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Tuesday, August 14, 2007

The Totally Biased My Trainer Kicks Ass Interview with CrossfitNYC's Allison Bojarski



I have so much I could say about my friend/personal trainer/fellow cupcake blogger Allison Bojarski we would hardly need the interview, so I’ll try to be succinct. I met Allison in 2004 through bloggy goodness, back when she was The Brazilian Muse. She was surprised she hadn’t realized I was topless in my Gothamist interview photo. And from that and many other conversations, a friendship was born.

Allison is one of the smartest people I know, and by that I mean book smart and people smart. She can talk about almost any topic and when she talks about the things she knows well, like fitness, or baking, or Brazilian music, she does so with an intensity that’s unmatched. She has insight into people she knows well as well as those she’s just met and gives really unparalleled advice. I also admire anyone who has quit a job they hate to pursue something they love. Part of why I love training with her at CrossfitNYC is that she is not only incredibly encouraging and supportive of both my strengths and weaknesses, but she also gives me the reasoning behind the various exercises. It’s not just “do this and you’ll gain muscle” or whatever. She often tries to relate the exercises back to real life, which helps keep me motivated.

I can’t recommend Allison as a trainer highly enough. I realize I’m biased so I won’t try to sound like I’m not, but put it this way: I was thrilled when I could lift my 12-pound dumbbell or walk across the Williamsburg Bridge before I started at Crossfit, but couldn’t do a situp without major groaning. Now I do situps with a 10-pound medicine ball, squat with 170 pounds on my back, and know that my back is for more than schlepping super heavy bags around. And when I said about “supportive of both my strengths and weaknesses,” I meant that she takes my feedback into account when designing our workouts. She certainly pushes me to do my best and to do things I didn’t think I could do, but, for instance, box jumps terrify me. I envision myself tripping over the box and bashing my knee or shin. I would love to be able to do them but the time spent on them just wasn’t efficient because I took so long before each jump. So we don’t do those anymore, though maybe we’ll get back to it at some point.

The whole atmosphere at CrossfitNYC, aka The Black Box, is incredibly welcoming. I love that it’s a place where Tess can say that kettle bell swings would be good for pegging, and not only can I tell Allison, but she’ll tell the other trainers. I love that we can joke about porn or periods or general silliness, but then cut right back to the important work when we need to. I love seeing people really pushing themselves and trying to live up to their full potential rather than just accepting the status quo. I love that people do vodka shots before working out. I love the sense that everyone is pursuing a similar goal of fitness, even if on an individual level that breaks down to umpteen very different goals. I’m just truly impressed with the people at Crossfit, and I know I would never have stepped foot in someplace like that without Allison. I’ve gotten to see various training styles and I think hers works best for me though I can benefit from the others as well. I like the sense of community Crossfit fosters, where people I’ve just met will help spot me and offer helpful advice. I like that the word “respect” is not just something on a t-shirt but something we’re encouraged to have at all times, most especially for ourselves and for the work we’re doing there. Where there is a real camaraderie amongst the staff and clientele, to the point that I sometimes forget it’s a business. As you can see from some of these photos, they take their workouts seriously, but they also have fun with them. Read on for some of Allison’s philosophy toward exercise, and feel free to contact her at allison at crossfitnyc.com or visit Crossfitnyc.com for info about upcoming Elements (beginners) classes.

How did you become involved with Crossfit and what appealed to you about it?

I had already started working as a personal trainer at one of New York's big-box corporate gyms and I was pretty unimpressed with the quality of trainers and in-house education there. In the (too) many hours I spend online, I came across some reputable fitness blogs talking about the benefits of CrossFit-style training and I decided to learn more about it from CrossFit's website. I liked their idea of a "broad and inclusive fitness," so I decided to check if there was a CrossFit affiliate in New York City. It turned out that CrossFit NYC had just opened their own facility a month earlier (January '07), so I stopped by and did a workout that, halfway through, I doubted I would be able to finish. My muscles were screaming at me, my breath was gone, I was almost in a panic. The feeling of accomplishment I had when I finished successfully was one I had never quite felt before. In that moment, I knew I not only wanted to train there as a member, I wanted to work there as an instructor and a personal trainer.

CrossfitNYC bills itself as a "Hostile Workout Environment." What does that mean as a philosophy and in practice?

Well, we try not to take ourselves too seriously, so that catchphrase is meant to capture the gallows humor inherent to CrossFit. Misery loves company and we do the type of hellish workouts where our members need one another's support and camaraderie to not only get through the workout but do so better than they ever imagined they could. When we do the monthly CrossFit Total, where members get a chance to test their one-rep maximum on the back squat, deadlift, and shoulder press the cheering screams of support seem to be able to move bars that seem immovable. I know I'd never have posted my most recent numbers--180-pound squat, 215-pound deadlift, 90-pound shoulder press--without that kind of encouragement. When was the last time someone cheered you on at your gym?



Why is the gym called the "Black Box?"

We are CrossFit NYC and we call the physical space that is our gym the Black Box. The term "black box" refers to systems where we do not know the inner workings of how and why things happen, we only know the inputs and outputs. With CrossFit-style training, we know the inputs: high-intensity, functional movements across broad time and modal domains. And we see the outputs: improved cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. And while exercise science lags woefully behind actual athletic training knowledge of your average coach of elite athletes, CrossFitters don't see the need to wait around for scientific proof of how and why this stuff works. We just do it because we see the results.



You've worked at other New York City gyms; how does CrossFit compare and contrast to them, both as a training program and as an employer?

It's like night and day. Big-box gyms rely on expensive marketing to convince people to join their shiny, fancy facilities and then pray that most of the members won't show up. CrossFit gyms turn that paradigm on its head: our equipment is old-fashioned, not flashy: barbells, kettlebells, pull-up bars; our sales pitch is, try a free class or two and decide if you want to join on a month-to-month basis with no long-term contracts or obligations. The four guys who co-own and operate CrossFit NYC--Joshua Newman, Court Wing, Keith Wittenstein, and Michael Pommerening--do so out of their passion for the CrossFit methology, not to get rich. Working for and with them has been nothing but an enlightening, entertaining journey thus far.

Is there a certain type of person who makes a good client? Do you screen your clients and if so, what traits are you looking for?

I prefer clients who are positive and motivated, ready to try new things and excited at the prospect of pushing their limits. However, that being said, I've found that one of my particular strengths as a trainer comes in being able to cultivate that fighting spirit in clients who have never before thought of themselves as athletic, coordinated, strong, or fast. I'm not a miracle worker, but I do have a lot of passion for our training methodology at the Black Box, and I do my best to convey that to clients.

How does your personal marathon running and workout routine fit in with your job as a trainer?

Well, my marathon training thus far has mostly consisted of CrossFit workouts. I used to run miles and miles per week but with a chronic Achilles tendonitis injury, I'm trying to do as little mileage as possible while still getting ready for the marathon so as to avoid a full-blown recurrence of said injury. I just want to complete the marathon (this will be my first ever), not be competitive at it, as that distance is not my favorite (I prefer 5Ks, 10Ks, and the occasional half-marathon). I may even have to drop out if my ankle doesn't cooperate--I have no desire to permanently cripple myself just to be able to say I ran the NYC Marathon.

Your blog's motto is "it doesn't have to be fun to be fun." How do you motivate yourself to exercise when you don't feel like it?

I think about how good I will feel when a workout is over. I have never regretted a workout, so I just think about that feeling of accomplishment and well-being that comes with the afterglow of an intense training session. It doesn't hurt that I've got clients, fellow trainers, and members who'd ask me where I'd been if I didn't show up for workouts on a regular basis.

What's the biggest mistake new clients or exercisers make when trying to get in shape? Is there anything people should or shouldn't do to prevent injuries as well as ensure they'll stick with their program once the initial euphoria wears off?

Overdoing a first workout to the point where you can't walk down the stairs for a week is a sure-fire way of never wanting to work out again, which is why I always encourage clients and new members to ease their way into our workouts, especially if they haven't been doing any sort of training previously. To prevent injuries I require proper form and full range of motion of functional movements such as squats, deadlifts, pull-ups and push-ups. In addition we train all parts of the body equally--for any pushing, their should be equal pulling; for any ab work, their must be sufficient back exercises; etc. And finally I insist that a client master simple movements before advancing to intermediate and then complex movements, which is why I'm so excited about our new month-long Elements class for beginners, in which we work with new members on all the CrossFit fundamentals so that they're prepared for our workouts, whatever they might entail.

You are part of the blog Cupcakes Take the Cake (with me!) and are known to bake a mean (not to mention spicy) cupcake and are interested in dining at New York's finest restaurants. Do you feel your interest in food is at odds with your ideas about personal fitness?

Not at all! I've always loved cooking, baking, and eating well. Just because I believe in an active, healthy lifestyle doesn't mean I'd deny myself the pleasure of delicious food. For my own nutritional sanity, I do my best to eat in a healthy fashion for about 90% of my diet (various animal protein sources, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds, with little in the way of grains, starches, and refined sugars) so that I can indulge in the occasional homemade cupcake or fancy meal out. In fact, I find that those who deny themselves of yummy food are either miserable and/or end up pigging out on junk in the end. Better to figure out what you can and cannot live without and then figure out how to fit it into your diet in a way that is manageable.

You got your blogging start at/as The Brazilian Muse. Where did your Brazilian music obsession get started and what are your favorite local spots for feeding your muse?

I had first been exposed to Brazilian music in college but I happened to pick up some Brazilian compilation CDs right around the time I moved to New York, which was nine years ago. I fell in love with the music and sought it out in the city, figuring it shouldn't be too hard to find Brazilians and Brazilian-music fans, which it wasn't. I love to dance, too, so I learned to samba. I had studied Spanish and Latin in school, so when I'd listen to the Portuguese-language lyrics, I wanted to learn how to speak that language, which I taught myself a bit of, and that further fed my interest in the music, culture, and people of Brazil.

My favorite place for Brazilian music is Black Betty's Brazilian Beat Brooklyn, a party that's been going on for over five years now and is still one of the most unpretentious, fun Sunday nights you can have in this city. I also would recommend Nublu on Wednesday nights, and Zinc Bar is a great place to catch live Brazilian music such as The Choro Ensemble, who play there every Thursday night.

What's been your best celebrity sighting in New York?

Getting spanked by Bill Murray!

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