Friday, November 7, 2008

CrossFit of Naperville

Yes another functional fitness gym is opening its doors.  This time it's CrossFit of Naperville.  The location is basically 75th St, Ogden Ave, and IL-59.  They are still cleaning up some warehouse space, but planning on getting going this month.

I met the owner Neil K a few months back during stair workouts at Swallow Cliff Forest Preserve.  He discovered our workouts through an online bulletin board and decided to see what we were doing out there.  He's been a regular of ours since...packing his trunk with KBs for everyone to use.

I wish him the best of luck with this endeavor. It's no small risk opening a gym during these trying times!

On a side note: It's amazing how many fitness studios and gyms are using the functionality model as their backbone.  I keep asking myself if this is a fast growing trend, just to trail off and die like so many others we've seen in the fitness industry. I do my best at examining the issues from an objective perspective. The answer I keep settling on is "No."  CrossFit is the most mainstream of the functionality models. Affiliate gyms are opening up all over the place.  To think that last year there were 2 affiliates in Illinois, and now there are thirteen.  But that alone does not dispute functional fitness as a mere fad (it actually doesn't dispute it as a fad at all).  Here is a damning tidbit: I have yet to find someone who tries functional fitness exercises and workouts to then return to his/her former exercises and workouts.  This to me is the most convincing argument of all.  Performance and results cannot be disputed!

Within the CrossFit community I have met some of the most knowledgeable, helpful, motivating, and committed people ever. But I have also met some of the biggest, most pompous, close-minded A-holes (we'll get into that discussion later).  Don't let a few rotten apples spoil your switch to a functional fitness program.  CF-Naperville's Neil K is one of the good guys!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congrats Neil. Hope to meet you soon.
Best,
John Edmondson
CrossFit Will County

Neil said...

John,

I look froward to meeting you also. I will have to get out to your place, or get you out here some time. I am always glad to meet other Crossfitters.

Neil Khant
Crossfit of Naperville
CrossfitNaperville@gmail.com
http://crossfitnaperville.blogspot.com/