Last summer, Andy B convinced me to join a gym in Fort Collins called Emerfit, and I think it’s changing my life. When you think of the gym, you probably think of treadmills, mirrors, and awkward old dudes in spandex maxing out on the bench press. Emerfit is probably unlike any gym you’ve been to.
I spent a lot of my life immersed in sport specific weight and agility training, which progressively got more difficult and had a competitive element. However, I found that this type of training was hard for me to find in a local “big gym.”
When I first sat down with Chris Brown at Emerfit, he explained to me the model of fitness they followed. What is fitness? How do you know if you’re fit, or if someone else is physically fit? It’s something that humans have spent at least the last century trying to figure out, debating, researching, and citing medical journals and studies. An easy way for me to understand the Emerfit model is this – you may have a guy who can bench 500 lbs, but would fall over dead running more than 400 meters. You also may have a guy that places top ten in the Boston Marathon, but has to have help out of the
Workout of the Day
grocery store because he can’t lift his milk jugs into the minivan. Emerfit is all about the pursuit of overall fitness. It’s not about how you look. It’s not about how much weight you can lift, or how far or fast you can run. It’s about you pushing the envelope of fitness for you. For me, I had done some short distance running, and a little trail running. I didn’t have any really specific goals in mind when I started, but I have fairly chronic disc issues in my lower back, and feared my body was slipping rapidly into the middle-age abyss. I, like most people, had tried lots of programs, and gyms, but ultimately faded away once the new wore off.
So what do you do at Emerfit?
Each class is scheduled for an hour with a trainer assigned to lead the group and provide individual coaching. You start with some stretching, warm-up, and then move into some strength work. Each day you also do a “Workout of the Day” (WOD) for conditioning. The WOD is a short, intense, competitive, timed workout that is designed to push the edge of your fitness limits. Most of the class participates in the WOD, and results are posted on the board. This adds a level of competitiveness and accountability that makes me push way harder than I would otherwise. There is a ton of thought and effort put into the programming of these workouts, by the certified training staff. They also have some customized strength regiments, a climbing-specific program, nutritional coaching, and much more.
Craig D - Deadlift
In 8 months, I’ve seen significant improvements in my strength, speed, and endurance. I feel better. I’m accomplishing personal and professional goals, and my cholesterol and blood sugar have moved from high-risk to healthy levels. I’m running my first trail half marathon on May 29th (Wyoming Trail Marathon). There are a number of reasons why the Emerfit model has worked for me, more on that in the next post.
For more info, go to www.emerfit.com
Jobe L
www.outsideallday.com
