A four-year-old girl is putting fitness fanatics to shame with her incredible CrossFit workout videos.
Prisais Townsend from Moorpark, California, has been going to the gym with her parents ever since she was just 10 months old, and is already more fit than most adults.
Her dad James Townsend once played NFL football for the Chicago Bears and now owns a CrossFit gym, where Prisais loves to spend her spare time and where she was first introduced to the high-intensity workout method.
Tough girl: Prisais Townsend, four, from Moorpark, California, has stunned social media users with her impressive CrossFit moves
Pure power: The little girl has been going to the gym her father owns since she was a toddler
As a toddler, she would spend time every day watching her dad work and train at the gym. Eventually, her father spotted that his little girl was a natural athlete herself.
She would mimic the CrossFit moves she had seen people in the gym perform, sometimes even picking up a 2.5lb dumbbell to make it tougher – all while under careful supervision of course.
Soon enough she was pulling off box jumps of up to 22 inches and even completing 10 pull-ups in a row.
However, despite her obvious natural abilities, James has been sure never to treat Prisais’ time in the gym as anything but an extension of her playtime.
Gym bunny: Her father, former NFL player James Townsend, eventually noticed his little girl was mimicking the moves of CrossFit athletes
Anytime, anywhere: Prisais’ time in the gym is an extension of her playtime – just for fun
Strong girl: She is also always properly supervised by her dad, who is an experienced personal trainer and certified strength and conditioning coach
‘I never want Prisais to feel pressure in the gym,’ he told Yahoo. ‘We’ll stop the second this is no longer fun for her.’
More recently, Prisais has started gymnastics lessons, and her dad regularly shares examples of the skills she is learning on Instagram. However, he says that she hasn’t lost any of her love for CrossFit.
As a certified strength and conditioning coach with 15 years working in personal training, James insists that weight training can be great for kids, as long as it’s done properly – and the experts are on board.
Support: James, pictured, insists that they will stop the CrossFit, ‘the second this is no longer fun for her’
Other skills: Prisais has recently taken up gymnastics, and her father shares regular videos of the little girl displaying her skills
Happy days: Experts say that weight training can be beneficial for kids as long as proper form is used and they are under strict supervision
Sports medicine and fitness expert Paul Stricker, M.D. told Cosmopolitan.com that as long as the child is being supervised and taught the right form, there isn’t anything to worry about.
‘There is support for children learning activities that will help develop strength, balance, coordination, and general health,’ he said.
‘But all of the results are predicated on the necessity for strict supervision and technique to reduce the risk of injury.’