Jeff Heal, owner of Fitness Together in Cornelius and Davidson, leads the classes. Mr. Heal has been in the fitness industry for more than 15 years. He coached high school track for eight years and has been a personal trainer for more than seven years, working with more than 200 clients, including some professional athletes.

Here are the details:

BOOT CAMP
For participants ages 18 and older. The six-week program will be held on Saturday mornings from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. July 30 through Sept. 3. All classes are held at the Bailey Middle School Track, 11900 Bailey Road, Cornelius.

Boot Camp is an outdoor fitness program that includes fitness instruction, nutritional counseling and motivational training.

Registration for the six-week session costs $40 for residents and $48 for non-residents.
Participants may register in person at Cornelius Town Hall, 21445 Catawba Ave., or online, at www.corneliuspr.org.  For additional information, contact the Town of Cornelius PARC Department at 704-765-1450 or visit www.corneliuspr.org.

COUCH-TO-5K
For participants ages 18 and older. The six-week program will be held on Saturday nights from 7 to 8 p.m. Aug. 1 through Sept. 12, with no class Sept. 5. Classes meet at the Bailey Middle School track, 11900 Bailey Road, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

This class is designed for beginners. Participants will learn proper warm-up techniques and stretching and do running workouts preparing them to run a 5K.

Participants may register at Town Hall, 21445 Catawba Ave., or online at www.corneliuspr.org. The registration fee is $40 for residents and $48 for non-residents.

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From left, Jason Huff, Jane Elizabeth Huff, and training director Ken Crowder at CrossFit Davidson. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

A new fitness business called CrossFit Davidson has opened in a warehouse on Depot Street in Davidson. Its co-owners – Jason and Jane Elizabeth Huff – say it’s an “atypical gym” where daily cross-training classes focus in three areas: Olympic lifting, gymnastics, and conditioning.

The business was holding a grand opening Friday night, April 8, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., including a CrossFit Games event. Crossfit Davidson is at 305 Depot St., in the back building of the Metrolina Warehouse complex.

Ken Crowder on the rings at CrossFit Davidson. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

CrossFit training offers a “community oriented approach” to fitness, Mr. Huff said in interview Friday at the spacious, newly renovated warehouse-turned-gym. It’s not an open gym, like others with rows of equipment that members use on their own time. Instead, it operates a regular schedule of small group or individual classes, led by certified CrossFit coaches.

“It’s a class-focused gym,” Mr. Huff said. The Huffs co-own the new business with Steve and Jess Pinkerton, who also own a similar facility in Concord.

Each class is an intense workout, ranging in length from 5 to 45 minutes. Workouts typically include work in CrossFit’s three areas:

• Weightlifting – Members do Olympic-style lifts, working their way up to recommended weights.
• Gymnastics – Hanging rings, either suspended from a ceiling for experienced CrossFitters, or hanging from bars closer to the ground – work on the core and multiple muscle groups.
• Metabolic conditioning – Repetitive exercises to build strength in several parts of the body. This can range from repetitive movements with weights – such as kettle and wall balls – to stepping or jumping on boxes. The goal here is to work up to increasing repetitions over a specified time.

Training also can include lectures and discussions for members on nutrition, proper rest and recovery intervals, and specific CrossFit exercise techniques.

Jane Elizabeth Huff on a set of floor-use rings. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Mr. Huff has been a competitive triathlete and cyclist. His wife encouraged him to try CrossFit. “I thought I was in shape from cycling,” he said. “I was humbled, because I was a specialist.”

He now says he’s stronger and fitter than ever. For athletes, he said, “It well make you a faster specialist.”

He and Ms. Huff said the training can help non-athletes who want to build strength and endurance.

Added Mr. Crowder: “CrossFit is training for life, not training for a specialty.”

For info or to schedule a free workout and assessment, contact Director of Training Ken Crowder at crowder@crossfitvitality.com or 704-987-7200. See also the CrossFit Davidson website, http://www.crossfitdavidson.com/

CrossFit Davidson is in a warehouse at the back of the Metrolina Warehouse complex off Depot Street. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

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