CrossFit Fitness Craze Grows in Beaumont; Kids Get Moving, Too

As children head back to the classroom, many will also be resuming extra-curricular activities—but not every child may be interested in joining a sports team.  That’s where one local organization comes in, offering a unique alternative to being active.

CrossFit Awaken in Beaumont has been open for two years, and in that time, hundreds of locals have joined in on one of the nation’s fastest growing fitness regimens.  The business started in Owner Chris Brown’s 200-square-foot converted garage in April 2011, and expanded just five months later into an industrial complex in southwest Beaumont. 

The fast growth echoes the worldwide expansion of CrossFit, which is now in more than 5,500 affiliated gyms, having been started in 2000 by a Santa Cruz fitness instructor, according to the organization.

Known as the “sport of fitness,” CrossFit founder Greg Glassman says the program focuses on “functional movements” like running, rowing, climbing rope and weightlifting done a relatively high intensity to help athletes with the following: Cardiovascular and Respiratory endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance, and Accuracy.

A Beaumont native, Brown—who runs the gym with his wife Danielle-- says he was inspired to recently expand the business to a younger generation when their son was born, to find a way for local kids to get out and move.  

“I want to get the kids to get out of the house, get off the video games and do what we did when we were kids, and that’s ride their bikes, play in the park, play sports,” he said.   “And I feel like CrossFit Kids is great because… it’s really about fun and it’s not about competition as much as, say, other sports, like football.  I’ve seen a lot of kids get really discouraged or frustrated when they’re maybe not making a goal or hitting a homerun, and in here, it doesn’t matter.  You come in, you have a good time, you learn great things about the body and body awareness and functional movement that these kids will use in everyday life, and they don’t leave here discouraged.”

‘Not Just a Scaled-Down Version’ for Kids

Though children attending classes at “the box,” as CrossFit gyms are known, do many of the same functional movements that adults might, the programming for them is distinct.

“It’s not just a scaled-down version of adult CrossFit,” trainer Debbie Royer explained to Patch.  “It is specifically designed for kids.  Kids have different developmental needs.”

Royer, who is a schoolteacher by day and certified CrossFit instructor by night, says classes are currently offered for children ages six to 12, and all focus on their specific needs.

“For example, kids are still building their balance system and their inner ear—their vestibular system,” she said.  “So kids need to get dizzy on a regular basis.  If you look at toddlers throwing their head in between their legs, spinning in circles, it’s because they’re trying to develop their balance.”

“Kids also need to work on building their bone density,” she said.  “So there are specific parts of CrossFit Kids that are programmed in to work on those things, those developmental things that kids have, adults do not have.”

The teacher says the classes, which are offered four days a week, are great for both current athletes as well as children who may not be fond of traditional sports activities.

“Kids that are already in sports, this will improve their endurance,” she said.  “It will improve their speed and their power… But this is also an outlet for kids who maybe haven’t found their own niche yet; something totally different that they may just love.”

An example of a workout of the day, called a WOD, that the kids’ class may take part in could include the use of rings, running, a rope, or even weightlifting.

“For example, today we were doing some work with rings,” she said.  “Kids were learning how to spin themselves around on rings, so that’s a gymnastics movement.  We also do handstands and cartwheels, but then we also do weightlifting; we learn how to squat properly, things that are functional for life.”

The classes for kids range in price from $10 for a single hour-long session, to $75 per month for unlimited courses on a three month contract.  Royer encourages anyone interested to first take a free trial class to learn what it’s all about.