Crossfit in Lewes turns weakness to strength

The shouts of encouragement coming from Crossfit Lewes make the small garage-gym sound like a boot camp. Trainers count off the last repetitions in one final, grueling set of squats; afterwards, sweat-soaked clients rise slowly to their feet, shaky but smiling.

Crossfit isn’t your typical gym, said trainer Kris Carper – there’s no milling around by the weight bench. What most workouts do in an hour, she said, Crossfit can accomplish in 20 minutes.

“Egos don’t walk in the door at Crossfit,” she said, explaining how the gym encourages clients to work out their weaknesses and develop rounded strength. “You can be a marathoner, but that doesn’t mean you can come in and do five pull-ups,” she said.

Crossfit is tucked into a garage off Route 9 in Lewes’ Belltown neighborhood. Morning commuters often see squads jogging down the road, warming up for an intense workout.

With high ceilings and a cement floor, the garage has the Spartan feel of an aircraft hangar. There’s no air conditioning, Carper said – Crossfitters work out in the elements, sweating and stressing their bodies without the luxury of regulated temperatures.

“It’s old school,” she said. “You’re going to get a little dirty.”

The martial intensity might sound intimidating, Carper said, but Crossfit is results-driven. The program pays off not only in toned muscles but also in increased energy and confidence, she said.

“They just cannot believe what they can accomplish in the amount of time,” she said of her clients. “And to see those results just makes my job even better. It’s very rewarding to see clients not only physically change, but mentally change.”

Of Crossfit’s three trainers, Carper confesses she isn’t the runner – she’ll get it done, she said, but she doesn’t relish pounding out the miles. Owner Meredith Simmons is more of a distance runner, completing her first half-marathon last year. Dion Lamb, a Crossfit trainer for less than a year, brings the zeal of a fresh convert to his clients.

Because Crossfit scales workouts to individual ability, no one gets any slack. Everyone sweats together.

“It’s a very community-driven fitness regimen,” she said. “There’s real camaraderie among our 90 clients. You have beginners busting their butts just as hard as the elite Crossfitters.”

Crossfit is an international organization with five affiliates in Delaware. Its webpage emphasizes Carper’s insistence that weaknesses be targeted and turned into strengths: “Our specialty is not specializing,” thei credo reads. “Combat, survival, many sports and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.”

Simmons said Crossfit doesn’t shun marathoners – they just need to get comfortable with a pull-up bar.

“We don’t specialize in anything – we’re good at everything. The whole point is really to engage the body and allow it to be fit overall.”

The gym is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 7 .m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Call Meredith Simmons at 302-462-5176