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This workout goes beyond stretching. Click for more photos.
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A gym with no mirrors-this is one of the first things you’ll notice once you step inside the CrossFit MNL Gym in Libis, Quezon City. "We don’t want people to be distracted with mirrors and to have them constantly check at how they look. It’s all about the workout," shares Miggy Dy-Buncio, instructor and partner at CrossFit Manila.
A 30-minute workout which combines cardio, track and field, plyometrics, gymnastics, rowing, running, kettlebell and Olympic weightlifting, CrossFit was initially used as a workout for police academies and military special operations units in the United States. Intense is an apt word to describe it, but before you bail or get intimidated, Dy-Buncio insists that the demanding workout is something that everyone can do.
The CrossFit workout can burn as much as 550 to 750 calories for a 20-minute session. "Calorie burn really depends on the physical capability, weight, and aerobic capacity of the person. And it’s a Crossfit MNL guarantee that you won’t end up looking like Hulk Hogan or G.I. Jane after coming to our class," explains Dy-Buncio.
The CrossFit workouts are performance-based, hence there are no levels in CrossFit. A workout involves doing repetitive exercises of weightlifting, pull-ups, squats and jumps. "We have benchmark workouts that are standard across all the CrossFit gyms around the world. We’ll do probably two benchmark workouts every month to test a variety of skills-speed, cardio endurance, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, stamina, accuracy, and balance," he adds. "If your time and score is comparable to that of long time CrossFitters, then you can call yourself ’elite’."
The CrossFit MNL Gym is at Magnitude Realty Estate (near Eastwood City), 186 Libis, Quezon City. Schedule a free trial workout through the CrossFit MNL website or contact them at (0917) 533-1787 or through e-mail at info@crossfitmnl.com.
