Kids After-School Fitness Program Launches Sept 17th

Adam Sturm, co-owner of CrossFit Outbreak, knows the battle against childhood obesity and early onset diabetes is not an easy one. Growing up, Adam struggled with his own personal fitness. Today, he sees the need for parents to encourage more physical activity for children and better nutrition through healthier food choices.

CFO is already helping get kids fit and curtailing childhood obesity. An alarming 3 in 10 kids in the US are now overweight. NY State has started to see declines in childhood obesity in kids, partially due to increased nutritional awareness, access to greenmarkets and fitness programs directly designed for kids.

“The more we can get out there that's going to supplement and encourage physical activity, the better,” says Adam Sturm of CrossFit Outbreak (CFO), a gym dedicated to the advancement of fitness. “As a parent and fitness instructor one of my biggest concerns with all these different types of after school programs is to make sure kids are able to just be kids. Even though fitness is our goal, we make sure fun is a major factor in our programming. If we turn them on to exercise, then we've achieved a colossal win.”

CFO KidFit Clinton Hill and Bed Stuy

CrossFit Outbreak Fitness of Clinton Hill located at 10 Grand Ave in Brooklyn, and Crossfit Outbreak Fitness of Bed Stuy located at 492 Throop Ave offers programs for kids 6 to 11 and 12 to 16 years old. While CFO KidFit coaches all have a Crossfit level training or physical education background they also go through additional specialized training before working with kids.

“Our goal is to help children develop a love for physical activity and do what kids love best,” says Coach Brianna, CFO Coach and General Manager. “They naturally love to have fun, and come with an abundance of energy and activity.”

Outbreak Fitness, which ranked No. 5 on the list of 5 top gyms in Brooklyn, offers KidFit for apx 25$/class, with discounts available for siblings, NYCHA residents and block purchases of 10 classes of more. “Parents want to do what's best for their children,” Sturm says. “We feel that many of the parents that are enrolled in our other programs are passionate about fitness and want to communicate these values to their children. Details about the program can be found on their website, crossfitoutbreak.com or by calling (347) 696-7060.

All members of CFO work toward our mission of combating childhood obesity and making fitness fun, says Shimi Litkowski, co-founder and chief operating officer at CFO. Because of cutbacks to physical activity in schools, CFO has been able to sell school administrators on their movement class and activity class, Litkowski says. “It's been a great bump for our Box to run the KidFit program,” Litkowski adds.

Crossfit Outbreak Fitness also offers martial arts training, and birthday parties at some locations. Special event details and pricing can be found on their website or by calling (347) 696-7060. “We're going to continue to work with anybody that we can that will help us get on board with combating childhood obesity and keeping kids active,” Litkowski says.

As a corporation, CFO saw an increase in revenue year over year due to effective Crossfit programming and involved coaches, Litkowski says, allowing for us to meet the demands of the community and launch the highly anticipated KidFit Program. Litkowski is hopeful the new initiative will increase gym enrollment throughout the year.

CFO KidsFit separates itself from the others by incorporating specially designed fitness equipment for kids. CFO has a circuit setup and functional stations where kids can increase their agility by doing push-ups, sit-ups, squats and wall ball work.

“The idea of utilizing equipment that's specifically designed for kids is to make sure safety is always at the forefront,” says Paul Roller, Head Coach. “We've created a place that is fun for everyone, and where kids can get along. We have an open and supportive environment, but the training is focused on building real skills. It's not all about play. We're really teaching them skills, lifestyle habits and then giving them tools they can use to accomplish whatever goals they set for themselves.”

At CFO, kids can exercise and train at their own pace, and to keep them motivated, recognition and awards are announced after the completion of different fitness tests. CFO holds regular nutrition seminars for adults and now offers them for children and teens.

“It's amazing that a 6-year-old can take this type of information and become successful at anything they want to do,” Roller says. “They build confidence, self-esteem, discipline. They get better grades in school. They go home and they start telling their parents what to eat.”

Roller applauds the efforts made in schools, but he says that programs like his put the initiative into action. “Classes have become longer, and children today are expected to stay inactive for extended periods of time. Combine that with poor diet and we have a national epidemic,” Roller says. “Everybody is saying, ‘Let's do something.’ But few are saying, ‘Here's how you do it,’” Roller says. “That’s where we come in.”

Crossfit Outbreak Fitness Offers New Program for Little Kids

CFO Clinton Hill offers programming for kids as a way to keep the whole family active. Crossfit Outbreak has a wide range of programs at two of it’s five locations for children, located primarily in up and coming trendy neighborhoods of Clinton Hill and Bed Stuy. Programs for members and nonmembers include crossfit, olympic lifting, powerlifting, gymnastics, and interval training.

“We provide an activity program that can benefit younger children with our expertise,” Roller says. Despite early requests for a kids program, CFO spent a few years developing it before implementing the program into their Box. “So we are not just throwing something up just to throw something up,” Sturm says. If a program is rushed, Sturm adds, children will not enjoy it, parents may not see the value, and coaches may not want to implement it again.

“This is a new program, but it is growing, and we are having some wonderful outcomes,” says Brianna, who coaches at CFO. “Kids are losing weight, self-esteem is going up, energy levels are channeled in the right direction, and parents have told us that their child is doing much better in school. It’s a win-win, and we love that”

KidFit classes start September 17th. For enrollment details, call (347) 696-7060 or visit crossfitoutbreak.com