IMAGES: Sergio Betancort
Moving at high intensity and at an interval pace through functional exercises and wide variability. These are the hallmarks of the most widespread training system in the world in recent years and which now lands on the island under the name of CrossFit Lanzarote.
This has been explained by the responsible trainer, Carmen Vicente Cabañas, an elite athlete internationally recognized for her sporting achievements. At just 26 years old, she faces the challenge of implementing the most efficient training system known to date on the island. In it, exercises from athletics, Olympic gymnastics and weightlifting are mixed. It is not purely a gym. There is no room for boredom because it is always different. Every day, a new challenge.
"We take great care of the personal and close treatment with our users, continuously adapting the training progressively to the improvements obtained. In the case of suffering any type of injury or specific clinic, we have the support and supervision of Oliver Hernández, our physiotherapist and promoter of the idea of bringing this sport closer to the island of Lanzarote, allowing the practice to be carried out in a controlled and safe manner", assure those responsible.
Anyone, regardless of their age and physical condition, can practice CrossFit. The needs of a professional athlete are the same as those of any amateur, varying only the load and intensity of the exercises. "I have teenage boys, overweight people, mothers in their 40s and 50s, firefighters, police officers or elite athletes," says Carmen Vicente Cabañas.
Although the one who has to achieve the set goal is oneself, the circuit is done as a team and against the clock. The instructor designs a circuit - different each day - that the athletes must complete in the shortest possible time. The exercises include weightlifting, dumbbell squats, running around the gym, throwing medicine balls or 'kettlebells' (Russian weights). In short, functional movements and varied high-intensity workouts designed with a single purpose: to improve physical condition.
CrossFit Lanzarote has been running since last Monday, but on Friday it held a very original inauguration, with a Harlem Shake. The facilities are located at Calle Guenia, number 8 in Arrecife. More information can be found on the website www.crossfitlanzarote.com
