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string of individuals doing toe-to-bar exercises — which require swinging the lower body until the toes are parallel to the bar itself — that dedication became apparent. He approached a college-aged girl struggling to properly swing her lower body. He reminded her to “start with a big window”; as he lifted both arms in the air, showing the proper space between both hands when holding onto the bar, she listened intently. Several members gathered to encourage the student as she successfully swung her feet to the bar’s height. “I’ve got to say, the environment here creates a real sense of community among our members that you don’t typically see at other fitness facilities,” said Kunkle. “The group identifies with each other a little bit more than people that go into a gym and do their own thing.”
Getting there
While CrossFit athletes such as Gar-
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ber and Ruckman tackle the program’s challenges, it takes time to reach that level. The road to success can be a long one, and it’s important that those hoping to become involved with CrossFit pay attention to their bodies. When asked about the injury risk that CrossFit presents, the solidlybuilt Kunkle pointed out the fact that athletes face the possibility of being injured doing nearly any exercise in a standard gym, adding that “people get hurt skiing, even running.” Dr. Tom Weber, sports medicine physician at Sentara RMH Medical Center in Harrisonburg, echoed these sentiments. “In general, I don’t see any high rates of injuries pertaining to people doing CrossFit,” said Weber, adding that participants should avoid pushing their bodies beyond their comfort limits, as doing so may increase the risk of certain injuries, such as tendonitis or stress fractures. “People can push the limits no matter what they do, but they need to know their own bodies,” he added.
“Don’t do something your body isn’t capable of doing.”
A successful session
At 1 p.m., the session concluded and, as a group of exhausted, yet alert, individuals collected their belongings and moved toward the exit, Garber remained inside. “I was working on my kipping technique,” she said, explaining the process of bringing the chest back and popping the hips forward for a pull-up. After receiving several minutes of instruction from Ruckman, which included the personal trainer acting out the technique, Garber successfully completed the exercise. With the chest-to-bar pull-up under her belt, Garber collected her things and made her way to the doubledoors. “Today, the session went well,” assessed Garber. “It went very well.” Inspired by the class, CrossFit is the newest item on Matt’s bucket list.