At Mountaincross, we train the whole athlete combining weight training, circuit training, and interval training. But I realize that is difficult to understand if you have not tried it before. So let me explain what our typical class looks like.
Our 60 minute session usually starts with mobility work. We use pressure balls or bands to mobilize the shoulders, legs, or any tight areas of the body. Then we start our warm-up. These are easy bodyweight movements to get our blood flowing and preparing muscles for training. Sometimes we mix it up with an agility ladder and jump ropes.
Our training menu changes everyday. We rotate between legs, upper body, core… so members can train their whole body through the week. We also put a lot of emphasis on cardio to strengthen the cardiovascular system that we use so much in our mountain sports. Our cardio workouts are combined with some weights to increase the intensity. An example would be – Run 200 meters, 10 push ups, 15 kettlebell swings.
If you don’t know any of these movements or how to hold a barbell – don’t worry. The coach goes through the basics at every class to make sure everyone is working out with correct form. Injury prevention is important.
Will it be hard? Well, it will be as hard as you make it. In the beginning, you will go slow, making sure you are moving with the right form. Once you get the hang of it, you can pick up the intensity and go faster and heavier. Every movement is scalable. If you can’t do a full push-up, you can use your knees. If that is hard, you can push against a box. If that is hard, you can push against a wall. Anyone can do the movements. And if you are a mountain athlete of a specific sport, we will modify some workouts in ways that would better suit you. Right now, most of our members are skiers looking forward to the season, so we are doing a whole of squats and lunges to strengthen the legs!
Who comes to the gym? We currently have a variety of men and women ranging from teenagers ~ 60’s. There are Japanese speakers and English speakers. According to our members, the best thing about the gym is the community. We have a fantastic group of motivated and active people that have fun seeing each other and getting through tough workouts together. We are happy to see that this wonderful community is growing.
We hope that answers a lot of the questions you might have about what we do at Mountaincross. But if you have more, just email us at: hakubamountaincross@gmail.com
We look forward to seeing you!