How a Hong Kong crossfit team was declared fittest in Asia – thanks to their 300kg ‘worm’
Coastal CrossFit, comprising three men and three women, rise to the challenge after competition organisers throw a worm into the works
When you hear crossfit, you think barbells, dumbells and pull-ups, not makeshift weights in duvets and duct tape. But the Coastal Crossfit team were forced to prepare for the regional championships with home-made equipment when the organisers surprised everyone by introducing a 300kg ‘worm’.
The unusual preparation worked, and Hong Kong-based Coastal CrossFit team emerged as the fittest team in Asia at the gruelling regional three-day competition in Australia at the end of May.
Crossfit is a fitness sport combining high intensity workouts with heavy weightlifting. The exercises include a spectrum from handstand walks to Olympic weight lifting movements like a snatch, clean and jerk.
Competitors are only given two weeks’ notice for the exercises that will be included in the competitions, and even then, not in detail.
“There was a piece of equipment called the worm. So three out of six workouts had the worm in it. It’s like a six-person sandbag, so there had to be teamwork, communication and synchronisation,” said Coastal captain Ed Haynes, 29.
Former Hong Kong rugby international Haynes said the regional competition always included a barbell and heavy lifting, but this it was replaced by the worm – and the change threw a lot of teams into disarray.
