UPTOWN — The Reebok CrossFit Games Open challenge is less than a month away and there's a new gym in the neighborhood to help you compete.
Primary Crossfit and Yoga, at 5050 N. Sheridan Road, is an affiliate gym of the competition, which means you can access the workouts, complete the workouts and submit scores at the facility.
"Anyone can go to a CrossFit gym and compete. They post the workout and you have a week to complete it," said Ramon Shalit, co-owner of the gym.
Co-owners Ramon Shalit and Stephanie Shalit demonstrate a kettleball workout. [DNAinfo/Josh McGhee]
The competition is billed as "the world's premier test of fitness" and is "designed to be accessible to all athletes while rigorous enough to challenge the world's fittest," according to its website.
The five-week, five-workout online competition is the first stage of three that culminates with the CrossFit Games. Winners will "compete for the chance to advance in the season, with the ultimate goal of making it on the world stage at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.," in July, according to the website.
To compete in the competition costs $20 at any affiliate gym, including Primary CrossFit and Yoga. The games begin Feb. 25, Shalit said.
Drop-in rates for yoga classes will be $20, while drop-in rates for CrossFit classes will be $25. CrossFit memberships will be $200 per month, with discounts for 6-month and 1-year memberships. Yoga memberships are not available yet. For the full schedule click here.
To prepare for the competition and invite the neighborhood to try out CrossFit, the new gym will be offering a free workout at 9 a.m. Saturday. The gym officially opens Monday, he said.
The new gym features a yoga space, three squat racks, three row machines, kettle balls and tons of space for high-intensity workouts. One thing you won't find in the gym is mirrors.
"More bad than good comes from mirrors besides vanity," said Shalit, adding CrossFit workouts require coaching to maintain form instead of using a mirror. "That's why you have a coach. That's their job."
The high-intensity exercises common in CrossFit have gotten a bad rap for causing injuries, but Shalit said that can all be avoided with proper coaching. During the competition, athletes often add weight without focusing on form, which leads to injuries, he said.
"It all comes down to coaching. Egos get involved. That's one of the pros and cons of the competition. Posting scores builds community, but egos get in the way," he said adding the trainers will be strictly enforcing beginners to take foundation courses before moving on to more advanced training.
The lack of mirrors is common in CrossFit gyms and garage gyms, but Shalit wanted the new gym to stand out for the community.
"Many gyms have the garage gym vibe and that's kind of how it is, but we wanted to make it more high-end so we spent extra money making the bathrooms nice so people want to shower and stay for a while" to build a community, he said.
Check out more photos of the facility below:
[DNAinfo/Josh McGhee]
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