CrossFit isn't just for toned diehards longing to punish themselves to the point of collapse. Now kids and teens are getting into the act, with courses tailored for younger competitors springing up all around the globe.
CrossFit, the popular strength and conditioning program that combines weightlifting, gymnastics, running, and calisthenics, believes that anyone -- regardless of age, sex, or fitness -- can do the program, as long as it's appropriately modified.
"Our programs are developmentally appropriate for kids," says CrossFit Kids founder Jeff Martin. In 2004, he and his wife, Mikki, began teaching children in Ramona, California, and soon CrossFit founder Greg Glassman asked them to formally create CrossFit Kids. "Our preschool course, for example, is about 15 to 20 minutes long, and is fast-paced to keep them focused."
Martin told Relaxnews that the first European CrossFit Kids training course for CrossFit instructors will take place in Nuremberg in September. In the US, there are some 600 registered CrossFit Kids programs, while the UK has five. To find a registered Crossfit Kids program in your area, view this map: http://www.pininthemap.com/pp1c76ea37de87ab96e
For CrossFit teens, Martin says the courses typically run about 35 to 45 minutes, followed by a cool down and then a 20-minute study hall, where students work with a tutor on their most challenging subject. The rationale? Martin says exercise boosts brain power, especially in the moments following intense activity.
CrossFit Kids regimen typically includes kid-friendly fitness maneuvers dubbed Beck's Burpee, Crab Walk, Flying Squirrel, and Frog Stands, as well as complex weightlifting exericises known as power snatches for more advanced pupils, all with an eye toward building agility, strength, flexibility, and according to CrossFit devotees, character.
Coming up, the world's fittest compete are set to compete in the Reebok CrossFit Games, taking place July 13-15 in Carson, California. http://games.crossfit.com
