Working out is both expensive and time-consuming. With a tight budget and a tight schedule, young professionals in Boston need quick, down and dirty, honest reviews of gyms, studios and fitness classes in the city. In the Happy Hour Athlete series, BostInno will attend classes and write first-impression reviews about our experiences – from what to wear, to what the music was like, to who you’ll be working out next to. We’ll also tell you where to get a drink after getting your sweat on.
CrossFit is one of those workouts you hear about, and are subsequently too intimidated to ever imagine actually trying (at least, if you’re like me). Or perhaps you’ve walked past one of their many gym locations in Boston, and saw more heavy looking objects than you could handle. I feel you. I’ve previously mentioned my wet-noodle-arm syndrome, and these wiry weaklings on either side of me have no business near a CrossFit. And yet, I found myself at a free CrossFit session on the Greenway, presented by City Sports, last Wednesday night.
To be clear, the free sessions on the North End Greenway don’t supply an entire CrossFit gym’s stock of workout machines and aforementioned heavy things. Basically, the sessions are a good way to see if a CrossFit lifestyle is for you, and what do you have to lose? So with that mantra in mind, I headed to the Greenway in anticipation of a tough, but manageable workout.
Happy Hour Athlete’s First Impression
Classroom: The open air of Boston is your classroom, with fluffy green grass below you and Bread + Butter Cafe and Bakery staring at you from across the street as you sweat.
Where to Sit: You won’t be doing much sitting, unless it’s to pull yourself up and perform a series of those things called sit-ups. You will have to gather in a few coach-and-athlete type circles, though.
Who You’ll Be Sitting Next To: Standing next to, that is. Either an unbelievably muscular man in a cutoff, an impossibly fit, no-BS woman in spandex, or someone who looks equally nervous/exhausted as you do.
What to Wear: Classic gym attire. You know, tank top, shorts and athletic shoes. It is outside, so pack a sweatshirt or long pants for before and after the workout.
What You’ll Do: CrossFit specializes in WODs (workouts of the day), so it depends on what the trainer wants you to do. But for our class, we warmed up, then took turns alternating kettlebell and cardio exercises: kettlebell swings, squats and lifts, and push ups, burpees and half-burpees. After that, we took two laps around the grass, followed by 30 burpees, 25 squats, and 50 sit ups. Yeah, what? I know. Try doing 30 burpees after swinging, squatting and lifting a kettlebell and get back to me.
What You’ll Hear: The trainer’s instructions and encouragement backed by high-energy beats that, together, get you going. As the workout goes on, most people are divided up by pace, so you’ll hear the trainer shout out the next set of exercises while you might still be on the last one, which I found discouraging because I am a wimp. Just be prepared to not be finished after those two laps or 25 squats.
Who Will Teach You: Michael Cahill, the owner of Reebok Crossfit Back Bay. He’s the type of guy who can wave around a kettlebell over his head as if it’s filled with air, but he’ll also keep you going with words of encouragement and motivation throughout the workout.
Level of Difficulty: On a scale of one (a couch potato could do it) to 10 (it would be difficult even for Bo Jackson), the class was a seven. It basically became more and more difficult as time went on—but in the beginning, I felt like I had it, kettlebell and all. Things went downhill after about the eighth of 30 burpees, though, and didn’t quite recover. Definitely a tough workout, but doable for the most part.
Length of Class: One hour.
Location: The North End Greenway, right behind Haymarket.
Cost: Free. The Greenway sessions end tomorrow, but CrossFit offers free trials from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at their 209 Columbus Avenue location. Monthly memberships run between $219 and $289, depending how many classes you want to attend a week.
Would I Do It Again? The free sessions, yes. Still unsure whether I’d be brave enough to step into an actual CrossFit gym for a session, but that doesn’t mean I’m not envious of these athletes’ ability.
Where to Reward Yourself: After an hour of exercising across the street from it, you might be tempted to sneak into Bread + Butter for a chocolate croissant. In need of something stronger? Head to Julep Bar on nearby High Street and try one of their varieties of juleps, which will complement that lingering smell of fresh grass perfectly.
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