Crossfit Grays Harbor grows at new location

Wide range of workouts, yoga classes attracting fitness freaks from across the area

By Dan Hammock • July 25, 2017 1:30 am
(Dan Hammock | The Daily World) Crossfit Grays Harbor continues to grow after recently moving to a new location, the old Peninsula Truck Lines building at 505 West State Street in Aberdeen.
(Dan Hammock | The Daily World) Crossfit Grays Harbor continues to grow after recently moving to a new location, the old Peninsula Truck Lines building at 505 West State Street in Aberdeen.

When the original owners of Crossfit Grays Harbor decided to move back to their home state of Texas, their growing clientele was staring down the barrel of losing their favorite fitness forum. Fortunately for all of them, married couple Christi and Jim Boora stepped up and purchased the business, keeping the popular workout center open.

As more people were attracted to the unique and very effective crossfit routine, the couple decided they needed more space than their location near City Hall in Hoquiam could provide. They put in a bid for the adjoining property, which the city had put up for auction, but lost out to what will soon be the Hoquiam Brewing Company.

The couple scoured available properties in the county, eventually finding an unusual building at 505 W. State St. in Aberdeen. What was once a Peninsula Truck Lines distribution center was transformed, through Christi’s vision, into an open air crossfit center with an attached lobby and high-ceilinged, wooden floored yoga classroom.

Crossfit has grown in popularity around the world in recent years. People enjoy the workouts because of the variety of elements that go into a crossfit routine. Crossfit focuses on “functional movements,” including gymnastics, weightlifting, running, rowing and more, “the core movements of life.” Workouts last about an hour, split into different activities. Another draw of crossfit is the tight-knit community that enjoys it. According to the owners, there isn’t the type of competition and chest-thumping you might see in a traditional gym. Rather, crossfitters tend to compete only with themselves and in fact are known to encourage others to better themselves. Workouts are graded so participants can keep track of their progress as they move along in their workouts.

Crossfit Grays Harbor posts a workout of the day on their website. The one for July 24 showed a warmup consisting of a 200-meter row or run, 10 back extensions, 10 situps and another run or row, then as many pullups as you can do, a 400 meter run, and overhead squats with 95-pound weights for the men, 65 for the women. Burpees and box dips — jumping onto an elevated platform — are also frequently included in crossfit routines.

At Crossfit Grays Harbor, your first yoga or crossfit session is free. The couple prefers to break new crossfitters in slowly. “Everyone reacts differently to their first session. We like to see how they react individually and design a course that best suits them,” said Christi.

You can buy a monthly membership for $99, which gives you unlimited access to both yoga and crossfit sessions. Drop-in sessions are $15 a pop, and there’s a $50 monthly student rate for both as well. If it’s strictly yoga you’re interested in, $50 a month gets you all the yoga Crossfit Grays Harbor has to offer.

Jim runs the crossfit portion of the business, while Christi handles the yoga classes in their Nirvana Yoga, “come as you are” center. Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative and Hot Yoga are all offered, with several sessions offered Monday through Friday. Crossfit and weightlifting sessions are offered seven days a week.