 "Ajay Bijli attempts the ‘tyre flip’ under the supervision of his personal trainer, Alex Pattrick")
The gym coming up near Defence Colony in south Delhi is bare of machines. But for a 25-pound rod, two kettlebells and a pair of gymnastic rings hanging from the overhead rods, the place is, until now, basic and functional - ideal for CrossFit, a high-intensity training that's gaining popularity among those keen on building strength, cardiovascular endurance and agility. Here's a form of exercise that's not dependent on machines or demands a special space. This is something you can do anytime, anyplace - even in a park or a small hotel room. I am here to give it a shot.
As Kamal Chhikara, the instructor at the gym, called Reebok CrossFit Robust, gets down to explaining and demonstrating some of the exercises, it all looks deceptively easy. But it takes a trial to truly understand and appreciate the range and intensity of CrossFit. An hour-long session typically includes four stages: warm-up, a skill development segment to strategise the 'workout of the day' (WOD), followed by an intense WOD and finally, the 'after-bash' (or the cooling period). But this is where the pattern ends because every new day brings a new combination of routines that draw from several source - gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, strongman exercises, powerlifting and even from mundane tasks such as picking up buckets or suitcases.
After the warm-up, Chhikara takes me through the skill-building session, which is the most critical aspect of CrossFit. This is where you are taught the technique of the workout. Get it wrong and be prepared for injuries.
After the air-squats and pushups against the yoga wall, we go for pull-ups using the gymnastic rings. This isn't about standing at a spot and hoisting yourself up, the way you would do with a bar. It's about reclining several inches above the ground while holding the gymnastic rings and then bringing your chest up to the level of the rings, using the strength of your arms, with your stomach sucked in, chest pulled out and hips tightened. Technique and strength take centre-stage. Next comes the 'Farmer's Walk' using kettlebells. Again it is about how you lift the weight, how you walk with it, and how you finally drop it to the floor - "just the way a farmer does, for whom it is second nature," says Chhikara. "Bend right, use the strength of your thighs and legs and not your back. Remember, your back and core (stomach) are meant for support, not for lifting weight."
By now, the muscles of the arms, legs and stomach are beginning to feel the strain. And a realisation has dawned: these are all functional, primal movements that we have seen and experienced in our childhood but have lost touch with. Like lunging to catch a ball, jumping on a box or a table, or crawling, the way a child would, throwing his hands forward, as far as he can reach, his flexible spine in an easy curve. Each of these is found in CrossFit, which, in a way, reconnects us with a cross-section of forgotten movements, and in doing so, exercises the body as a whole without demarcating it into shoulder muscle, biceps, triceps, abs or thighs.
The actual workout is a timed combination of the exercises you have done in the skill-building stage. This combination is repeated over a few sets - 15 air-squats, 10 pushups, five pull-ups on the gymnastic rings, farmer's walk and then back to 10 air-squats, 10 pushups and so on. It's at this stage that the intensity of CrossFit hits me with full force. "Because every workout of the day is different, Crossfit gets very interesting and challenging with each passing day. You can keep trying to better your intensity level and your time," says CrossFit enthusiast Jennifer A Llamas Smith, a Guatemalan graphic designer interning in Delhi.
During the workout stage, however, beginners particularly tend to use shortcuts for the technique, at the risk of causing injury to themselves. "That's the reason why CrossFit should ideally be done at an individual level with a person trainer, and not in a group," says Alex Pattrick, a personal trainer from London who is overseeing the regime for Ajay Bijli, chairman and managing director of PVR. A good trainer, however, will be able to spot an individual's strength, capacity, potential and skill even in a group. In Chhikara's class, for example, people are not promoted from the 'foundation' course to a 'regular' class unless they get the technique and their attitude towards CrossFit right. Vihaan Gulati, a 23-year-old public relations professional, vouches for that. He has been at Chhikara's gym, which earlier operated out of Vasant Kunj, for almost a year but is still in the foundation course. "Even getting a squat right can take weeks," he says.
It would be tempting to assume that given the range of exercises it offers and the concept of functionality it is based on, which means you can apply these exercises in your daily chores, CrossFit would be the ideal form of fitness to adopt. But that would be a misleading assumption. Bijli, 47, who has been working out relentlessly for over two decades and has been changing his fitness routine every now and then, explains why. "The form of fitness regime you follow really depends on your goal." Bijli incorporated CrossFit in his routine about a year ago, but this is only one of the things he does, limiting it to about twice a week. "My goal is to be fit, lean and muscular," says Bijli. "So for cardiovascular exercises, instead of running at a spot on a treadmill, cycling or using a cross trainer, I am able to get much more out of CrossFit. It's functional, gives me more agility and takes my heart rate up to 135 (beats per minute)." It offers that multi-joint movement, adds Pattrick. For muscularity, however, Bijli relies on weights, the equipment in his personal gym and on body-building exercises.
Like his trainer, Bijli too offers a word of caution. "Know your limit and your potential. Do not push it simply for the sake of it." A year ago, while trying the 'tyre flip' - in which you flip over a heavy truck or tractor type - Bijli, who is by no means a novice, nearly injured his back. CrossFit, he says, is ever changing and constantly evolving, so you have to exercise caution while trying out its new inventions. CrossFit also has an online community that allows people to follow the regime without supervision. This can, however, increase the risk of injury and is not recommended.
That apart, there's a lot that has people hooked to CrossFit, which is suitable for ages 18 to 80. Shikha Ahuja, mother of a 19-year-old, says she has moved from yoga to CrossFit "because every day is new". Bear crawl, crab walk, horse walk, box jump, Sumo deadlift, burpee, rope climb, rowing, butt kick - there's a lot happening here. Kamal Gupta, 31, who has never stuck to a fitness regime, hasn't missed his CrossFit classes even for a day in months. "It's challenging variations also equip me mentally to take tougher decisions in life," he says. The range of exercises helps the neuromuscular system as well, says Chhikara. "CrossFit," he adds, "is just like our life - intense and constantly varied."
