Daphne went to her second home Turkey where her family spend most of their time living. And she didn’t just go there to chill and relax: a drop-in at Bodrum’s brand new box Crossfit Kirksekiz was also on the schedule this time.

Second home

You know how in CrossFit most of us refer to our box as our second home? Imagine going to a country that you consider your second home ánd visiting a brand new box there. A recipe for conflicting loyalty feels and high hopes… As always before visiting my family, I would check to see if CrossFit fever had finally reached the popular vacation town of Bodrum (Turkey). And this time, my long-time wish was granted: CrossFit Kirksekiz has opened for business (“kirksekiz” means 48, 48 being the area code of Bodrum)!

 

Crossfit Kirksekiz

CrossFit Kirksekiz opened in September 2016 as the first official affiliate CrossFit box in Bodrum. At time of writing this review, there are 24 official CrossFit boxes in Turkey, of which 13 in the Istanbul area. Needless to say, plans for Istanbul CrossFit affiliates visit are already in the making!

Crossfit Kirksekiz resides in a building with other sports activities like pilates, each of them having their own area. The CrossFit box currently has a 90m2 space, with a separate small area for weightlifting practice. Co-owner Senem Sarp has informed me that the box will be expanded in the coming year which means I feel an update to this review coming in 2018 (great excuse to visit them again 🙂 ) Expansion will come with an increase in equipment as well. Currently the box has everything you would expect, but not necessarily in volume. However, if you follow the box on Instagram (@crossfitkirksekiz), you see that new equipment is added on a regular basis. Growth is evident! And with currently 60 active members, who engage in activities together outside the box as well, CrossFit Kirksekiz has only just begun.

Ready, set, go!

So for this trip, my research was simple, the choice for a box was apparent and the only thing I did was contact the box through their Facebook page. Senem responded quickly and explained that I was welcome for Open Gym between 13:00 and 17:00 or to join one of the two daily WODS at 19:00 or 20:00. After confirming the directions to the box, I was all set for my very first WOD in my other second home!

When I arrived at the box, I was introduced to Senem who showed me around. A small clean dressing room with towels, a shower and a good amount of lockers were available to change and freshen up. I was then introduced to coach Tolga Palabiyik who explained the WOD. Since there were quite some people at the box, we were set to work in groups of 2 or 3. Once again united with my love-hate type of WOD during visits… Partner WOD time!

 

The WOD

General warming up:
300m run

Partner WOD: 4 RFT
Run 300 m – 600m – 900m – 1200m
K2E 15 – 30 – 45 – 60
Lunges 10m – 20m – 30m – 40m
Time cap 30 min

Cooldown:
Dynamic and static stretching sequence

Once again, the running was not in the cards for me, so I had the questionable privilege of substituting by the beloved Airbike and switching between the K2E and lunges with my two partners in crime. As most of the groups, we did not finish, but especially the Airbike did make me feel like I was finished 😉

 

Picture time

After the WOD, the entire group engaged in the mandatory cooldown, which is a choice of this box that I really appreciate. Eventually everybody teamed up for a group pic and I had some time to take a few more pictures.

After I finally decided on which color CrossFit Kirksekiz t-shirt I wanted (choices, choices…), I said my goodbyes to Senem, Tolga and the rest of the crew and I was ready to meet my family for a big meal in downtown Bodrum at Zakka (@zakkakafebodrum)! Looking forward to visit this box again next year, for a good holiday WOD and to check out how they have developed by then!

 

Nice to know

• To get in touch for a drop-in, contact Crossfit Kirksekiz through their Facebook page. Once their website is operational, you would be able to directly sign up for WODS or Open Gym through the website.
• Currently, a drop-in costs 40TL, including a CrossFit Kirksekiz t-shirt, but check out current fees at time of visiting.
• Crossfit Kirksekiz can be found at Adliye caddesi (street)/Forsa Is Merkezi (building) 1 A/1 Blok in the Konacik area in Bodrum. On Google maps it is showed a little further down the road than it actually is and it is easy to miss it! So giving the box a call at 00905333550809 for detailed directions is advisable. You can reach them from the central bus station by taking the (mini) bus in the direction of Bitez or take a taxi. In the summer months, take a little more travel time into account than usual to account for traffic!