JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Expect the unexpected.
That might be the best advice for those who wander into the new CrossFit room at Mc-Veigh Sports and Fitness Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Lewis Main, looking for a workout.
"You never know what you're going to get," said Col. Steve Donaldson. "I think it's really a great program."
Sure, you'll get a great workout. Just what path Susan Jackson, a personal trainer and certified CrossFit instructor, sends you down on any given day is another matter, however. She can reach into her exercise grab bag for any number of moves designed to work on your strength, flexibility and stamina.
And Jackson will be watching you.
"She hovers over me and doesn't let me cheat," Donaldson said. "I can't get away from her."
Jackson has been working with individuals to this point but will begin offering CrossFit classes next week. She plans to hold them Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 a.m. and noon. Jackson said she expects the classes, with instruction, to last 45 minutes.
"The guys are loving it," Jackson said. "The response (to) it is overwhelming. They're enjoying it."
Count Donaldson among them. The longtime fitness devotee started with Jackson weeks ago and is sold on the CrossFit concept.
"I go in and see her twice a week," said Donaldson, an avid cyclist and runner. "We've had some spirited sessions. I think it's fantastic."
The workouts are timed, and results are posted on the wall of the CrossFit room.
"It's you against yourself and the clock," Donaldson said. "It's all individual, and it's all on you."
Because of difficulty he's been having with a tendon in his shoulder, Jackson modifies Donaldson's workouts. That's not an unusual situation in CrossFit.
"We have to modify a lot of things, but that's OK," Jackson said. "because there's so many different ... exercises, it doesn't matter. We can modify it."
With or without modification, Jackson will tell you that perfection won't be achieved in the CrossFit room.
"I guarantee you, everbody's not good at all of them," Jackson said. "Guess what' You're not the only one out there (who) can't do something."
For information on the CrossFit room at McVeigh Sports and Fitness Center, contact Susan Jackson at susan.jackson8@us.army.mil.
Bob Reinert is assistant editor of Joint Base Lewis-McChord's weekly newspaper, the Northwest Gaurdian
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