Thunder-hawks Cross Fit Gym hosted the annual Festivus games on Saturday, Oct. 22.
Participants performed timed reps doing the push press in pairs. They also had teams do timed runs on the bicycle. The medicine ball was also used at times.
It was a show of strength and endurance to say the least. It was also very sweaty.
According to crossfit.com, cross fit is defined as constantly varied functional movement at high intensity. In other words, a lot of reps and stamina.
It is often paired with nutritional strategies for people to lose weight and gain muscle. Though, sometimes it can become a competition like with the Thunder-hawks.
“The team generally competes against each other here, but they can also see how they rank nationally,” said owner Javier Hernandez, MD.
Around 90 percent of people in cross fit are beginners or intermediate, he said.
“We wanted a place where anyone of any background, age and skill level could exercise,” Hernandez said.
His gym, however, is the only one that includes youth in the community.
“There have always been small activities for kids to do in cross fit in our nation, but there hasn’t been a full-fledged program,” Hernandez’s wife and co-owner Anti Nelly Soto Hernandez said.
The games featured people of all ages and backgrounds.
This year the games had 67 participants from various places. Nine of those participants were preteens.
Hernandez said people even camped out over night because they came from another state.
That is why they chose the title “Festivus.”
For those who don’t remember the show Seinfeld, Festivus is a name for the holidays that the characters in the show came up with to fit everyone’s religious and cultural beliefs.
The difference is, it is not for a holiday but a mix of people from different backgrounds to compete in cross fit.
“The goal is to have people come and train but feel part of something bigger. That is the unique thing about our Festivus,” Hernandez said.
