You. Can. Do. CrossFit. I'm hoping that with this post, I can help you to understand exactly what we do, why we do it, and how you can do it; no matter who you are. I would greatly appreciate a few minutes of your time if you have considered CrossFit, but maybe felt too intimidated or unsure to give it a whirl.

In CrossFit, we use functional movements. These are movements required by daily life. Squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, lunging, and more. Picking something up and putting it down. Reaching up overhead to grab something off of a high shelf. Squatting down to a toilet or to sit in a chair. Carrying a heavy object across a long distance.

Your body is designed for these movements. Our goal is to help you do them correctly, safely, and WELL in order to make you a more functional human. Training these movements leads to increased capacity in the ten general physical skills: strength, stamina, speed, power, coordination, agility, balance, flexibility, cardiorespiratory endurance, and accuracy. All of these movements, when performed with constant variation at a high intensity (relative to the individual), will lead to increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains across a lifetime. That is our definition of "health." You want to still own all of these movement patterns as you age. Fitness becomes less about how much you can lift or how fast you can do burpees; it's about staving off decrepitude.

All of our exercises and workouts are scalable to your needs as an individual. No matter what the whiteboard says, there is a version of the workout for YOU. Our coaches are trained to help you get a dose that is necessary for YOU. Again, YOU are the star of the show. We provide top level coaching, accountability, camaraderie, and COMMUNITY in our group classes to help make your fitness journey as fun, fulfilling, safe, and effective as possible.

You may watch the CrossFit Games on TV and assume that is what we do. At the affiliate level, it is far from the truth. We use an hour long class with a full warm-up, instruction on each exercise, the workout itself, and a cool-down period to deliver a broad and general fitness to prepare you for the rigors of daily life. Some members may have more performance-based goals, but the majority of us are working out with wellness in mind. Look good, feel good, and most importantly, HAVE FUN with fitness.

At Old 97 CrossFit, our doors are open to anyone. From couch potato to elite athlete, we can help you be the best version of yourself. Our members range from the age of teenagers to over 70 years old. We are regular working folks who have busy schedules and multiple commitments, but we want the most for our health and fitness.

It is easier to make assumptions about CrossFit than it is to go give it a try and see what it is all about. I urge you to do the latter.

The bottom line: You can do CrossFit. Let us prove this to you. We would be honored!

-Josh, Owner/CF-L3 Trainer at River City Fitness Center: Home of Old 97 CrossFit