I am not one of those people who loves to exercise. I do it because it helps me physically and mentally. In addition to not loving exercise, I get bored easily. I've done about eight classes with CrossFit Echelon now, and I can definitely say I'm not bored.
I got the Living Social deal so I could try it out without spending a ton of money or committing to a membership. I have a membership at Crunch (left a review there so I won't give my opinion again here) but rarely go.
The first thing I noticed at CrossFit Echelon was that they had classes specifically set up for the Living Social customers, including an intro class. I love this concept. I knew nothing about Crossfit, had never done it before, and I would have been incredibly intimidated to just jump into a class with people who've been attending classes for awhile. You start with the intro so you can let Adam and Mark know what your goals are (why are you there, what do you expect, what do you want, etc.) and they can assess you. From there you take additional classes designed for those new to CrossFit. If you've done it before and/or pick up quickly, you'll get moved to the general classes. Need more direction or more time on skill development, you'll stay in the L.S. classes.
Let me just say this is not the place for you if you don't want to work hard and be pushed to your limits. This is serious training. You will be forced outside your comfort zone at times. You'll be taught to listen to your body and not your mind. You will run, lunge, jump, pull-up, learn to lift weights. You will be encouraged and you will encourage others.
I haven't met Mark yet, but Adam has been great. He's talked to me about what kind of shoes to buy, about how important it is to feed my body, and is always available to answer any questions I have. My take on these two men is that they are truly passionate about what they do and they want to help you in any way they can. They'll work with you around any limitations you have. They're insistent on teaching the correct way to do things and emphasize that doing 5 reps of something correctly is much more important than doing 15 reps incorrectly. They take your health and safety seriously. They want you to work at your personal best - no competition, just encouragement. They understand that last week your personal best was a 9 but something's going on this week and your personal best might be a 7. At the same time that they're pushing/motivating you, they are careful to let you know that you shouldn't try to go beyond your own abilities. Twice I've not been able to finish a workout because I'd pushed too hard too fast (and not been feeding/hydrating my body) and Adam made me stop. I probably would have kept trying and really hurt or exhausted my body.
Bottom line? If you want to see what you're capable of, if you want to be pushed, if you're ready for an intense workout, go see Mark and Adam at CrossFit Echelon. read more