CrossFit Laguna Niguel: Anything but typical

There’s a light drizzle from the sky as I pull up to a seemingly typical warehouse off of Crown Valley Pkwy: CrossFit Laguna Niguel. So what’s in store for me this morning? I’ll soon find out A LOT, and it’s anything but typical.

Surprise!
First surprise of the day, this facility is not what I expected. It’s clean, fresh, bright and welcoming. Everything is organized and well-oiled, and you can tell that someone created this with an attention to detail and quality. There’s also enough equipment to have 20 motivated and sweat-loving people training per class.

One of the owners, Matt Kirby, told me that he had a surprise for me. What could this be? I admit, I was a bit nervous to find out!

“Guess what, Jaime, you get to pick our ‘Workout of the Day!’”

So, these 14 other people have to do the workout I choose? Bring it!

Pick your poison, pick your WOD
They do it “Price is Right” style, where I get to pick various letters and numbers which secretly correspond to a certain exercise and number of repetitions. Should I pick 2, 5 or 8? This is the difference between a new set of knives or a new car, my friends! Or I’m thinking, 20 pull-ups and a 400m run (I’d pick the run). Of course, I manage to pick the highest amount of reps possible! All i can think is, “Man, all these people are going to LOVE me.” Thankfully, this lot is motivated and they’re ready for the challenge.

(I think they might even be itchin’ for it, I mean they’re here on a Saturday morning, right?)

We did it, we all made it. After a lovely bunch of box jumps, tumblers (combination of a squat and lifting dumbbells overhead), enough mountain climbers to get you to Kilimanjaro and back, and a full body abdominal work, this is truly a proud and inspiring way to start the weekend!

It’s not a workout, it’s training
After our WOD, everyone grabs their own CrossFit journal to write down their personal times and training details. When chatting with owners Leslie Gray and Matt Kirby, they tell me that first and foremost this is a journey for the clients. It’s not just a single workout, it’s training. These people are from all walks of life and all levels of fitness, and each one is taking ownership of their own successes here – maybe you’ve lost 10 pounds, maybe you can do three full non-assisted pull-ups (can you?), or maybe you just got your personal best for a WOD.

I asked Leslie and Matt what they love about CrossFit Laguna Niguel. That’s right folks, each CrossFit has a different vibe and atmosphere.

• A lot of thought goes into the programming of the WOD’s. They also create a six-week training cycle that will focus on a skill, such as push-ups. Each day, after your warm-up and before your WOD, you’ll be spending some time on this skill. When you see your improvement through the weeks, (maybe written in your journal?) it’s an empowering feeling.
• They place an emphasis on adjustments and hand-spotting to literally help support you, while keeping your body in correct alignment.
• If you want to experience CrossFit, but prefer to be in a women’s only class, check out Xena! This class “caters to a woman’s fitness goals such as post-pregnancy weight-loss, nutritional guidance, toning muscle, overall health, fitness and sexiness.” Offered Monday through Friday at 8:30 a.m.
• During each class you will warm-up AND cool down. This extra emphasis on stretching at the end is vital for your muscle recovery, prevention of injury and flexibility.
• The fitness world can sometimes be a daunting place, especially in such a competitive and image-driven society. This appears to be an unfortunate and not-so-healthy side effect (personally, I recommend steering clear of these). So when I’m training with 14 strangers, and see each person pushing themselves to their personal best while cheering others on ’til everyone has finished, I know I’m in a good spot.

CrossFit Laguna Niguel
27665 Forbes Road, Suite 10
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
949.348.1887
www.crossfitln.com

*CrossFit Laguna Niguel has teamed up with Whole 9, to bring in nutritional support and workshops.*