TRANSCRIPT
Your image of fitness gyms is probably pounding techno music, large men with muscles and tattoos grunting as they lift enormous weights, women pounding their way on a stationary bike or treadmill and an overall aroma of sweat and liniment.
You’ve not been to Woolgoolga.
Woolgoolga is a small seaside community half an hour north of Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales Mid-North Coast.
It’s a favourite place for holidaymakers – long, sandy beaches, plenty of surf spots, and a headland where you can watch the annual whale migrations.
And on a small industrial estate on the southern edge of the town, you’ll find Lars Kristenson’s Crossfit gym.
It’s a big shed of a building, with some gym equipment and a large open area in the centre.
It’s where you’ll come across as mixed a group of people as you could find anywhere – all shapes, sizes and ages.
“I've seen so many people have lifestyle changes. And it's amazing to see, to feel it in myself how much it's helped me physically and mentally. And now being in the game for so long you see how it's affecting a lot of people in this small community. And it's amazing how much running a place like this can do.”
Lars Kristensen migrated to Australia from Denmark.
But his connection to Australia is deeper than that.
Lars represented Denmark as a gymnast and then joined Cirque du Soleil, the world famous contemporary circus entertainment company, performing as a power track acrobat and later as artist coach.
And it was there that he met his wife-to-be, Australian gold-medal Olympic gymnast Trudy McIntosh:
“I met my Australian wife. And when we're traveling with Cirque du Soleil, traveling together for our travel for seven years, she joined a year after I started, so we got to travel the world, performing in one of Cirque du Soleil’s show Allegria for six years together. And when that time was over, I needed to figure out where to go because we were madly in love. I convinced her to move to Denmark, and that lasted for a few years. Then she said, It's too cold. It's too windy. Can we please go to Australia? And I said, ah yeah, you don't have to try and convince me and yeah, her parents moved up here for retirement. And we went over here to visit and I saw this area and I was I was pretty keen to move to Australia.”
Cirque du Soleil is famous for its breathtaking and theatrical acrobatics.
Performers tumble through the air, making the audience gasp at times.
For all its entertainment value, it’s a punishing regime for the performers.
“Oh man, it is demanding on your body; we would do at least 300 shows a year. And as a gymnast, the impact we have on our ankles and knees. It's quite significant. I'm very thankful I lasted for seven years but the last year I was on pain medications every single day. I was very stubborn. I didn't want to go and rehab so in the end I needed surgery in both my feet. I was at a mature age and Trudy and I decided we needed to try and start a family anyway so it's a natural way of stopping when it started to hurt and then focus on trying something completely different.”
Lars tried to get back into gymnastics, but the years at Cirque du Soleil had taken their toll.
As he says, by the age of 28, a gymnast is past his peak.
“I’ve always been a bit competitive, I needed something to change myself So I thought all right, I had a kid and I needed to, I wanted to do something physically tough, but try and be good in all different areas. And I heard about CrossFit which is a mix of gymnastics, it's a mix of, of lifting and endurance conditioning and strength and power. And it's like oh, let's try that and I fell in love with it right away.”
At first glance, CrossFit does seem to encapsulate what the rest of us fear about gyms – but Lars says that’s wrong.
“It's like big dudes and strong girls with tattoos. But that's not what CrossFit is made for. That's the sports side of it. That's the competition side of it. CrossFit is made for the general population because everything is scalable, everything can be modified to whatever level you are at in fitness. And that's what we need to try and push forward because it is such a great thing for overall well being.”
Woolgoolga is most famous for being the home of the first Sikh gurdwara, or temple, in Australia.
It’s also home for a booming blueberry industry.
And its population of just over 6,000 people is skewed towards an older demographic – the latest census reveals the biggest age group in the town is 65 to 69 years old.
So with an older population, where does gym fitness fit in?
“There’s a lot of people retired in this area. New studies have shown in the last few years, weightlifting and strength training, at least twice a week is super, super important for longevity and health. When you see people they work a whole life, then they retire. They're suddenly not moving, they're not active anymore. And this is where this comes in. So important that you're still using your muscles, your muscles are so important for longevity and being able to enjoy retirement. So I think it fits in perfect here for people coming here to retire and get the most out of their retirement, to be able to come into a community like this and, quote, “suffer” with like minded people. It's a gift, and I feel so happy that I am able to help people and see that every day.”
It's more than just fitness in the gym.
Lars has been producing what he calls ‘Viking Bread’, from a secret recipe passed down from his Danish family.
It’s wholesome, hearty and extremely healthy – and the local community can’t get enough of it.
But seeing Lars training, lifting apparently impossible weights and with his toned muscles… surely that’s scary?
“I think if people maybe come in while I'm training myself with no shirt on people be like, No, this is not a place for me but rarely people come in and just see me working out. Luckily, they come in and see that this is for everyone else. Because I am aware of the fact that me and a few other people here who do train for competition, it can look like something that's not for them. But I guarantee you everything I do that looks difficult and very hard and heavy, that can be modified to suit any level. And we're lucky to have such a broad range of members here. My daughter, she was four when she started, we have Marni, she's 74 She comes every single day, and she's just climbing, still climbing up under the roof in a row climb; 74 It's amazing.”
A Nielsen survey of more than 3000 people around the world revealed that the vast majority – 85 per cent – prefer group sessions to working out on their own.
Lars says he loves seeing all kinds of people from the local community improving their overall fitness and health.
But it’s more than that – it’s about giving a sense of family and belonging.
“People will go into a regular gym a lot of times, put on their headphones, and then they're in their own bubble. Nobody wears headphones here. There is no mirrors, if you could see the gym, Because it's not about what you look like - that's a side effect, that you have abs and you look strong. Isn't that what we try to achieve? We try to achieve functional fitness and like you say, Yes, we have dogs, tied outside the gym, kids playing around running on their scooters. And yeah, it is a big, big family. And that's what I love about it is that that's what we can create what I think most gyms can't.”
While Lars may be changing the attitude to fitness in Woolgoolga, he’s not one to stand still himself.
He’s one of the top professional competitive CrossFit athletes in the world; and he says he’s passionate and motivated with his work in Woolgoolga.
But as for the future?
“I also have other dreams. I would like to try and pursue a career with stunt works. I've done a course and that's all I need to get my stunt grading and stuff. So that's also in the pipeline.”
Retirement – even in a community with many retirees – is not for Lars.
“As long as I do something that sparks a fire in me I need to stay busy.”
