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=k_d[W F_] r 9em <WYjeh Weird fact about Muscle Milk: It contains no milk. It’s the same with all other protein beverages — except for Shamrock Farms Rockin’ Refuel Muscle Builder ($5.49 for four-pack, GNC stores). The chuggable cartons, in chocolate and vanilla, are lactose-free and have 30 grams of protein per serving, more than double what you’d get straight from the cow. Our testers found it marginally tastier than other protein drinks, though some had trouble downing it.
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Young & Restless Find out more about the program at Crossfitkids.com, which features a map pinpointing places that offer classes. There are about a dozen local spots, including CrossFit Old Town (805 N. Royal St., Alexandria; Crossfitoldtown.com).
F^oi_YWb ;ZkYWj_ed PHOTOS BY ASTRID RIECKEN/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
CrossFit Kids gives children an opportunity to learn functional movements and build strength while still having a good time
Nine-year-old Miranda Larson pulls her chin over the bar during a CrossFit Kids class at CrossFit Old Town in Alexandria.
Even wearing just shorts and sneakers, Josh Levy was dripping sweat as he struggled to do another rep. “Go, Josh!” cheered his fans, and he found the strength to crank out a few more power snatches — a weightlifting exercise you don’t normally expect from a 7-year-old. But with a light PVC pipe in his hands and a smile on his face, Josh was able to complete a brutal circuit workout, along with nearly 500 athletes who converged near the Mall this month for CrossFit for Hope. The event was the debut of an annual fundraiser started by CrossFit, the popular strength and conditioning program that combines weightlifting, gymnastics, running and calisthenics. It also promotes the idea that anyone is capable of these movements as long as they’re appropri-
Students in one of CrossFit Old Town’s kid classes go on a short run to warm up.
ately modified. And that’s how Josh — who at 69 pounds weighed less than the barbells being hoisted by most of the adults at the event — can be just as much a CrossFitter as his mom, Megan Columbus, 44,
who takes her son to classes at Rockville’s CrossFit Done Right. He’s one of thousands of children around the globe who are part of CrossFit Kids, which was established in 2004 by Jeff and Mikki
Martin in Ramona, Calif. The couple’s martial arts background shaped their approach. “You want to do something well before you do it fast. You break things down and then link them together,” Jeff Martin explains. And you make things move along quickly so no one gets bored. A recent session for children ages 5 to 8 at CrossFit Old Town in Alexandria started with a warmup that involved drawing a stick figure. To earn a new body part, the kids did a couple of reps of an exercise: squats for the head, high knees for the body, sprints for the legs, etc. Next they focused on how to do thrusters. Holding a barbell — or in this case, a PVC pipe — you squat and then lift up, using the power of your whole body to get the weight
into the air. They also did a similar lesson on pull-ups. Then it was time for a quick workout incorporating those two movements, and, finally, a game. That day’s diversion was tag. The twist? Everyone moved in a different way. So the taggers were bear-crawling after crab walkers, and in the next round, it was skippers vs. side-to-side shufflers. Getting tapped meant running a lap before rejoining the game. In this process, children build more than just muscle. “Kids could cheat, but they’ll often say, ‘That last rep didn’t count,’” Jeff Martin says. “Those things transfer to the real world.” Mikki Martin is especially pleased with how CrossFit Kids affects girls’ self-image: “They focus on what they can do rather than what they look like.” Jerry Hill, owner of CrossFit Old Town, expects demand to grow as more people become aware of the program. He brought in CrossFit Kids because he and his wife were getting nagged by their daughters — and their members’ children. “Kids imitate you,” says Meg Hixon, 34, whose three CrossFit Kids, ages 10, 7 and 6, are well on their way to earning callused palms just like Mom’s. “I like it better than team sports, because those don’t teach them about fitness. When the sport is over, you’re done.” But you’re never done with power snatches. VICK Y HALLET T (E XPRESS)