BYLARA MCGLASHAN-VOLZ
PHOTOGRAPHYPAUL BUCETA
MODELFATIMA LEITE KUSCHsays Symonds. “Think of a short
MMAmatch–therearethree
3-minute rounds, and in each
round you come out fighting hard.”YOUR
COMFORT
ZONE
The thrill of competition and total-body
results will have you hooked on CrossFit.UP UNTIL A FEW YEARS
AGO, CROSSFIT WAS
THE FITNESS WORLD’S
WIZARD OF OZ. It
lurked behind a curtain
ofsecrecy,withasmoke
screen of legendary
promises billowing from
beneath its skirt – prom-
isesnotofbrainsanda
speedy way home, but of
a stronger, more efficient
body. But the curtain is
lifting: CrossFit is slowly
finding its way into pop
culture via celebrity
endorsements, inter-
national competitions
and lucrative deals with
sports apparel conglomer-
ates. Only one question
remains: is CrossFit des-
tined to be the measure of
how we look at exercise?
BACK TO BASICS
Truthfully, CrossFit loca-
tions (or “boxes,” as they
are commonly called)
aren’t much to look
at – bare and basic with
no fancy machines or
gadgets – but it’s what
happens inside these no-
nonsense centers that
makes CrossFit so addic-
tive. CrossFit subscribes to
the “less is more” theory
of training, sticking to ele-
mentary, high-intensity
functional movements
that deliver powerful,
awe-inspiring results.“The whole idea is to
get good at all the facets
of fitness,” explains Jordan
Symonds, co-owner of
Reebok CrossFit Liberty
VillageinToronto,
Canada. “These include
strength, power, speed,
flexibility, stamina,
cardio endurance, agility,
accuracy, coordination
and balance” – think
snatches, power cleans,
pull-ups, squat-presses,
gymnastics, and any other
high-intensity total-body
activity you can imagine.“ I designed this
workout with
a fight in mind,”
138 | JULY/AUG 2015 | oxygenmag.com.au
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