When it is time to hit the gym, many can come up with what they see as valid reasons why they can’t quite fit a work out into their schedule. Well, if you ask five-year-old Prisais Brooklyn Townsend, there are no excuses. If she can hit the gym, so can you.
The tiny fitness guru has been working out since she was 10-months-old with trainer father James Townsend and enjoys doing up to 10 workouts week. She can already do 60 push-ups in a row, 20 pull-ups, lift a 50-pound back squat, and deadlift 65 pounds.
Prisais’ father said in a recent interview that, “I had found CrossFit in 2014 and I fell in love. Prisais got into CrossFit by just being in a gym. You know, mimicking what her father is doing, what grown-ups are doing around the gym.” And of course, she unquestionably has gained quite a positive reaction to her workouts as a result of her online videos.
“Wow, oh my god, she’s inspiring! Look at her, what am I doing with my life?”
‘It inspires people to be active with their kids. This country is riddled with childhood obesity, you know.”
“She is empowering other women because other people, other young girls, other women see the fight and see the determination in her.”
An average workout for Prisais includes a gymnastics floor routine, beam sandbar, push-ups, handstand push-ups, pull-ups, burps, box jumps, and air squats.
In addition to the positive comments, dad has also received some criticism as well. However, her father James explained that, “A lot of people always say, ‘hey it’s going to stunt their growth.’ The only way it could really stunt her growth is if I allow her to do a 200-pound back squat. But it’s not liftings fault. It’s the coach’s fault. It’s a programming fault. It makes her bones stronger. It creates better long-term athletic development. It comes down to doing it right, adding the weights on that’s appropriate for the kid’s size, proper programming, and strict supervision.”
Prisais is on level two right now in gymnastics and is the youngest out of eight to seven-year-olds. So, what does Prisais want to be when she grows up? Well, the talented five-year-old wants to be a “doctor and a nurse,” and her father, even thought they have invested a lot of time and training into her career, dad says that he will be fine with whatever she decides.
What do you think? Is Prisais too young to train like this? Sound-off, we want to hear from you!
