Let Her Eat Clean

I love visiting new CrossFit boxes. I especially love re-visiting really good CrossFit boxes and this month saw me head back to CrossFit Cayman for a second time.

A return visit to CrossFit Cayman – but this time I succeeded in dragging my husband along too…

Every time the haters rear their heads with ‘CrossFit is bad’; ‘CrossFit promotes really awful form’; ‘CrossFit gives you injuries’ I wish I could pack them on a plane and sign them up to a WOD hosted by Matthew and Tarasa Barnett of CrossFit Cayman.

The CrossFit Cayman box is no frills functional. There’s plenty of equipment to go round, more than adequate changing facilities and WODs will leave you seriously sweaty and gasping for more / no more.

But what sets this box apart from any other is Matthew and Tarasa. On the wall as you enter the box is a certificate awarded for CrossFit coaching excellence. Even within a nanosecond of the work out beginning you’ll realise this piece of paper is deserved a thousand times over.

Matthew and Tarasa both have some truly incredible experience. As a CrossFit newbie when I first visited two years ago I remember swooning just a little bit in their presence such was their CrossFit celebrity status. But unless you’d read the blogs or their website you’d never know it. Tarasa and Matthew are humble. Like, seriously humble.

Tarasa performs every demo movement in a workout with such grace. Her form (rightfully) commands the attention of the entire room. It’s honestly like one of those YouTube videos we’re all so guilty of watching at our desk before our evening work out. I say all, on the assumption that if you’ve got this far into the post it’s safe to say you’re as big a CrossFit nerd as I am…

Matthew is the strategist with a duty of care. He sizes you up. Watches you in action during the warm up, does some rapid calculations and then the WOD is tailored to you, the athlete he cares about it. He’s big on efficiency. And whilst he’s the first to say he’s not picking on you (he picked on me! :-), a ridiculous number of strokes per minute when you’re rowing just aren’t going to cut it and he’s determined to share as much of his knowledge as he can to help you change that and get more out of your workout time and time again.

My first visit to the box this trip was for the Saturday partner WOD where I successfully managed to drag my husband along. The box had a brilliant vibe with it clearly being a popular session for all members to get their weekend work out fix. Thereafter followed a midday session (I’d do well to remind myself next time that this is the Caribbean not Cardiff and my body isn’t going to be overly grateful for being subjected to working out in such temperatures…) and several 9am classes. Those morning slots were definitely my favourite – a smaller group of those of a similar ability.

Set up for the Saturday partner WOD

Huge thanks to Matthew and Tarasa for another extremely warm and sweaty welcome; for helping me PR on linked double unders (now at 23 from a previously consistent 13) and not stepping in too soon to assist with the handstand holds meaning I managed to get up there all by myself not once, twice but three times.

Drop in sessions at CrossFit Cayman are $15 CI with taster sessions for all ages and abilities being held at 9am on Saturdays.