Fit: Fine of the Cross

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ALLEN YEH thought he was a fine specimen of health a few years back. The then-personal trainer was in the Army Reserves and could bench-press with the best. So when a pal in the Marines told the Reston resident about a training program called CrossFit, he gave it a try just for kicks. "I read Muscle and Fitness and Flex," he said. "What could anybody teach me?"

As he soon found out, the answer was the explosive power and agility one can obtain from a blend of Olympic weight lifting, gymnastics, sprinting and a mishmash of other sports. CrossFit, developed by California trainer Greg Glassman in the mid-'90s, has risen to prominence, especially in military and elite athletic circles, for developing well-rounded (and more importantly, well-toned) bodies that can handle virtually any task.

It may sound like cross training, but that doesn't go far enough. "The concept of CrossFit is it's varied, if not random, functional exercises at high intensity," explained Tom Brose, who's led CrossFit DC (crossfitdc.com) since 2005.

At a recent session in Kalorama's Balance Gym, that meant his crew warmed up by practicing Olympic weight-lifting form with a length of PVC tubing. They hurled themselves into intervals at four stations: squatting and lifting dumbbells, burpees (push-ups alternating with jumps into a standing position), kettlebell swings (a kettlebell looks like a cannonball with a flat bottom and a handle) and raising knees to touch elbows while hanging from a pull-up bar. On other days, they might climb ropes, dangle from stationary rings, hop on rowing machines or try something even more unusual, like lifting kegs, the newest addition to Brose's equipment arsenal.

"You think you're in shape until you get here," said 26-year-old Aileen Ching, a Brose disciple since March who's already seen huge changes in her body composition. A physical therapist, she's been impressed with his focus on form — after all, with such a jumble of exercises used, few participants have experience doing everything.

That's one key reason to go to Brose in person, because anyone who wants to give CrossFit a chance can just click on crossfit.com. Every night, the workout of the day is listed for free, with directions such as 45 reps of a 225-pound dead lift and handstand push-ups, or three rounds of a 400-meter dash, 21 kettlebell swings and 12 pull-ups. Don't understand a move? There's video depicting how it should be done.

Gathering with Brose gives folks a chance to make sure they're sticking their butts out properly during squats, attempt even higher-intensity workouts, and use equipment most people don't have at home. Yeh bought a set of kettlebells, but even without them, it's possible to do the workout of the day with the substitutions listed on crossfit.com.

Although CrossFit lures in many already impressively muscled men and women, it's meant for anyone who wants to improve his or her ability to complete a strenuous task — lifting boxes for a move, dashing fast enough to catch the bus. Brose can modify the workout to accommodate weaker newbies.

Just be thankful everyone doesn't have to train for the same reasons as Yeh. "I have to prepare for running in the desert with 80 pounds of gear on," he said. "Lifting weights isn't going to help with that."

Photo by Mina Pahlevan for Express