Monday Morning Motivation – The story of Jacinto Bonilla

Jacinto Bonilla flexing his muscles

Think you’re too old to try CrossFit? Think again! Meet Jacinto Bonilla, the world’s oldest ranked CrossFit competitor:

Jacinto Bonilla

If you want to find out more about Jacinto and ‘Jacinto Storm’, watch this video:

‘Jacinto Storm’ is a workout “for time”, which means that you have to do all of the exercises using the correct technique as quickly as possible. The number of reps for each exercise is based on Jacinto’s age – he’s 76 this year, so you need to do each exercise (not the running) 76 times.

  • Run 570 metres
  • Squats
  • Push-Ups
  • Pull-up s or Ring Rows
  • Wall Ball Shots, 20/14
  • Kettlebell Swings 1.5p/1p
  • Deadlifts 95/65
  • Run 570 metres

I’ve really enjoyed the CrossFit sessions that I’ve tried.

Have you tried CrossFit? What are your thoughts on it?

4 Responses

  1. I know lots of people who love cross fit, but I have also heard about the potential for injuries from it.

    • Yes, I think it really depends on the culture of the box and the attitude (and skills) of the coaches. I’ve read some bad stories about places where when athletes are asked to complete ‘as many rounds as possible’ good form and technique go out of the window, which puts people at a greater risk of injury. It’s also worrying when a macho attitude means that people are not only pushed beyond their comfort level (which is necessary for improvement), but to lift weights that are too heavy for their current strength. Luckily, where I train, I’ve not seen those problems.

  2. Lots of the people in my running group have tried cross fit, but honestly I am worried about injury so I cross train in other ways. However, the strength of some of the cross fit people is amazing. It amazes me the amount some of the girls are able to lift. But the way, totally off topic question, have you run the London marathon? I’ll be running it in April and would love any tips you could share.

    • I like a bit of lifting, but my extremely low blood pressure gets me out of doing burpees, so I end up slacking off a bit at crossfit. I cycle every day though and swim regualrly as well as doing yoga, so I figure I fot in enough of a mix.

      London Marathon is completely amazing. The crowd support is wonderful. I’ve never been lucky enough to get a place, but my husband has run it twice and I’ve been to support him. If you have any friends and family who want to see you, I can strongly recommend that they find a place on The Highway as they’ll see you just after the halfway point and at about mile 21. Your marathon number will get you free access to the tube (London Underground). Meeting up with others after the race can be quite hard, so make sure you carefully agree your meeting point. It’s a fairly slow start and there’s no shelter at the start, so my husband recommends wearing some clothes that you don’t mind dumping/donating. Good luck!

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