At Champlain Valley CrossFit programming is very important to us. Programming is what we put up on the board everyday; it’s the workout that every individual who comes into the gym that day is going to do. It’s the workout that is going to make you into a stronger Mom, a better soccer player, a more well rounded CrossFitter or help you live more independently.
While there are a host of body types, ages, and abilities that come to Champlain Valley CrossFit we usually classify them into 1 of 3 categories.
- Health/Fitness Enthusiast: These are our athletes that come to the gym anywhere from 2 days a week to 6. They typically join Champlain Valley CrossFit because they are looking to lose weight, get stronger, or because they frankly just know that exercise is good for them. They could be looking to change up their existing fitness regiment, or they could be coming off the couch with years of not exercising.
- Sporting Athlete: These are our athletes that come to Champlain Valley CrossFit to aid their athletics. They may be a weekend warrior, or possibly a top level Professional athlete. Regardless of their competitiveness they are here so that they can compete at a higher level in their sport.
- CrossFitters: These are our athletes that come to Champlain Valley CrossFit because CrossFit is THEIR sport! We’ve seen many people transfer from the Health/Fitnees Enthusiast into this category. These athletes are extremely dedicated to their training schedule, performance in workouts, and nutrition.
While many would say that these 3 categories of athletes (and yes, this is a sport, and everyone who comes here is an athlete) are very different, and maybe looking for different things, what they all realistically need is the same. All three of these categories need constantly varied movements, weights, and time domains, they need a heavy regiment of strength training and high intensity, anaerobic conditioning. Sure the elite CrossFit athlete and the fresh off couch, deconditioned individual are in very different states, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need the same thing. They may use different weights, shorter times, or lower intensity, but in the end they are all doing the same thing tailored to their abilities.
Competition is important to us at Champlain Valley CrossFit. Competition, regardless of what kind, builds a stronger individual, both mentally and physically. We’ve had individual athletes and a team, make it to both the Regionals and the CrossFit Games. We program for the competitor, and that same programming has helped sedentary individuals lose 50lbs, the 60+ change all their vital health stats for the better, and a national level ultra marathon runner drop minutes off previous course records.
Too often we see and or hear about people who think they need an individualized program for themselves, especially athletes. We can tell you that if you don’t do any strength and conditioning at all you certainly don’t need a program just for you. At Champlain Valley CrossFit our athletes are exposed to a large dose of Olympic and Power Lifting, Kettlebell and Medicine Ball work, copious amounts of bodyweight movements, and plenty of jumping, rowing, and sprinting. So whether you’re looking to become a competitive CrossFitter, drop some pounds, or become a faster mountain biker, we’ll help you get there.
