ROAR, Bushwick. September is here but no matter what angle I choose to look at my weather app, it doesn’t feel like fall to me. And you know what that means… The beach body parade continues!
And so for those of you who care about being well, feeling great, and looking like a rockstar as a bonus, I have some good news! The first crossfit gym, Caype Athletics in Bushwick/East Williamsburg area opened two weeks ago in an industrial space on Stagg Street off Montrose L train stop!
Wait a minute. You don’t know what Crossfit is? It is a physical exercise and philosophy (as well as a competitive fitness sport), which incorporates elements of high-intensity interval training, olympic weightlifting, plyometrics, powerlifting, gymnastics, girevoy sport, calisthenics,strongman and other exercises. And yes, now you can do all this in Bushwick.
Bushwick, meet Caype Athletics…
Caype Athletics is co-owned by Gus Fotiou and Joel Willis. Gus, dear friends, is no newbie to Bushwick. Together with his business partner Danny Teran, he co-owns Wheelhouse where they make the most delicious grilled cheese ever. But don’t except any cheese at Caype. Expect to get some seriously great workout done with one of several trainers at the gym, Joel Willis being the head coach and a proven crossfit maniac. Together with Kylee Claxton (who is also a trainer at Caype) their team came in first in the Crossfit regionals two years in a row and came in fifth last year in the California Crossfit Games and 16th in this years California Crossfit Games. These guys are some serious athletes who know what they’re doing.
Gus & Joel, crossfit dudes and co-owners
Caype Athletics stands for “Care About Your Performance Everyday” and they mean serious business. Planks, pushups, squats and much more crossfit fun. I hang out with the Caype Athletics team last week, naturally I worked my butt out too, and I loved it! I appreciated my female trainer Kylee who worked me out–for real!
I couldn’t but to ask Gus about two most common misconceptions about crossfit. The first one being that crossfit peeps don’t care about form, only about speed and reps. “We emphasize form,” Gus told me seriously. “Many people who go to gyms are scared of the unknown and they like to stick out to a treadmill. But crossfit is so much more fun!” After my workout with Kylee, I have to confirm. These guys do care about form and it is a lot of fun. The second crossfit rumour I’ve been hearing is that crossfit is pretty culty. “Well, that one is true,” agreed Gus laughing. “I guarantee you that once you get involved with crossfit community, you will never go back on treadmill.”
Kylee kicking butt
So how can you with the help of Caype Athletics aspire to become the fittest resident of Bushwick? Well, don’t spend every night at Heavy Woods and get a membership at Caype. For the first 100 people, Caype is offering a $120/month membership (with a yearly commitment), which is significantly less than any other nearby crossfit gym. A drop in class in $25.
Caype is offering personal trainer appointments ($750 for 10 appointments) and classes for beginner, intermediate and master levels as well as a class with an eerie title Mental Toughness. Check out the schedule for more info.
Joell showing off with barbells
