Across the board, interest in fitness has taken on a whole new perspective. And one fitness program is pushing the limits even further.

CrossFit is fitness to the 100 power. Created by California resident, Greg Glassman, the strength and conditioning program is hard work, but no one ever said getting results would be easy.

Don’t expect treadmills, cabled machines, curls, or crunches because this new breed of training laughs at your run-of-the-mill workout styles.

Expect kettlebells, climbing ropes, plyo-boxes, gymnastic rings, tractor tires, rowing ergometers and more.

With nothing but consistency and fun in mind, CrossFit utilizes interval training by packaging Olympic-style weightlifting, bodyweight calisthenics, metabolic conditioning and sports all into a one hour session.

“What really sets this apart from the typical commercialized gym setting is how we deliver this total fitness package,” says CrossFit Fort Myers training coach Jason Cobb. “CrossFit is so effective thanks to the constant variety of workouts and exercises we perform. We focus exclusively on complex full-body movements that allow for high power output and we manage workouts much like mini-sporting events.”

The athletes in this program combine multiple and diverse physical skills in order to reach ultimate fitness and health. Each patron is taught basic and advanced gymnastics moves in order to maximize the strength and flexibility of the body. An emphasis is also placed on Olympic weightlifting in order to develop power, control over objects, and motor recruitment patterns. Lastly, the athletes are encouraged to take part in various sports to express and apply their fitness.

Drills make up the CrossFit program. Everything from rowing, squatting, push-ups, presses to handstands, medicine ball throws, and jumping rope are typical exercises used to increase fitness.

“One of the first CrossFit benchmark workouts we perform is “Nancy,” five rounds for time of a 400 meter run and 95-lb overhead squats for 15 repetitions,” Cobb explains. “This particular workout demands finesse and control while operating in the upper threshold of your cardiovascular/ respiratory capacity. The 400 meter sprints wind you, and the overhead squats place an extremely high neuromuscular demand on your body.”

These varied and high-intensity functional movements asked to be performed through numerous physical tasks make the program unique. The idea here is to make any and everyone who practices CrossFit an athlete— someone trained or skilled in strength, power, balance, agility, flexibility and endurance (6 of the programs general physical skills).

Many will think this revolutionary look at health is only for the toughest, but the endless number of routines CrossFit uses will work for Olympic athlete’s, as well as for elderly individuals. Focusing on the ten principles of the program, workouts are scaled and intensified to meet a person’s skills.

Every session with a CrossFit coach is performed in a small, semi-private training studio. Classes include less than ten people. Everyone’s workout is the same. Written on a dry-erase board, names and times show people’s progress and unprecedently motivate them to perform better.

“Each class is unique thanks to the variety of exercises, and you sweat beside committed people of all shapes and sizes,” says Jane V. Charles, one of CrossFit Fort Myers elite. “Everyone is an athlete. As the uncoordinated nerd who was picked last in gym class, this alone keeps me coming back. My increasing leanness and the spring in my step after class have sealed the deal!”

With a minimum trial of three months training with the program, patrons start seeing results. As a CrossFit coach and patron himself, Cobb recommends at least three sessions a week to truly reap the benefits of training, and four to five sessions for optimal outcome.

Starting up is simple. Five, one-hour sessions for $100 gives athletes a taste of what fitness parameters the program contains, as well as help Cobb assess an individuals training needs.

The benefits of these state-of-the-art coaching and training methods have proven to be extraordinary. Cobb explained that CrossFit is “evidence-based” fitness, grown, developed and supported by empirical data, clinical testing, and a collaborative effort from hundreds of coaches, trainers and athletes.

“CrossFit is a real program,” he adds. “There is no “fluff”. We do what has been proven to work, and we are committed to advancing the art and science of human performance. It’s a quality program, period.”

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