GR8 Health: CrossFit invades Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – As 24-Hour News 8’s looks at ways to improve your health, for many, physical health tops the list.
But Indianapolis is repeatedly on the bottom of the list in terms of physical fitness.
This is all despite having one of the best gyms in the country.
“Who wouldn’t want to get stronger and faster?” rhetorically asked Jared Cantrell, the owner of CrossFit Infiltrate.
The gym is located on the downtown canal and was rated by Men’s Fitness Magazine as one of the best gym’s in the country.
CrossFit by definition is constantly varied, high-intensity functional movement.
“People ask me all the time, ‘Is CrossFit the best workout routine?’ And I have a pretty interesting answer: I say the best workout routine is the one that you will do,” said Cantrell.
Cantrell owns the gym with his wife.
He says in the end it all comes down to the basics: sitting, standing, pushing and pulling.
While there are elites, Cantrell says everyone starts somewhere.
“We can address people right where they’re at,” he said.
“I just finished my last physical therapy appointment, so it’s all up to him now,” said Jeff Sikes, a wounded Iraq War veteran.
Just a few months ago, Sikes was in a wheelchair. Back in 2010, he was hurt by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He then came down with rheumatoid arthritis.
Then he met Jared in a coffee shop.
“The Army, one of the first things they teach you is never give up. You never give up because you don’t know what the ending is going to be,” said Sikes.
Sikes was recently awarded the gym’s Athlete of the Quarter award.
“You always have a chance to better yourself no matter if it’s a little bit or a lot. Everyday is a chance for you to better yourself,” said Sikes.
“The body has an amazing ability to heal itself. The moment I stopped saying I can’t do something, was the moment that everything changed for the better,” said Cantrell.
Every CrossFit beginner has to go through a Baseline, or beginner workout.
It consists of a 500 meter row, 40 squats, 30 sit ups, 20 pushups, and 10 upright rows to finish.
Many finish the workout in about five minutes.
“It felt great, but it definitely tells me I’m out of shape,” said Cory Hemmings, who took the Baseline workout. “We know our base and hopefully it’s only up from here, because this seemed like a struggle.”
“We don’t lie to ourselves. We don’t say, ‘Oh, we’re going to pretend that this doesn’t hurt or that this isn’t going to be hard.’ And so when you actually address what you’re dealing with and then take a proactive and pragmatic approach to moving past that barrier, I mean it’s just incredible to see,” said Cantrell.
Calories burned aren’t counted, but they do encourage healthy eating habits.
The baseline workout is free.