Meet Your Merchant: Gym reflects owner's CrossFit focus

Unlike most gyms, Mark Lobsinger's Carson City CrossFit center has no mirrors.

"You just show up and do the workouts and you get fit, there's no other choice," said Lobsinger, 32, who opened CrossFit Rad last year. "We don't do mirrors. I'll tell you if you're looking good or not."

Lobsinger's gym is part of the growing fitness trend known as CrossFit, an exercise regime that combines strength training, running and gymnastics in short and intense workouts.

After his work in the landscaping business started to dry up with the rest of the construction market, Lobsinger, a life-long athlete, decided to become a certified CrossFit trainer. His gym opened about nine months ago in a south Carson City facility near Curry Street and has about 30 members.

"I grew up doing football, baseball and your typical gym environment - you know bench press, biceps all the regular stuff guys do," Lobsinger said. "And for me it was pretty boring. But when I found CrossFit, it's more useable strength. The slogan of our gym is, 'To not suck at life.'"

The idea is to not specialize in one thing - running or weight lifting, for example - but to develop a well-rounded athletic build, Lobsinger said.

"We try to be pretty good at everything," he said. "Our specialty is not specializing ... you can take one my athletes and throw them into a 5k run and they won't win it, but they'll finish pretty good."

So that means focus on Olympic-style weight lifting, gymnastic movements and running among other strength and endurance workouts, which are done in groups.

"My job here is to say, as a coach, I'm pushing you harder," he said. "You think you can do three reps, maybe I can get five out of you."

Inside the gym are medicine balls, kettlebells, ropes tethered to the steel beams along the roof and a dry-erase boards with the day's mixture of exercises.

Before starting their workout on Monday, members of Lobsinger's gym were warming up by tossing medicine balls against a wall as an AC/DC song played in the background.

Lobsinger said his members range in age from 13 to 64. Some are athletes, but others are simply trying to get into shape. He also offers an "on-ramp program" to help newcomers become comfortable with the workout.

Before he and his wife, Sarah, moved to Carson City, Lobsinger said he used to work as a part-time personal trainer at a gym in Dallas, working with people who were more concerned about image, he said.

CrossFit changed all that.

"Here these people are worried about how they're going to be better mountain bikers or better rock climbers," he said.

The gym, which is based on monthly memberships or drop-in fees, has continued to grow by word of mouth since Lobsinger opened it last year.

"I hope it keeps growing with the type of people and this type of atmosphere," he said. "This thing really does well with more people. Bigger groups really feed off each other."

He adds, "It might not be for everyone, but all you have to do to fit in is be willing to put forth the effort."