Exactly a year ago today, April 25th, 2017 was the first day I had ever stepped into a CrossFit gym not knowing a single thing about it nor did I know anyone at the gym. After emailing back and forth for a few days, I met with Jason for a 1/2 hour or so and we went over the reasons I wanted to try CrossFit and I gave him the typical guy reasons, “I needed to get into better shape”, “I needed to get healthier”…etc, after that I sat in the gym and watched my first CrossFit workout. Kelsey was coaching, and I’ll admit that I sat there on one of the blue boxes right beside the exit door on the side of the gym watching people do things, that either I’ve never done or even seen done before or haven’t done since I was a child ( yes I mean skipping! ). Kelsey coached the workout and it was 100 Du, 25 hang cleans, 25 front squats ( 6 Mins on, 3 mins off twice). I vividly remember thinking to myself that there’s no way I could ever do that and if I just slip out the side door no one’s not even going to notice that I had left! Unfortunately or, actually maybe now that I think of it, fortunately my jacket, truck keys and shoes were in the front room and I couldn’t leave without those!
I stayed, and I’m glad I did. Kelsey helped me scale the workout to fit my fitness level and I got through it! I entered the gym that day weighing at least 285 lbs, I hadn’t stepped on a scale for a very long time and was the last number I remember seeing on the scale. I started coming to workout 3 times a week and eventually worked my way up to where I am now going 5 days a week. I quickly learned what the words, phrases and names meant, such as: WOD, AMRAP, EMOM, DU’S, MU’S, thrusters, snatch, and Diane, Fran, DT, Grace, just to name a few. I’m thankful for the patience, encouragement, challenges and coaching that Jason and all the coaches have shown me, and also all patience and acceptance the members have for everyone in the workouts - that is what is keeping me coming back day after day.
One thing about CrossFit that I learned real fast as well was the community aspect, ( shout out to the 3:00pm class and Coach Eric’s Tuesdays and Thursdays weightlifting class!! ) Everyone cheers each other on until the last person is finished, the high fives and fist bumps shared after a hard workout, bringing people together. Also the fact that the coaches and others in our community can remember everyone else’s names, totally astounds me! It’s truly become a daily part of my life - looking up the wod’s is now one of the first things I do every morning, paying more attention to my nutrition, reading and watching stuff online to learn more about CrossFit.
Everyday I’m challenged by Jason and the coaches to push myself further. I now can do many of those things that a year ago I couldn’t physically do or I even didn’t know existed! I look forward to learning and accomplishing more.
A few of highlights: helping out at the 3 on 3 Throwdown, which was my first real exposure to a competition setting and that was fun; discovering I enjoy olympic weightlifting has been a pleasant surprise as well. A year ago I didn’t know what a CrossFit Open was or that it even existed, and I now have finished my first open. My goal was to do each workout and attempt to not finish last! Doing the final workout in front of an audience was completely out of my comfort zone - if you have have told me a year ago I would have done something like that in front of people I would have told you different, but having a place to go to that rally’s behind you, feels safe and is non-judgemental like 306 says a lot about people inside that space!
Everyday I can see and physically feel and changes in my body, (even though my bathing suit modelling career is still way in the distant future!) I like the fact during every class you basically have a personal coach during every workout and the programming is set out for you and I don’t have to figure what to do every workout. To anyone who happens to be reading this don’t let the word CrossFit scare you - I just read this statement somewhere: “CrossFit isn’t for everyone but ANYONE can do CrossFit”. I am proof of this, as I’m the oldest I’ve ever been but I’m also the fittest I’ve ever been and this journey that I’m a year into has just begun!
On a personal note to Jason, I know you’re disappointed that you didn’t make the CrossFit Games this year but just watching you do the work to make the attempt to get there was inspiring to everyone! But please keep in mind all of us who’s lives you and Rebecca have changed by creating this space and programming and to see your beautiful and happy family in the gym everyday, that you should very proud of and is a bigger success in itself!
Some of My Progress by the numbers
- 24 inches: box jumps height, when first started, 3 inches (or whatever a 25lbs plate is)
- 3: decreased pant sizes
- 1: decreased shirt sizes
- 37: Pounds lost
- ??: muscle gained (not sure how to measure that but I can lift more than I ever could in my life)
- 227: Wod’s done
- 1: CrossFit Games Open completed ( 1st one ever!)
- 14,997: Overall CrossFit Games rank out of 16,816 ( Worldwide Men 45-49)
…THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING