FEELIN’ THE BURN. CrossFit, a fitness and lifestyle regimen that features a wide variety of workouts, is growing in popularity nationwide and in the Chippewa Valley. (Above: FitElite)

Shane Beck, owner of FitElite CrossFit Eau Claire, can already hear barbells clanging. To some, it might be hard to visualize the newly constructed, roughly 1,500-square-foot space on the south side of town as a fully functioning gym, but after introducing CrossFit to Eau Claire four years ago, Beck and the FitElite community are excited to see what this new space will do for CrossFit in the Chippewa Valley.

Just a few blocks down London Road, the new owners of Momentum Sport Fitness, Jim Breuer and Jackie Barstad, are busy revamping their space to house the newest addition to Momentum – CrossFit 715. After years of churning out standout local athletes, Momentum is adding CrossFit to its repertoire of offerings, which include sports conditioning camps, traditional personal training and even hitting or pitching lessons for baseball players.

CrossFit touts itself as “the sport of fitness.” It is a broad fitness and lifestyle program meant to prepare the body for anything the world can throw at it. World-class athletes, celebrities, and some of our next-door neighbors right here in the Chippewa Valley have all jumped on one of the fastest-growing fitness brands in the last 30 years.  

Crossfit is a broad fitness and lifestyle program meant to prepare the body for anything the world can throw at it.

The way CrossFit is first described to beginners is “constantly varied functional movements performed at a high intensity.” A daily workout of the day, or WOD, is performed with these ideals in mind.

Functional movement, simply put, is the way your body was intended to move. CrossFit, therefore, is designed to train you for the things you do every day, like lifting a box off the ground or putting groceries on the top shelf of a pantry. This is accomplished through a series of body-weight and gymnastics-based exercises, weightlifting, and interval-based cardio training.

Time is a key factor in a CrossFit WOD, as it is an easy way to change the intensity of a workout. Intensity, in terms of physics, is how much work is done over a period of time.

Some CrossFit WODs are performed “for time,” or as fast as possible. In others, athletes complete “as many repetitions as possible,” or an AMRAP, within an allotted time. Yet another way to time a WOD is to do a set amount of work every minute on the minute, or an EMOM.

CrossFit, as you’re starting to learn, has a lingo all its own.

Some questions have been raised about the safety of CrossFit over the years, some valid and some quite ridiculous. It all comes down to quality training, Beck says. CrossFit isn’t something you can do alone.

FitElite

As a lifestyle program, CrossFit also suggests that a proper diet be implemented to maximize results. As a proponent of using your body’s natural movement patterns, CrossFit also believes in using your body’s natural digestive preferences.
Since its inception, CrossFit has been closely tied to the Paleo diet. Eat like a caveman, Paleo suggests. And it makes a lot of sense.

We haven’t evolved much in terms of digestion since the days of the caveman, and the Paleo diet reflects this fact. Meat, nuts, fruits, and vegetables make up the bulk of Paleo, and there’s one simple rule: All things man has made or tampered with are forbidden.

An easy way to think of the Paleo diet is to picture a typical trip for groceries: When walking around the store, stick to the perimeter and avoid the aisles – aiming for fresh, natural food in lieu of anything processed or preserved.

The trend toward natural food has led to the rise of many organic stores across the nation, including the likes of Mother Nature’s Foods and Just Local Food in Eau Claire. CrossFit has only bolstered this trend in the Chipewa Valley over the last few years, sending people to the natural foods section in Festival Foods and other area grocery stores. The recent expansion of these offerings attests to the rising popularity of Paleo and similar diets, even among those who do not practice CrossFit.

Carbohydrates are the most notable losses in the Paleo diet, in the form of bread, rice, and pasta. Even the whole grain brands are out – processing of any form is forbidden. The Paleo diet is training your body to use fat from meat, nuts, and other sources as its preferred energy source, becoming more efficient at burning it in the process.

While CrossFit isn’t an easy way to work out and Paleo is not an easy diet to stick to, it’s the results that keep people adhering. The beautiful thing about CrossFit is its universal scalability – everyone can do it. Every workout can be scaled back to accommodate any experience or fitness level. In the words of CrossFit CEO and founder Greg Glassman, “The needs of Olympic athletes and our grandparents differ by degree, not kind.”

FitElite • 2839 Mall Dr. #3, Eau Claire • 514-1264 • www.FitEliteOnline.com

Momentum Sport Fitness • 2615 London Rd. Suite B, Eau Claire • 955-4319 • www.MomentumSport.com

Jump Start Paleo Recipes

Eating like a caveman seems like a daunting task in today's fast-paced, microwave-saturated world. You don't have the time to cook? You think Paleo food won't taste good? You'll see how wrong you are. Below are two recipes to give you a little taste of the Paleo diet. 

Spaghetti Squash Bake

Ingredients

1lb Italian sausage
1 medium spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed
1 bundle of kale, roughly chopped
1 red onion, halved and sliced
1 egg
â…“ cup chicken broth
½ cup canned coconut milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground sage

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Cut your spaghetti squash in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds and excess threads from your squash.

Place open side down on a baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until you can press into your squash and it gives a bit.

While your squash bakes, heat up a large pot under medium-high heat and add your Italian sausage. Break up with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Once your sausage is cooked through, remove with a slotted spoon and put in a bowl.

Keep the extra fat from the meat in the pot, add your minced garlic and add your kale, onions, and chicken broth. Combine.

Then add your coconut milk and spices. Cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Pull your spaghetti squash out of the oven and dethread with a fork.

Once your kale is wilted and onions have begin to become translucent, remove from heat and add your spaghetti squash as well as your egg to the kale/onion mixture. Mix thoroughly.

Then add your cooked Italian sausage and mix together.

Place the mixed ingredients into a baking dish (or same pot if it’s oven safe) and spread out evenly.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until top is slightly browned.

Eat.

Paleo Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

1.5-2lbs chicken thighs, excess fat removed, diced
5 medium heads of broccoli, stems removed, chopped into florets
1 head of cauliflower, stem removed, chopped into florets
1 container of sliced mushrooms
1 yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove minced
1 cup vegetable broth
2 (14oz) cans of coconut milk
2 teaspoons garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons olive oil (or other fat)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place your cauliflower and broccoli florets in a 9×12 glass baking dish. Pour half (2 Tbsp) of your olive oil on top of the florets and salt and pepper, as well. Mix around to coat the florets.

Baking for 15-18 minutes or until your broccoli and cauliflower have a slightly darker color to them.

While your florets are cooking, place a large skillet over high heat and add the rest of the olive oil.

Once skillet is very hot, add your chicken. You want your skillet to be very hot so you will get a nice sear to your chicken.

Salt and pepper your chicken while it cooks in your pan.

Cook on both sides for 4-5 minutes, depending on how small you diced your chicken.

Once chicken is almost cooked through, remove from pan and place either on a plate or directly into your baking dish with your florets if that has come out of the oven.

Now add your minced garlic directly to your pan that is placed under medium heat now.

Then add your diced onions in. Cook until translucent.

Then add your coconut milk and vegetable broth, as well as your garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and a bit of salt and pepper and mix well.

Once it is all thoroughly combined, pour directly onto your chicken, broccoli, and cauliflower dish.

Now toss in your mushrooms.

Add in a bit more salt and pepper.

Mix it all together.

Bake for 20-22 minutes.

Let cool to help the sauce thicken.

Consume!