The Drop-In Diaries: CrossFit Anaheim

On a recent family vacation, I dropped in to CrossFit Anaheim on Monday, July 16, because it was the closest box to the whole Disneyland machine. The box is small and unassuming, but it sees a lot of traffic from the convention center and from Disneyland vacationers.

CrossFit Anaheim Facilities

As I mentioned, CrossFit Anaheim is a small, unassuming box. Emily, one of the coaches, described it as a “garage gym,” and I would agree wholeheartedly. There are rigs, rowers, barbells – the basics for a WOD, in other words. I didn’t see a kids’ room or much beyond the inside of the box, which seemed crowded and needed more space for members and drop-ins to warm up and do mobility work.

The Programming

I was wholeheartedly skeptical of the CrossFit Anaheim programming. I dropped in on a Monday, and the workout went like this:

Warm-Up

2 rounds of:

• 40 double unders (or 120 singles)
• 12 goblet squats

Strength/Skill

Back squat, EMOM for 9 minutes

• Minute 1: 5 reps at 75%
• Minute 2: 3 reps at 80%
• Minute 3: 1 rep at 85%

Front rack reverse lunge, 3 sets of 12 (6 each leg)

• Set 1 at 40% (based on your front squat 1RM)
• Set 2 at 45%
• Set 3 at 50%

Metcon

Alternating tabata for 8 minutes:

• Back squat (empty bar)
• Double unders

Please raise your hand if you see what was wrong with that day. Anyone? Answer: it was all legs! Leg day! Apparently, CrossFit Anaheim is the “squattiest” box in the area. I checked the WOD for the next day, and it looked similar, but with push presses. Wednesday looked the same, but with deadlifts. Guess who did not go back?

The Coaches

As I mentioned, I did meet Emily, one of the coaches, who was working out with us and not coaching. She was the one who ran my credit card and showed me around. CJ, the coach actually coaching, didn’t introduce himself to me formally, which was kind of weird. Emily seemed like she knew what she was doing, and I liked her a lot.

Overall, I got a good leg workout from CrossFit Anaheim, although my legs were sore well into Wednesday thanks to the ridiculous number of squats. Honestly, I don’t think I’d return to CrossFit Anaheim because of the programming more than anything. It seems more geared toward people who can go every day, not people who want to work out a few times a week or drop-ins.