Sometimes, you just have to get your ass kicked to remind you who you are. CrossFit has the answer for this in Southampton, located inside the Hamptons Gym Corp, where Southampton’s CrossFit is alive and well, offering workouts nearly every day of the week.
On an absolute whim, thanks to Saunders & Associates real estate agent Vincent Pescatore, I decided to pop into CrossFit during the 6 am class. I was surprised by the entire experience. To me, CrossFit is not for a 41-year-old man but for the youth. It’s a rough-and-tumble workout class with violent movements, endless pull-ups, and intense exercises. But what I found was a group of really nice people in a well-structured class, all looking to work out in a fun and exciting way. CrossFit is challenging, but it’s not THAT hard. You can go at your own pace if you want to.
I didn’t.
The class started with a run, and Angelica, our instructor, was not messing around. She sent us out into the parking lot in the 30-degree winter weather. “Okay,” I thought, “this is fine.” From there, she demonstrated the proper lifting technique for a weighted “snatch,” which is the signature CrossFit move of lifting a barbell in the same way a powerlifter would, but repeatedly, about 25 times.
CrossFit sounds a lot worse than it is. In terms of how miserable I was during the workout, I would say I was at a level 2. It’s quite enjoyable; you can rest between each lift, and you can always lower the weight if it gets too heavy. If you’ve been intimidated by CrossFit, don’t be. It’s a bonding experience, a unique way to work out, and it targets every single muscle in your body, not just from a cardio perspective but also from a strength perspective.
I enjoyed it; the people there are a class act. I’m adding CrossFit to my list of challenging workouts to do in the Hamptons.
