{"id":522546,"date":"2025-06-18T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northernvirginiamag.com\/?p=522546"},"modified":"2025-06-19T14:40:58","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T18:40:58","slug":"burke-gyms-uniquely-abled-fitness-classes-are-a-universal-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northernvirginiamag.com\/wellness\/fitness\/2025\/06\/18\/burke-gyms-uniquely-abled-fitness-classes-are-a-universal-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Burke Gym’s Uniquely Abled Fitness Classes Are a Universal Success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chad Ciri, owner of CrossFit Burke<\/a>, is used to moving heavy weights. But for a while, offering a uniquely abled fitness class for neurodivergent teenagers felt like too big a lift. \u201cIt took me about two years to build up the courage to be able to just try it,\u201d says Ciri, whose son is on the autism spectrum. \u201cFor too long, I held on to the mentality of \u2018it\u2019s got to be perfect. I have to be a therapist.\u2019 Eventually, I just took the mindset of, \u2018Nope. I\u2019ve just got to provide a space and be totally open to how this goes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uniquely Abled Fitness Classes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

He took the leap in spring 2024, when the box \u2014 the name for CrossFit gyms \u2014 became one of six Uniquely Abled Fitness Chapters<\/a> in the country. Today, the adaptive class<\/a>, offered every Saturday, is \u201cthe best 45 minutes of my week,\u201d Ciri says. In fact, he recently added another one on Thursday afternoons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a hit with participants, too. Starting with a handful of CrossFitters, the class now has 16 enrolled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fairfax resident Hunter Fields is a devotee. He\u2019s been attending the adaptive class weekly since May 2024. \u201cI think it is so much fun,\u201d says Fields, 19. \u201cI like to lift heavy weights.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s the idea. Sessions use the same principles of any CrossFit workout: Perform functional movements at high intensity. They\u2019re built on nine foundational movements, such as the shoulder press and deadlift, but there\u2019s also a \u201cworkout of the day,\u201d or WOD, that varies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sessions start with participants introducing themselves and answering a question of the day. \u201cI think that\u2019s a really important component of the class because it increases those social engagement opportunities \u2026 that individuals with neurodivergent minds have struggles with,\u201d says Drew Gatto, a CrossFit coach and adaptive PE teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afterward, they do a warm-up to increase heart rates before moving into skill work. Gatto sees progress: Participants used to do air squats without additional weight, and now they hold barbells, dumbbells, and kettlebells.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Chad
Courtesy CrossFit Burke <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Modifying Uniquely Abled Workouts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The main difference between the adaptive class and sessions for neurotypical CrossFitters is a need to be more flexible, says Chase Goodfellow, another coach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny of us can take any workout from any class and make it fit these adaptive athletes,\u201d Goodfellow says. \u201cWhat is challenging about this class in particular is we have to come up with scaling options. Sometimes it just doesn’t click in the way we expect it to, and so it takes a lot more adaptability on our end as far as modifying a workout to fit their needs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gatto says that often means using different prompts. \u201cA lot of kids who are neurodivergent require visuals and verbal cues, so we use visuals on the ground for them to put their feet on, so they know where their feet need to go,\u201d for example, he says. \u201cWe use tactile cues, like a medicine ball for squats so they know how deep to go. We get creative and meet them where they\u2019re at.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The benefits CrossFitters get are the same \u2014 more strength, endurance, cardiovascular fitness, and flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen a lot of progress in them in the school setting because of what they\u2019re doing here,\u201d Gatto says. \u201cOne of the kids that I work with in this program at the beginning of the year was unable to do basic locomotor skills, like sliding, galloping, skipping. But because of what they\u2019re doing here \u2014 bilateral movement, multi-step movements \u2014 they\u2019re able to now do those locomotive skills in school. They\u2019re not working on sliding and galloping and skipping here. They\u2019re working on different movements. But it\u2019s translated into that because they\u2019re training both sides of their brain. They\u2019re moving their body in ways they\u2019ve never been able to move them before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, the class is open to kids ages 12 to 18. Although, \u201cI don’t know if we necessarily ever have a cap on age,\u201d Ciri says, adding that demand is growing for a class for neurodivergent adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, he\u2019s glad he got out of his own head to launch the youth class. \u201cWhat we realized is if you have the passion and the patience, everything else you figure out,\u201d Ciri says. \u201cIt\u2019s been a good lesson to be open, be kind and passionate. And everything else really does follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Northern Virginia is home to many adaptive programs, most sport-specific. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other adaptive programs include:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n