Located on La Grange Avenue just west of Sepulveda Boulevard, Golden State CrossFit is one of the newest and fastest-growing CrossFit gyms in the West Los Angeles-area. After opening its doors in February 2012, Golden State has supplemented its traditional CrossFit Workout of the Day (WOD) with classes for yoga, team workouts, speed and agility, Olympic lifting, and its most popular cross-training class, GSX.
With head trainer Nick Phillips coming from West Hollywood’s Brick CrossFit, where he created SpeedX, a group fitness class that Los Angeles Magazine awarded a Best of LA award in August 2011, it’s no surprise that a new incarnation of the high-intensity, cross-training class has been reborn at Golden State CrossFit in GSX.
Held on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday mornings at 11:30 a.m., GSX incorporates CrossFit-style movements in ever-changing formats to challenge the cardiovascular capacity of even the fitness athletes, while keeping the movements approachable to those who might starting our or adopting a new fitness routine.
Anywhere between twenty and forty members (also known as Grizzlies) attend GSX classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights, the most of any class at Golden State. The numbers show how the versatile class can appeal to both new and experienced athletes of all types. On its most popular nights, the class sizes can rival those of the most popular classes at South Bay’s popular group fitness classes at Equinox, no small feat for a gym less than a year old and a fraction of the size in terms of overall membership (and square footage!).
Like most CrossFit gyms, Golden State has an introduction/on-ramp program. Coach Jimmy Devoti recognizes that GSX can act a great supplement for new members, as it gives them the opportunity to experience the intensity of a full class, without being as concerned with lifting heavy weights or knowing all of the more complex movements that might come up in a full workout.
For those new to CrossFit or just interested in experiencing a workout, GSX certainly makes CrossFit “more accessible and less intimidating,” according to Devoti. With a resemblance to a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) classes offered in gyms and boot camps, GSX is certainly capable of challenging every person in the room, while remaining accessible to people of all skill levels. For those interested in checking out CrossFit as their main workout format, many newcomers try GSX before switching over to group classes.
Unlike fitness classes at traditional gyms that have a habit of becoming very repetitive, the format of GSX changes from class to class. From Tabata training (eight sets of twenty seconds of max effort work, followed by ten seconds of rest) to turning a traditional CrossFit workout into a Team WOD, GSX adopts the “constantly varied” mantra of CrossFit and applies it to their classes to keep them fresh. While members might not know what to expect day in and day out, they can expect a warm up, explanation of movements and standards, along with real-time coaching and encouragement cues from multiple members of the Golden State coaching staff during their 60-minute high-intensity journey.
One GSX class used a Tabata format with the following movements: Lunges while holding plates overhead, barbell push presses, rowing, high knees, plate holds in an active squat position, weighted step ups, kettlebell high pulls, and mountain climbers. For those who have attended group fitness classes before, the good part is that many of these movements will be familiar territory. Unlike many group fitness classes, however, all of these movements are either multi-joint movements or exercises that utilize significant core stability, staying true to how weights are used in CrossFit. Single joint or “vanity” movements like bicep curls, calf raises, and tricep extensions will not be found in GSX classes.
However, much like a traditional CrossFit class, Golden State coaches keep a close eye on members to make sure they’re using correct form, maintaining movement standards, and working safely at a high intensity. Since many of the movements will use lighter weights than members would normally use for sets or will be body weight or gymnastics-type movements, coaches help motivate members to work hard in order to get the most out of the workout.
Beyond the constantly varied class formats, music blasting Lil Jon and Rihanna, one of the most appealing parts of GSX is the ever-changing group format. Whether it’s working with a group of three for circuit training or being paired up with one other person for a partner workout, intense workouts seem to have a way of becoming more manageable and fun when they are being performed alongside others who literally know exactly what you are going through. Looking around the room, it’s easy to spot Grizzlies encouraging and challenging one another in a positive environment that is enforced by the energetic coaching staff at Golden State.
Whether you’re looking to try a CrossFit-style workout to see if it is for you or just want to supplement your current training with a high-intensity class with a cardio focus in West Los Angeles, Golden State CrossFit’s GSX will find infinite ways to challenge and condition athletes of all types in a fast-moving sixty minute block.