07 June 2012
The NEC Group’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Board Member John Hornby joined Reebok ambassador Christine Bleakley on Saturday 2 June at Centenary Square, Birmingham to cheer on the competitors at the very first Reebok CrossFit® Fitness Championships; a competition that challenges people of all levels and abilities to test their fitness using CrossFit®, a program designed to help people gain a broad and general fitness.
The first sign that Centenary Square was being taken over by the Reebok CrossFit® Fitness Championships appeared Friday, when a red Reebok shipping container arrived on site. Having been given a royal makeover for Jubilee weekend, it was the perfect backdrop for members of the public to meet CrossFit® trainers and have the opportunity to try CrossFit exercises for themselves.
John, who is a keen sportsman, went along to watch the championships and have a go at the extreme fitness programme himself. Commenting on the event John said: “It was great to see the enthusiasm of everyone who competed in the event today. The CrossFit programme is unique and it certainly captured the interest of the significant number of Birmingham people who took time out to watch the competition during the day.”
The Championships were based on the methodology of CrossFit®, the revolutionary strength and conditioning program developed by Greg Glassman and one of the fastest growing fitness movements in the world. Glassman’s unique brand of fitness incorporates many elements of traditional sport, which is one reason why CrossFit is known as the Sport of Fitness. To finish at the top, competitors must complete the three stages of the competition: Qualification; Competitor Training; and Championships.
The field was whittled down from hundreds to just the top 30 men and women in the country, who were all competing for a range of cash prizes, Reebok endorsement deals and much more, the finale was contested to a very high standard.
Christine spoke about her passion for fitness and CrossFit®, “I’ve had such a great day and I’m really glad I was able to be part of the Reebok CrossFit® Fitness Championships. The competitors have demonstrated such remarkable levels of fitness today! I’ve become a big fan of CrossFit® – it offers a short, intense workout and you really feel like you’ve worked your whole body. I get bored doing of the same exercises all the time and with CrossFit®, I never do the same WOD twice so it’s perfect. There’s lots of camaraderie at the heart of CrossFit®, and that community spirit was definitely on show today.”
Feeling inspired by the competitors, Christine also put her level of fitness to the test going up against Capital Breakfast host Dan Kelly, in a WOD, or Workout of the Day, to see who could perform the most squats and burpees, some of the key functional movements at the heart of CrossFit®, in just 60 seconds. Not to be outdone, spectators also witnessed British Olympic gymnast Craig Heap showcase his physical strength and stamina by demonstrating ‘muscle ups’, one of the signature gymnastic movements featured in CrossFit®, using Olympic gymnastics rings.
The 2012 Reebok CrossFit® Fitness Championships is a global series of events which will take place in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. These events will help lay the foundation for the international expansion of the CrossFit® Games, an annual, world-wide search for the Fittest on Earth™. Reebok is the title sponsor of the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games, which began with the 2012 Reebok CrossFit® Open on February 22, and will conclude with a three-day event final on July 13-15 at the Home Depot Centre in Carson City, Calif. For more information, please visit http://www.crossfitgames.com.