Fitness … to the extreme

Long Beach resident and surfer Raymond Smith said he was looking for a way to shed some pounds to get in better shape — and get lighter on his board.

Instead of joining a gym, Smith said, he was searching for a place where he would not only be able to stick to a structured workout regimen, but also get motivated.

So, last October, Smith joined CrossFit King of the Beach, a new gym at 901 W. Beech St. CrossFit training is an intense strength and conditioning program that incorporates weightlifting, calisthenics, sprints and other exercises usually performed in groups that are constantly varied.

Since he joined, Smith, who is 5 feet 9, has dropped from 210 to 178 pounds. “I couldn’t do one pull-up when I first started,” he said, “and it got me to a point where I can string together 25 pull-ups in a row.”

Smith is one of roughly 130 members who have joined CrossFit since it opened last fall. Although the training has its share of critics — some say that the potential for injury is high because it involves repetitive, heavy weightlifting to the point of exhaustion — its popularity has grown across the country over the last several years. And people swear that the program has changed their lives.

“Every day I show up for a workout, I feel like I’m getting on the start line of race,” said member Shaun Cleary. “It’s that sort ofexcitement that keeps me coming back. The biggest difference between the CrossFit training program and a traditional gym has to be the intensity. Plenty of people can hop on a treadmill and run for 30 minutes and break a sweat. Are they really working hard and pushing themselves? No. I’ve done some CrossFit workouts that have lasted for less than 10 minutes, and they’ve been more challenging and taxing on me than a full marathon.”