SECT CrossFit Opens in Gristmill Plaza [with VIDEO]

Randy Tarasevich was working at the now-defunct Y in Norwich when a kid came in and told him to check out CrossFit.

And Tarasevich did.

He checked it out, and he was interested. He showed it to his wife, Kasey.

“Oh, my God,” she recalls saying. “People are doing this kind of stuff?”

PEOPLE ARE INDEED doing it, and now, they’re doing it in Montville, at SECT CrossFit in the Gristmill Plaza on the Norwich New-London Turnpike.

CrossFit is a different kind of exercise. A different approach. A whole different vibe. The facility looks different, and it operates differently.

The room is large, and covered with a rubber surface, broken at regular intervals by wooden panels, which are weight-lifting areas. There are a few stationary bikes and a few rowing machines, but not the lines and lines of equipment you see in many gyms.

At the far end of the room is a steel structure where ropes dangle, and with bars for chin-ups and other exercises. Weights and weighted boxes line one wall.

No matter what your fitness level, the exercise is intense - but it is scalable, Randy says. Modifiable.

A workout involves the entire body, using exercises that are geared to help with daily living.

There is no routine. Your session is different every day, though it involves the same general types of exercise.

There are free weights, calisthenics, and aerobic exercises, but put together in a variety of patterns.

A typical workout might be:

• Eight front squats with weights
• Eight pull-ups
• A run at top speed out into the Gristmill Plaza and back
• A four-minute rest
• Repeat the program four more times.

And that’s your workout. Next time you come in, you’ll have weight and cardio challenges, but they’ll be different ones, in different combinations.

SECT CROSSFIT had its home in Baltic for four years, and was the first CrossFit on the eastern side of the Connecticut River, Randy says. Clients came from Baltic, Norwich, Ledyard and Preston. The move to Montville, the Taraseviches hope, will get them more visibility, and access to a wider client base.

CrossFit is growing in the area, in the country and internationally, he says. There are CrossFits in New London and in Groton, and there’s no limit to the number that could open in the area. There is also no regimentation to how the affiliates structure their programs. If you look on the CrossFit site,  you’ll see some people lifting weights, some people pushing giant tires over, some people dragging what look like fire hoses.

There are CrossFit Games, and regional fitness events. CrossFit and Reebok have joined forces.

In some ways, this feels like the future of fitness.

RANDY SAYS THAT while the program is intense, it is geared for the average person, and it benefits the average person.

The average CrossFit client is 40 or older, is educated, and has a career. He or she does not have a lot of time, but wants to get in shape.

The program, Randy says, is efficient in terms of time. A 45-minute session includes the warm-up, routine and cool-down.

“It’s efficient for results, too. Very effective for fat loss,” he says.

CROSSFIT COSTS between $70 and $180 a month. The $70 rate gets you one session a week for that month. The $180 gets you unlimited sessions. You have to commit to three, six, nine or 12 months; the commitment encourages you to use the service, Randy says.

Every client gets personal attention, personal training.

“We like to train people,” Randy says.

In addition to the adult programs, there’s a youth fitness program, that’s involved kids as young as 7. The focus for teens is on speed, power and strength development.

CrossFit is open seven days a week, various hours, but generally from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Anyone who is interested may have a free session before deciding whether to enroll.