards the ultimate allround athlete, these 10 Fitness Skills were his guidelines for overall health and overall Fitness:
Strength
Cardio Vascular Endurance
Power
Flexibility
Accuracy
Balance
Stamina
Speed
Agility
Coordination
This means, that Crossfit is more than just a daily WOD. I think this is the biggest widespread misunderstanding. It‘s not about beating yourself up until you puke, but creating a foundation of strength and flexibility which opens up a whole new world of skills to learn, if you‘ve never been a professional athlete. What do you think is a good amount of workouts per week for a Beginner?
Well, basically it‘s pretty simple: Since you want to improve on so many levels that 1-2 classes per week might not be enough to remember all of the cues and techniques until the week after. Which means, that in the beginning it‘s important to join the workouts about 3-5 times per week. If you feel like this is too hard on your body and you feel fatigued, then you can always scale the weight or the repetitions. This is important in Crossfit and especially in our box, which really means every one, Beginner or Pro can join the WODs. If the WOD is an AMRAP (As Many Repetitions As Possible) then it‘s up to you how hard and how fast you want to train. As long as you can leave your Ego at the door, and pay attention to what the Coaches think is the best for you, even Beginners can train 3-4 times per week.
Most Beginners probably fear training in a class with Pros because they might not be able to move as efficient or as fast?
They should‘nt feel bad about themselves, that‘s not the point. Trying to copy the Pro by adding more weight than is useful to you might only lead to injury. The Competitiveness in Crossfit is not meant as body-shaming anyone, but more to encourage to be better, every day.
What are the benefits of a Crossfit Box compared to a normal Fitness Studio?
In a normal Fitness studio there is almost no one to look after you, no Coaches or trainers checking on you, there might be less progress or even the risk of injury. At Spree Crossfit we only have 12 participants per class. Most of the students have been training for a while, they already know what to do, so the Coaches can really support the Rookies.
Any tips for SoMuchMore members if they want to start Crossfit?
I‘d recommend cheching our timetable and not only trying a WOD occasionally but intensifying your knowledge and the movement patterns in our Special Classes: Basic Strength, Gymastics or the Olympic Weightlifting Class, which only focuses on proper technique in Deadlifts, Presses or Squats.
Do you think Yoga is a great way to work on mobility issues?
Yoga is a perfect addition to Crossfit because we are trying to work as functional as possible, meaning we‘re squatting really deep because it‘s better for the joints. So increasing mobility with Yoga is great when it comes to hip mobility or thoracic spine mobility.
If you‘re interested in joining a class with your So Much More Card, then check in through the Spree Crossfit website:
or watch their Trailer:
Namacray,
J
