Heather Hodges

CrossFit Central’s community is growing larger and can now meet the needs of athletes across the generations from first graders through octogenarians!

It is never too late to start exercising, eating healthy and taking care of our bodies for the future.  The aging process is an inevitability that we all face, however, some of the things we lose as we age can actually be prevented, including: strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance.  The loss of these things is not inevitable!  A lot of the declines that we attribute to aging are due to lack of use, and can be reversed with fitness training and good nutrition.

Strength and conditioning training has repeatedly been shown to be a safe and effective method of reversing muscle loss and increasing bone density (which lowers the risk of developing osteoporosis and fractures.) It has also been shown to help improve sleep quality and can improve the mood of mildly to moderately depressed individuals. Additionally, a recent study shows growing evidence that being active and exercising in midlife can significantly decrease the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.

The American College of Sports Medicine now has fitness guidelines specific for weight training for people over 50.  Their advice: perform 20-60 minutes of aerobic activity three to five days a week and weight training 20-30 minutes twice a week.  CrossFit can perfectly meet these guidelines and is scale-able for everyone’s fitness level and ability. CrossFit Central’s Master’s class will bring each athlete along gradually.  “Incrementalism” is an important technique – we will establish a baseline of performance and gently move each athlete forward in tiny increments.

CrossFit is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect program for any individual committed to getting fit regardless of experience or age. We can use the same routines for elderly individuals who may have heart disease as well as elite athletes training for competition. The weight load and intensity of the program is scaled for the individual, but the workout remains the same for all.

The bottom line is this, athletes across the generations are very different and yet surprisingly the same.  Everyone needs to dead lift, squat and press, but not at the same weight or intensity.  The CrossFit model of functional movement will help all athletes, become stronger, increase bone density, cardiovascular health, and improve posture, moods, and quality of life.

Rusty and Jan are brand new to CrossFit, way to go you two!!!

The Tuesday/Thursday 8am Master’s Class will meet at CrossFit Central’s Burnet Location.

Please see your doctor before starting any exercise regimen.