Stronger with age

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/03/2015 (4144 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When I was a kid, I hated exercise.

This was mostly because I couldn’t breathe. I suffered from the kind of asthma that was aggravated by both vigorous cardiovascular activity and very cold air. My chest would tighten, and I would instantly run out of gas. Problem was, childhood — at least back in the ’90s — involved a lot of running around outside. Games of tag were torturous; I was often “It” for the entire recess. In phys-ed, we ran laps around the field, collected Popsicle sticks for each lap completed, then shared our totals at the end of the class. Mine were always padded by Popsicle sticks I found on the ground; my gym teacher kindly pretended not to notice that those ones were stained pink and orange. For me, Terry Fox Runs were Terry Fox Walks.

Now, I love exercise. It just took a long time for me to figure out what I liked to do. I’ve tried and quit many classes. I’ve confirmed I still hate running, as well as hot yoga and spinning. But once I discovered what I enjoy doing — anyone who knows me will tell you I am a step aerobics evangelist — exercise has become one of my greatest pleasures. I haven’t had an asthma attack in years. I intend to remain active for the rest of my life.

To that end, I’m incredibly inspired by four women I met last Monday morning. They are members of CrossFit 204’s 204 Legends program, a twice-a-week class designed for older people, with a focus on functionality, flexibility and mobility — things we lose as we age. Many studies have also shown functional strength training can stave off bone diseases such as osteoporosis.

Since it was co-founded in 2000 by Greg Glassman and Lauren Jenai, CrossFit — a blend of high-intensity interval training, powerlifting, gymnastics, plyometrics and other exercises — has gone mainstream. CrossFit 204 is just one of several CrossFit-affiliated gyms in Winnipeg, and it trains everyone from competitive athletes to those simply seeking to get fitter. CrossFit is a lifestyle, to be sure; it’s often accused by its critics of being cult-like. (To be fair, not all gyms are created equal.)

CrossFit 204 is the opposite of a corporate gym. There are no machines and no mirrors, just body-powered equipment and industrial brick walls. The relentless pulse of Top 40 is absent; a sample playlist includes the Ramones, the Rolling Stones and Joan Jett. And underneath a giant pirate flag bearing a skull and crossbones, Debbie Rodger, 55, Analyn Baker, 65, Chris Bowes, 60, and Mavis Puchlik, who will soon be celebrating her 68th birthday, are beginning that morning’s workout.

The Legends meet with their coach, Crystal Kirby-Peloquin, every Monday and Thursday. And they come to work hard. These women can deadlift more than 45 kilograms; for comparison’s sake, I can deadlift about half that. They run the length of the gym pushing sleds that I can barely slide. (And I work out.) They make it look easy, and they are proof you can get fit at any age. I’ll admit I had my own preconceived notions of what CrossFit was all about — I envisioned a lot of intense muscular people screaming. Legends 204 has a chummy, laid-back vibe.

The program was launched about a year ago based on the interest of Analyn’s husband, Neil Baker, 70, who owns d.a. Niels, the kitchenware store next door to CrossFit 204. “He’s inquired a few times but we didn’t have anything in place for an older demographic,” says Kirby-Peloquin, who is also the gym’s manager. Neil, as well as Puchlik, began the four one-on-one intake sessions all would-be Legends must go through, and CrossFit 204 designed the course around them. “Their needs vary by a degree from the needs of the average CrossFitter,” Kirby-Peloquin says of the Legends, “but the basics are the same. It’s about functional fitness… We don’t feel the need to teach them Olympic lifting. We customize the program for their needs.”

Analyn Baker wasn’t sure about CrossFit at first, but her husband’s enthusiasm was infectious. (He’s still part of the program but was out on Monday with the flu.) “I feel so great and strong. Sixty-five isn’t 45. I want to be healthy for a long time,” she says. Her son does CrossFit in Ottawa. “We’re a CrossFit family. Who knew?”

Rodger works at d.a. Niels, which is how she heard about the program. She was a longtime runner and hesitant to start weightlifting. “I had no idea what I was getting into, but it’s the best thing I’ve done for myself.”

Puchlik, too, is part of the d.a. Niels family. She retired a little over a year ago and wasn’t prepared for it, spending many days at home sitting on the couch. “It got to the point where I couldn’t walk without a cane,” she says. Almost a year later, she’s running across the room pushing a heavy sled. Puchlik has osteoarthritis in her knee and hip.

“So, we work around it,” she says. “When I do back squats, I squat to a bench.” Indeed, Kirby-Peloquin stresses a focus on safety and individual instruction; a Legends class would be capped at eight.

Bowes joined nine weeks ago. She had tried other gyms, but was tired and lethargic and her blood pressure was high. After her doctor helpfully told her to “sort it out,” she started the Legends program. After eight weeks, her blood pressure has normalized and she’s lost 16 pounds. Her doctor says CrossFit is probably saving her life.

“I didn’t like working out at all. Now, I love it,” she says.

Many women remain resistant to resistance training despite the health benefits, and we’ve all been sold the lie by lady mags that we can “get toned” by lifting two-pound hot-pink barbells. Kirby-Peloquin says education goes a long way in dispelling some of those misconceptions. (No, you’re not going to “bulk up.” No, you can’t “tone” skin and bone.)

For her part, Kirby-Peloquin says 204 Legends is her favourite class to coach. “They’re so impressed with themselves. They never thought they could do this stuff. And they can,” she says.

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca