CrossFit Michiana, Elkhart

Carole Turnbo credits CrossFit’s dedication to varied, functional fitness with giving her a new lease on life. Now certified in CrossFit nutrition and as a Level 1 trainer, she shares her passion for healthy exercise as often as she can. But, while running a “Fit Club” at Schmucker Middle School and coaching a rugby team exemplify her dedication, they play second fiddle to her true calling: training students during classes at CrossFit Michiana.

The end goal in each of Carole’s sessions is competence in CrossFit’s 10 recognized fitness domains, which include cardio-respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. Students gain their ranks with the help of the Workout of the Day (WOD), an ever-changing exercise that incorporates one or more elements of the aforementioned fitness domains. During sessions, groups of students occupy CrossFit Michiana’s workout warehouse—which is more like a fitness playground—as they sweat through moves such as push-ups, pull-ups, weight lifting, and rowing. Like Santa’s collection of antique sabers, CrossFit Michiana also has equipment that can be fun but should never be used as toys, including ropes for climbing, gymnastics rings for dips, and massive tires for tire flipping.