SouthShore residents looking for a way to reach their fitness goals have some new options this month. CrossFit Apogee is under new ownership and has even more to offer its members.
According to owner Rich Pond, who bought the gym last month, Apogee is expanding its offerings to attract people of all fitness levels.
“We offer coached fitness for everyone and we start where ‘you’ are,” he said. “The CrossFit conditioning model is scalable to all levels, which is why it is so popular and effective.”
Pond, who started CrossFit himself four years ago at the age of 52 as a way to spend time with his wife, lost 25 pounds and six inches off his waist in six months after starting the workouts.
“At the time I was 185 pounds, had just quit smoking and thought I was in pretty good shape,” he said. “I am also a below-the-knee amputee and while I have always been active, my CrossFit progress was probably slower than most people because I had to adapt some of the movements.”
At a doctor’s visit six months after starting the workouts, Pond was taken off Lipitor and other cholesterol medicines and even convinced his doctor to start CrossFit. Soon after that, he decided to become a certified CrossFit coach and began competing in CrossFit competitions, mostly with a group of other adaptive athletes.
“Others like me are considered Adaptive CrossFitters because our movements are sometimes modified to match the original intent of the workout,” he said.
Under Pond’s leadership, Apogee, a 5,000 sq. ft. air-conditioned facility and one of only 300 Reebok endorsed gyms, is now offering high-intensity conditioning, a weightlifting program, nutritional guidance and counseling, yoga for athletic recovery, FemStrong (low-intensity conditioning) and jujitsu.
“We are also structuring some boot camp cardio workout programs aimed at our work-from-home neighbors, those that need a fast 45 minute cardio workout and kickboxing warrior programs on the weekends,” said Pond.
“CrossFit Apogee is about helping people live better lives,” said Pond. “Fitness needs to be your lifelong mission, not some weightless goal set one month and forgotten the next.”
To sign up for a free class, call 677-1234 or visit www.cfapogee.com. CrossFit Apogee is located at 7130 Big Bend Rd. in Gibsonton.
