• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

CrossFit: A Workout Fit for an Olympian

Posted on: Wednesday, 25 February 2009, 07:00 CST

OLYMPIC SOFTBALL PLAYER ANDREA DURAN TEAMS UP WITH CROSSFIT TRAINER ANDY PETRANEK TO TACKLE THE HOTTEST TREND IN FITNESS

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Add an Olympic medalist to the growing list of female athletes who favor "the Spartan workout." Softball silver medalist Andrea Duran is part of a burgeoning movement of professional female athletes turning to CrossFit, which consists of the same grueling, high-intensity workouts used to train the warrior actors in 300, the 2007 movie about the Battle of Thermopylae.

"Even as an Olympic athlete, CrossFit gives me a competitive edge," said Duran. "The intensity of CrossFit is unparalleled in the fitness world, which means I will see results I wouldn't see through any other training program." For this reason, CrossFit is a favorite among police academies, military special ops and professional athletes.

And at CrossFit LA, the gym Duran joined, healthy doses of "normal women" compete alongside elite athletes of both sexes. In fact, a non-athlete who could barely lift 25 pounds prior to training with CrossFit might deadlift 175 pounds after her first year, said gym owner Andy Petranek.

But what happens when you pair an elite Olympic athlete with this workout? She becomes unstoppable.

"More and more women of all fitness levels are turning to CrossFit because their bodies respond much faster and more favorably to the diversity that CrossFit offers," said Petranek, a former Marine and professional athlete. The workouts combine functionally varied movements at high intensity and consist of simple combinations of basic gymnastics, plyometrics, bodyweight calisthenics, cardiovascular conditioning and weightlifting. The result is the hardest workout an athlete will ever tackle.

"CrossFit workouts are designed to exceed the capacities of the world's greatest athletes. Andrea is no exception," said Petranek.

About Andrea Duran: Starting at third base for the 2008 Silver medal winning Olympic U.S. softball team, Duran racked up a .300 average with six hits, five RBI and five walks without committing an error. Andrea led the national team to a gold medal at the 2007 World Championships and won back-to-back NCAA championships while at UCLA.

About CROSSFIT LA: Owned and operated by Andy Petranek, CrossFit LA has been featured in Men's Journal, Muscle & Fitness, American Fitness, Star Magazine, and was voted "best in LA" by Fox for 2008. For more information on CrossFit LA or other affiliates part of the CrossFit LA family, visit www.crossfitla.com

SOURCE CrossFit LA

Source: PR Newswire

More News in this Category