The Rise of CrossFit in the Philippines
CrossFit has always been in my bucket list of workouts to try because I wanted to discover for myself how CrossFit became the huge phenomenon it is now. It wasn’t too long ago when “The Sport of Fitness” was introduced as a “revolutionary strength and conditioning program”. Now, CrossFit has become a lifestyle for people from all walks of life – athletes, fitness enthusiasts, celebrities, and even people who have never considered working out seriously before.
The growth of the CrossFit community in the Philippines is not something to be ignored. From a single CrossFit box in 2011, there are now at least 10 CrossFit boxes in Metro Manila alone. It has already gained a foothold outside the capital too. There are budding CrossFit communities in Davao, Cebu, Bacolod, and Pampanga.
An opportunity to tick one item off my list came when CrossFit Ortigas opened near my office. I was so elated not only because I survived my first Workout of the Day (WOD), but also because I met fellow first-timers and got to hang out with CrossFit veterans.
Community-Based Workout for Filipinos
Jason Truman, owner and coach at CrossFit Ortigas, described CrossFit which was very fitting for my first experience: challenging, competitive, but definitely fun. CrossFit builds a sense of community that’s very attractive to the highly social Filipino. Antonio Sietereales, a seasoned CrossFit athlete who competed in last year’s Regionals in South Korea, attributes the growing number of CF communities in the Philippines to the natural tendency of Filipinos to come together when it comes to any kind of sports or fitness activity. “Filipinos love competition and sports in general and this naturally draws them to CrossFit.”
Struggle is part of any CrossFitter’s journey but the good news is that the people in the box are going to struggle with you. The seasoned CrossFitters work alongside first-timers but you’ll never feel an air of intimidation between them. It’s not unusual to find participants different versions of the same exercise. Moreover, it’s not unusual to hear a word or two of encouragement. Shortly after her first WOD, she was already comfortably swapping stories with the instructors and participants. People in the box naturally gravitate to each other to share tips and cheer on each other just when you’re about to give up on the last repetition.
It is the supportive CrossFit community that drives the participants to raise the level of challenge in each succeeding WOD. Trent Pruett, owner of Davao-based CrossFit DMA (Davao Made Athletes) believes that the community-oriented and relationship-driven Filipinos will flourish in this sport: “CrossFit is designed to create a community of people that come together to accomplish similar goals.”
Kelsy Velez, a CrossFit Athlete from Bacolod (CrossFit BCD), said that she and her fellow Negrenses are always up for a challenge. The community-based aspect of CrossFit really helps in turning the motivation into passion, which keeps people from different backgrounds coming back. There can be no better proof of this than the increasing number of CrossFit events that Filipinos participate in, whether in the Philippines or abroad. Check out this clip of the Manila Throwdown, a yearly competition that brings together CrossFitters in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
Holistic, Functional, and Dynamic
Jason was already pretty fit in his standards when he started doing CrossFit. There was no denying that his strength was something to be proud of but in his first WOD, he realized that he needed more endurance and stamina to finish his WOD. Therein lies the beauty of CrossFit. It aims to develop not only the strength but also the endurance, stamina, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. The burpees, for instance, cannot be completed just by mere upper body strength. You need to develop your endurance to keep up with the progression and the balance to rise from a pushup to a squat.
CrossFit marries movements from a lot of sports – running, yoga, gymnastics, calisthenics, circuit training, rowing, weightlifting, high-intensity interval training – to ensure that all physical attributes are developed to their fullest. Many athletes do CrossFit as a part of their conditioning program, like Eric Menk, who’s been doing CrossFit since 2011 to complement his grueling basketball schedule.
I’m not a professional athlete, but I’ve been dancing since I was a child. Leg power was rarely a problem for me. However, it’s a different story with my arms. I could barely climb up the fabric when I tried Aerial Silk a few weeks back. CrossFit’s holistic approach can help me enhance the flexibility I already possess while improving my upper body strength at the same time.
You don’t even have to be athletic when you start doing CrossFit. “The hardest part is when you are a beginner. It’s either you make it or break it. Thinking if your body could handle the intensity of the sport can change your decision to go further or not,” Kelsy said. But with the help of the community and experienced coaches, you will be doing exercises you think you could never do.
Future of CrossFit in the Philippines
Jason, Kelsy, Trent, and Antonio see bright prospects for this innovative sport in the country. “I believe that Filipino CrossFitters will definitely keep up to the rise of CrossFit. A Philippine team will be formed and represent the Philippines in the CrossFit games for as long as we keep that fire burning”, according to Kelsy. Keeping the fire burning is something passionate Filipinos are good at. Jason also agrees with this view. CrossFit may have originated from the West but at the rate CrossFit boxes are increasing across the country, he thinks that it wouldn’t be a surprise if there will be a massive population boom of Filipino CrossFitters in 2-3 years. Antonio thinks that Filipinos, who are sports-minded and natural fast-learners, can make a mark in regional CrossFit competitions. Trent believes in the possibility of a formidable Filipino contender in the CrossFit games in the next 5 years.
A promising future awaits CrossFit in the Philippines. The modern Filipino is now health-conscious, and the box is the ideal venue where health-conscious and people-loving Filipinos can keep fit, challenge themselves, and build a community. It doesn’t matter what fitness level you possess. As Jason and Antonio would say, the most important aspects of CrossFit are the journey and how it transforms your lifestyle. They are positive that the Filipinos’ love affair for CrossFit will grow bigger and deeper in the years to come.
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Anna Paras is full-time employee and a part-time graduate student in the University of the Philippines – Diliman. She’s also a writer for Brace Digital Solutions. Anna is a big fan of ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance. When she’s not burning the midnight oil reading her books and writing her papers, you’ll find her twirling, leaping, and stretching in the dance studio.
