In his one-hour workout, Mike Robinson will have run a quarter mile, lifted dead weights, squatted numerous times and tried his hand(s) at a handstand. At age 63, Robinson’s body can accomplish things it couldn’t in his 20s.

He contributes his fantastic physical shape to CrossFit.

“I’m having a ball,” says Robinson, a professor at Indiana University. “It’s really hard. These are maneuvers I haven’t done since high school—squats, handstands. And every day is different.”

CrossFit, a strength and conditioning fitness program, uses a combination of weight lifting, gymnastics and sprinting skills. It works out the entire body and teaches participants ways to safely move without injury.

MORE: See more pics from CrossFit workouts

One can find a CrossFit at more than 1,500 gyms across America, many of which are in firehouses and military bases. The concept continues to pick up in popularity.

That’s what happened locally, leading to a larger location not even a year after its Bloomington debut.

The space opened May 2009 in a small spot adjacent to a tattoo parlor and gained so many members it moved to the city’s east side.

So who makes up this CrossFit contingent?

The 60-plus members range in age from 18 to 63.

“What they like about it is they have no idea what were going to hit ‘em with,” says Geoff Pitluck, an owner of CrossFit Bloomington. “I think that’s what the military like so much about it. It gets you to be prepared for anything.”

Pitluck first became part of the CrossFit crew in 2003 and later let friends and acquaintances use his garage as a gym.

The turnout grew and soon they outgrew a space usually reserved for vehicles and sundry items.

So Pitluck’s friends convinced him to open a gym. He already had the necessary training certification for CrossFit so he decided, why not?

Now Pitluck is joined by eight certified trainers.

“With CrossFit Bloomington, we have many meetings to discuss training style,” Pitluck says. “We can understand and teach a movement, but you always have room for observational skills. This is a skill you constantly need to improve.”

Those interested in joining take a tour guided by a trainer who gives a three-minute workout at the end. This gives a brief introduction to how hard the workout is and allows people to decide if they want to continue.

Most do.

“By the end of that three minutes people are gasping and thinking ‘Are we done yet?’” Pitluck says. “It shows them this is something worthwhile. They realize it is possible.”

Once a new member passes a one-on-one safety training procedure required to join, they can work out with a group.

“One of the most important reasons we see so much improvement is it’s electrifying,” Pitluck says. “People tend to push themselves harder when they have the group aspect. A lot of people say they like the motivation.”

Just ask Heidi Masten.

“I can assure you that without them, I would never do any of this,” says the 36-year-old. “This is so far out of my comfort zone. I like that when you come here the workout is planned for you. It challenges you to a new level and the physical results are the payoff.”

At CrossFit, there is no routine. No need for it, Pitluck says; he explains that trying something different every day makes it harder for the body to grow accustomed to an exercise. This leads to better results. Better results lead to happy people.

Members arrive to find a varied workout schedule written on a whiteboard each day. At the end of the day, members write their statistics on this board, which is later published online at crossfitbloomington.com.

The one-hour session usually begins with individuals working on whatever skill they want to improve before a five- to 10-minute warm-up. Then the race is on. Everyone hurries to finish the designated workout as fast as possible.

Robinson jokingly says he always comes in last during the race. But he has a different goal in mind: to beat his own record, not someone else’s.

“There’s an element of competition with yourself,” Robinson says. “The point is to finish. So you don’t have to do heavy weights just because you think you have to.”

After the first couple of weeks, Robinson says new members will start to complete tasks they previously thought impossible. For him and others, CrossFit isn’t about weight loss or muscle building, it’s about overall fitness.

“There’s not a lot of that macho boot camp stuff,” Robinson says. “This is a real rush. It gets intense. It showed me at my age I can do things I didn’t think I can do. I don’t have to sit down and be old.”

CrossFit 101

Burpee: An intense combination of movements, also known as squat thrusts. Put hands on the ground, do a push up, then jump up and throw hands up into the air.

Kettlebell: Solid ball shaped like a kettle, popular in Russia. Mostly used to simply swing, from the ground to above the head. This works the core muscles.

Kipping Pull-up: Instead of a pull-up where arms remain straight and pull the body up, the kipping pull-up involves the whole body. The lower legs swing up to propel over the bar. People who can do 10 pull-ups can do 20-30 kipping pull-ups and burn more calories.

Wall Ball: Squat down and jump up, throwing a large, soft, heavy ball at a spot on the ceiling. Catch the ball and repeat.

Want more?

CrossFit Bloomington costs $75 per month; a $25 discount offered to teachers, Emergency Medical Technicians, active military personnel, law enforcement and firefighters.

Members can add family members who live in the same residence for an additional $25 per month.

Anyone interested in joining can sign up for a tour of the gym, which is open everyday.

A week in the work-out

Sample daily itineraries of a CrossFit workout

Monday:

50 burpees

400 meter run

20 push-ups

500 meter row

Tuesday:

Bench press

50 sit-ups

3 rounds of wall ball

Wednesday:

50 kettle bell swings

50 jumping jacks

50 squats

25 burpees

Thursday:

25 sit-ups

600 meter row

1 headstand push-up

25 push-ups

Friday:

25 meter crab walk

50 jumps with jump rope

12 dead lifts (weights)

10 walking lunges