By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
GYM junkies piled into Pakenham over the weekend for an iron pumping CrossFit competition.
Manager at Australian Fitness Titles in Pakenham Chantelle McKillop said the fitness centre was buzzing with supporters and participants as 300 determined people from all over Melbourne took on the five workout stations.
“All up, we had about 1000 people here, we started at 7am and competed until 4pm,” Ms McKillop said.
Opening in 2013, the training centre is the biggest in Victoria and holds seven competitions each year.
Ms McKillop said the crowd pushed many to achieve personal bests.
“This was our third event this year, and it was such a success; there was a great vibe, the crowd was really motivating- we set up a grandstand and for many this was the first time they have competed in front of such a big crowd,” she said.
A mix between weightlifting, gymnastics and cardio the day involved squats, handstand walks and burpees and participants were judged on their every move.
“Every movement has a standard that they have to meet, for example a squat has to be low enough,” Ms McKillop said.
Athletes had to place high scores for every pit stop to be able to win the competition.
“Each work out is worth 20 per cent of your overall score, we had heats of 15 pairs and each workout would be about five to 10 minutes long,” she said.
The Pakenham Australian Fitness Titles coaches judged the day, and Ms McKillop said athletes and people without a fitness background could join CrossFit.
“Absolutely anyone can do it, no matter their age or fitness level, CrossFit practises movements that we do in everyday life at a high level of intensity to maximize results and the workouts are never the same.
“We run coached classes unlike a regular gym where you do your own thing, and people get addicted because they learn and do things they never thought they could do such as Olympic weightlifting and gymnastics and the encouraging community environment means we’re always having a good laugh,” she said.
Pakenham participants failed to place at the podium, but Ms McKillop said they would be back to try again at their January competition.
