That's Fit

My cousin was a Rollergirl. She's not anymore but in her day, "Dirty Deeds" tore up the Texas track -- or so I've heard. I'm impressed by what she accomplished during her reign, especially after hitting the roller rink with my kids the other day. I haven't skated much since those long-ago high school Friday nights and so I was a bit rusty. After an hour or so, I got the hang of it -- sort of -- but it's clear that I'm a long way from a knock-down-drag-out skating experience. How ever do Rollergirls do it? According to former Texas Rollergirl Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan, cross training is key.

"There's been a focus on cross-training since it's gotten more competitive," Joulwan tells Austin Fit magazine. "Different injuries show up over and over. There's a lot of off-the-track conditioning: squats, lunges, pushups; basic resistance-training exercises. Some girls focus on running because it builds up their endurance. Swimming is a good one because it's nice to get in the water after being bashed around on the track. Some girls also do yoga because it is helps with injury prevention."

That's not all.

From pull-ups, to sit-ups, to heaving tractor tires end over end, this is a fitness routine for the really dedicated. CrossFit was originally designed as a workout military, police, champion martial artists and others who required serious strength conditioning. The program is moving into gyms and is available for the average Joe now.

There are no shiny, fancy machines required for this workout. All that's needed is a mat for floor exercise, a climbing rope, jump ropes, various weights, and a few other key ingredients. The workouts are short -- only 10 to 20 minutes -- but they're intense. There's no rest between exercises, it's move-move-move from station to station. You'll work your abs, arms, shoulders, legs, glutes... basically you'll work everything! Even though it's an "elite" fitness program, anyone can join. The instructor will assess your fitness level and determine the exercises that are best for you. Prepare to be challenged -- and be all that you can be!