'Ridiculous Amounts of Fun' At CrossFit Variance

Reading Firefighter, paramedic and Hamilton resident Paul Dalton expected to open his brand new CrossFit Variance facility in Beverly in July--but when customers were banging down the door at 126 Park St. in June, he opened up early, and said it's been a success ever since. 

Dalton has played sports since he was a kid, and he said if there was a workout better than CrossFit, he'd be doing it.

So, what exactly is CrossFit?

Dalton explained it as "a super effective, super safe, method of training that incorporates both body weight movements like yoga, and external resistance like weight lifting. We jump, push, pull, run, sprint, row, we mix it up constantly, only repeating some workouts once in a while. And it's fun-that's the killer part about it. You're going to get in the best shape of your life, but you're going to have ridiculous amounts of fun."

With 35 members currently, Dalton said their business model is 'slow and steady,' and they're not aiming to be a 'massive gym.'

"We're 100 percent motivated by getting people results," Dalton said of himself and his fellow trainer, Steve Binari, also a Reading firefighter. 

The biggest misconception about CrossFit? The idea that you have to be an athlete, or in shape, to get started. 

"People get thrown off and freaked out by the pictures," Dalton said. Once a client takes one class, he said he/she will know it's a safe environment, and it's all about a slow and steady progression. 

Working out in a group setting, Dalton explained, pushes results. "I worked out in my garage alone for two years and it was very cold and tough to get motivated in January," he said. "I did alright, but once I started working out in a group setting, there's a loose sense of competition. You want to perform and you don't want to let the people who you're working out with down when they're cheering you on."

Currently workout sessions are scheduled at 5:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m, 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. An additional class at noon may be offered once the school year begins. 

"The thing about CrossFit is it's a complete fitness, it's not just a workout," Dalton said. "We help you focus, we get people squared away on what they're eating, get them thinking about things like recovery work like stretching, you're surrounded by like-minded people so it helps keep you focused, but not over the top. It's still fun."

Connect with CrossFit Variance

• Website - Coming Soon
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• 126 Park St  Beverly, MA 01915
• (978) 836-9994