Trojan CrossFit helps build strength with intense workout

A beautiful, wide and open warehouse in the middle of the Arts District, Trojan CrossFit, has prime realty, and they certainly know it. In fact, my class wasn’t the first time I had encountered the gym. I first came across Trojan CrossFit a couple of months ago while having brunch with some friends at Urth Caffé next door. Though I was intrigued by people running past the cafe and hauling medicine balls, as well as one Scott Eastwood look-alike, in particular, I didn’t put the two together until my recent class.

Upon entering the building, I’m not sure if I was more intimidated by the equipment or all the muscles I saw. Though I knew that CrossFit produced a certain type of body — and by certain type of body, I mean ripped — some part of me was still shocked. Looking around at all the weights, rowing machines, ropes, bars and boxes, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep up but was determined to try my best. After all, most of these jacked-up people in the gym must have started somewhere.

With that, I began my first class. Though the gym offers several different variations of CrossFit classes, I took the WarriorFit class, which is meant for more of a beginner crowd. My instructor Lauren, also a USC alumna, certainly tried her best to accommodate my lack of knowledge as well as my lack of muscle. The interesting thing about CrossFit, as Lauren informed me, is that you never repeat the same workout twice. The day’s workout is written in chalk on the blackboard wall and varies day to day. Though some of the exercises remain the same, you’ll never be doing the same workout in the same order.

With Lauren’s explanation, we began the class with warm-ups. Lauren split the class into three groups to start — three sets of a 100 meter row, seven inch worms and seven jump squats. Though I count jump squats as one of the worst exercises in the history of exercises, the warm-up surprisingly wasn’t that bad. I blew through the warm-up with ease, gaining confidence in my ability to keep up with CrossFit.

Once we completed the warm-up, Lauren had the class stretch out, starting with some lunges on the grass. These lunges, however, weren’t regular lunges; we had to contort our bodies like acrobats, stretching our forearms to the grass with each lunge. As we continued to stretch before the real workout began, I looked around the room at all these buff CrossFitters, thinking for sure what I lacked in strength and muscle mass, I’d no doubt make up for in flexibility. I was wrong. To my left, one of the biggest, buffest guys in the class folded himself over like a pretzel while I struggled to reach past my ankles.

With that, we began the real workout — a combination of five different exercises to be repeated seven times: one 100 meter run from the gym to the corner past Urth Caffé, five wall walks, 10 box jumps, 15 toes-to-bars and 20 ball slams. Since the class was so big, Lauren split us up into two groups — assigning one group to do the workout in order and the other to do it backwards. Lauren demonstrated the routine carefully, and with each demonstration I knew completing the workout would definitely be a challenge — the writing was literally and figuratively on the wall.

Besides my poor form, which Lauren was quick to correct, I found the ball slams both the easiest and most satisfying part of the workout. Lauren was right — this was the place to release the day’s aggression. The workout got harder as I transitioned from toes to bar, no doubt a consequence of not actually being able to reach the bar with my toes. Lauren quickly came around to guide me through the bars with some pointers: The wider I held my hands on the bar, the less space I would need to go to tuck my legs into my stomach. The box jumps were next, made easier by my step stool, followed by the wall walks, which surprisingly weren’t as bad as they seemed. Positioned in a pushup position with my feet touching the wall, I used what little strength I still had after the bar to take steps up the wall, slowly walking my hands toward my feet. Two and a half feet is about as close as I got to the wall, but considering the intensity of the workout, it was A-OK in my book. Anyone who knows me knows I hate running, but the 100 meter run was a like a gift from God. I don’t want to admit I was hiding, but I definitely used this time outside of the gym to regroup before going in for another set, trying my best to avoid the temptations of Urth Caffé.

After six sets, hearing the bell ring was music to my ears. We concluded the class with some ab work, alternating between slow bicycles and rocking our bodies back and forth. Core exercises are definitely my favorite part of any workout; I find them fun and they also usually signal the end of class. By the end of class I was absolutely exhausted — I definitely had trouble keeping up with this combination of strength and endurance but enjoyed the challenge.

Though the drop-in classes are only available for experienced CrossFit students, the gym offers a variety of packages for those looking to join the Trojan CrossFit family. For those without experience but still looking for a high intensity workout like the one I took, the gym offers $129 per month for unlimited WarriorFit classes. Trojan CrossFit also offers a student discount for $150 per month for unlimited standard CrossFit workouts, in addition to several other class programs and packages.

Jennifer Drysdale is a senior majoring in communication. Her column, “Gym Class Hero,” runs every Wednesday.