Crossfit approach uses 'chaos' for effective workouts

Taking an exercise class can be daunting. All those glass windows with people just staring at you. The pain and embarrassment of puffing for air and sweating when everyone else looks fresh as a daisy. But there are benefits to dragging your exercise introvert into a public class instead of doing the same solo workout day after day.

"Your body adapts to things really quickly - you plateau because your body now knows what to expect," said Jim Inman, certified Crossfit trainer and owner of Elite Athletic Development in Arlington Heights.

And if plateauing is what you need to avoid, you might give Crossfit training, the conditioning program used by police academies and military personnel, a whirl.

"Crossfit is constantly mixing things up so the only thing your body is adapting to is chaos," Inman says.

The start of the Crossfit workout begins like any other workout with an alleged warm-up, such as light jogs and a couple short laps of lunges and leg kicks, before finishing with the crab walk.

After the warm-up and a quick swig of water, the real workout begins, which involves circuit counted points (how many times you did the activity at each station). For example, there are five stations where you spend a minute working out, with only a minute break in between. One station involves throwing a medicine ball against a wall while squatting. Others involve rowing, kettle ball, leaps into a wooden box and running.

The workout varies. Some circuits are done for points and some for time, some are for technique and some are for efficiency. Each day is different, only repeating every couple weeks or months.

"The other day, the workout consisted of either rowing 2,000 meters as hard and fast as you can or running a 5K," Inman says. "Each workout begins with a 15-minute warm-up, and the workout, depending on the routine, can be anywhere from two minutes to 20 minutes."

The idea of a dynamic warm-up is movement that helps generate body heat and the type of warm-up we do is dependent on the workout for that day. Inman also says you should stretch only after you start sweating.

"Crossfit began because people who needed functional fitness needed a very effective workout," Inman says. "Here at EAD, functional fitness is our goal so that people can be better at sports and daily living activities. Crossfit is a full-body workout in different proportions."

Even though Elite Athletic Development has been around for three years, the Crossfit class began in October when they moved next door to a bigger facility. Crossfit is a unique workout and not so intimidating with Inman explaining what to expect at each station.

"The randomness of Crossfit mimics the randomness of nature," Inman says. "It is the idea of being prepared for anything and the ability to bring the best of each thing. We want to improve performance, while preventing injury."

All ages and fitness levels are welcome at Elite Athletic Development.

"The only prerequisite is motivation and the willingness to work hard," Inman says.

If you're still shy about walking cold into a gym, you might check out the Crossfit Web site (crossfit.com) for daily workouts.

Elite Athletic Development

Facts: 12 W. College Drive, Unit B in Arlington Heights, (847) 394-8110, eliteathletic.com

Adult classes are available in Crossfit, Group Centergy (yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi merged into one class), as well as personal training. They also offer strength training for youth athletes and training for endurance athletes.

Cost: $185 a month (six-month commitment required) or a per-class cost of about $20.