People in Motion is a 90 minute film showcasing the potential people have to move through time and space. The film is shot in true slow motion with an original music score composed by Alex Bornstein & edited using a composite technique which illustrates stretches of time in an instant.
Why? We hope this film will inspire people to look at their world with a fresh perspective and search for new possibilities. Most people spend their lives walking & sitting without ever considering alternative methods of moving through their environments. Our film follows people who look at the world through a different lens. They flip off of buildings, leap over enormous gaps, and run on walls. Few people experience this freedom of movement & liberation from normalcy.
What we want to do… we’ve started filming & editing in San Diego, California and want to raise the funds needed to take our athletes on tour from the beaches of Southern California towards the Pacific Northwest. Along the way, we’ll be capturing the journey of how they interact with the world and their personal philosophies.
Amanda Stetson is a truly inspiring person. Her story is not uncommon however. All over the world people that never considered themselves athletes are wandering into Crossfit Gym’s and learning what the human body is truly capable of. Stories like Amanda’s are exactly the reason we are so passionate about the sport of CrossFit and why we strive to inspire everyone to live a beautifully fit life.
Backflips are one of the most challenging, and awesome, feats a human can achieve. Join one of our founders, Shane Farmer, who recently learned to do a backflip…in under 10 minutes! Checkout this amazing video of him with professional gymnast and parkour athlete David Agajanian below. Enjoy!
Dan “The Man” Tandon shares his story with us after a recent workout at his local box, CrossFit Invictus. Dan is the winner of the fall Look Good Feel Good Play Good Challenge and an inspiration to many of his fellow peers. Checkout more about Dan’s inspiring journey and how Crossfit has changed his life here (link)
Justin is one of the many members that recently competed in the Invictus Fitness Look Good Feel Good Play Good Challenge. Justin is a Police Officer that has found a way to stay in shape for his job through functional fitness. After he was finished giving it his all for the WOD he was kind enough to give us his story. Enjoy!
When I first started CrossFit in August 2009, after six years of not working out at all, I needed a week to recover from my first basic WOD of something like 10 box jumps, 15 pushups and 20 sit-ups. My first tabada pushup total was one, and that was only because I cheated on the last couple intervals. My first real WOD came on October 1, 2009, at 4:00 PM. There were about six of us there, me being the only newbie. The WOD: 2 rounds of 50 box pushups, 40 SDHP with 53# KB, 30 box dips, 20 air squats, 10 burpees, and an 800m run.
55 minutes later, I finished (kind of: I had a few range of motion issues on, well, everything (piece removed)). What I remember most is that as each person got finished, they individually offered little bits of encouragement as I was struggling. I must admit this seemed very weird. I was obviously new, struggling, and thought that everyone just sitting there enjoyed watching me suffer. I suspect that CrossFit in general loses a lot of brand new clients who don’t like being watched; as it wasn’t until I had been a few times that I realized that nobody cared what my time was. They just wanted me to do my best and finish no matter how long it took.
It’s that kind of camaraderie that has helped my fitness improve so much. It’s not only doing extra pull-ups after class, lifting with stronger guys, or chasing faster guys (the competition certainly helps though), its knowing that while I am doing a WOD, Vic (owner of Bayou City CrossFit), Katie (my coach) and everyone in the class expects me to do my best and to push myself. People see your times and know when you had a great day or when you were dogging it.
I’m confident that someone could walk into the box, insult someone’s mother, and eventually be forgiven. If that someone shows up though, and gives less than his or her best that day, people will remember. I didn’t know that was the stimulus I needed to get my butt into shape, but it works for me. I think it works for everyone who has ever measured themselves against a clock.
Whether one person does a WOD in 9:41 and thought they could have done it in 9:25, or another does the same WOD in 16:10 and thought they could have done it in 15-something, everyone is expected to do their best, and that is why I love CrossFit. I hate to admit this, but I think I used to be one of those people who had a lot of “quit” in them. Try to do 20 pushups and the 15th is hard? Shoot, do 15 then. Want to run five miles but you’re tired after two? Eh, go home. Two miles is a lot to run. Fortunately I think that person is on his way out of my psychological makeup. I don’t know if he is all the way out yet, but I know he’s most of the way.
After four months of learning the movements and getting to where I was regularly finishing WOD’s (albeit slowly), Bayou City CrossFit started its 2010 Paleo Challenge. On January 9, 2010, I, along with many others, was measured and did Helen: 3 rounds of a 400m run, 21 53# kettlebell swings, and 12 pull-ups. I don’t remember all my measurements, but I do remember that I was 42″ around my belly button, and even though I wasn’t weighed, I know I was 238 that day (down from 248 and 43″ around on October 1, 2009). My Helen time that day was 13:40.
Over the next 3 months, I ate well, became a regular at the 6AM, and practiced the hell out of my kipping pull-up (quick side note on eating well: I always thought that you should eat well just for body composition reasons. It never occurred to me that eating well would also help to improve your fitness. I’m definitely a fan of the paleo diet now).
When the Paleo Challenge ended on April 3, 2010, I was 39.25″ around, weighed 218, and know I lost more than 20 lbs of fat. My Helen time was 10:08, a time that I am both totally proud of, and a little ticked at that I didn’t break 10 minutes. I know for a fact that 10:08 was as fast as I could have gone that day; I pushed myself harder than I ever had before. That is what CrossFit is for me now, a way to measure myself against myself. A way to test my limits even at 36 years old. I only wish I had found CrossFit earlier in my life.
Welcome to Crossfit Story, a project of Heightn Athletics. We’ve finally launched our first video for your enjoyment and so you can meet us and get to know what we’re doing. Thank you for taking the time to write your stories and inspire others. Write your story every day, and check out our new “Why Im Here” project. Just a short quip about why you show up and make yourself better every day. No need to write an extensive story if you don’t want. Submit your story of triumph, trial, or change as an inspiration to others from our homepage. Visit www.heightn.com/crossfitstory to read and submit great stories every day.
Crossfit has changed my life, my lifestyle and my over-all level of fitness. I find that I make better choices daily, not only in my food choices, but in my day-to-day life. Rather than sit inside and wish I were doing something outside I’ll challenge myself on a run or in a sport. I’ll choose to push myself harder, to not give up half way through, and to finish strong.
The commitment that you put into your workouts should mirror your life. When things get hard, push harder. And when you think you can’t do it, readjust, reset, and find the mental focus to prevail. Before your workouts and in life you must set a goal and do everything you can to achieve it. I live by never giving up and never stopping the strive for a higher goal. If you set a small goal you’ll achieve small things, if you set a big (higher) goal and fall short, at least you pushed further than you ever thought you could.
As a child I was fairly thin but once puberty hit I no longer was ever really thin again. I had never been greatly overweight during my teenage years but I definitely was not comfortable in my weight and appearance. After graduating high school I would go through spurts of working out, lose a little weight, then get bored of the routine of it all and go back to how things were before. This cycle lasted for years, and hit the worst after a break up with a boyfriend that affected me in the worst way. I had gained weight while with him and a bit more after the break up. I was unhappy with myself and what I had let happen.
Come January of this year I was fed up. I knew very well that it is all in my control and that I need to quit half-assing my efforts. I made a promise to myself that this time I will do a ton of research, ask questions, and keep to a fitness plan to lose weight the healthy way. And I did, and I did well. I was eating healthy and doing circuit training on my own up until March.
Johana Pat - KB Snatch
In March, after consulting with Your Nutrionista on healthy eating habits, she asked if she could add me as a trial client for nutrition consulting and I agreed. She is the one that introduced me to the Primal Blueprint (Mark’s Daily Apple). I was very hesitant and anticipated it to be much harder than I ever imagined – I mean, come on, no bread, pasta, rice, beans, artificial sugars, AND keep it low carb? But she insisted that I try it for 2 weeks and see how I adjust and if I like it. I was game and decided to dive in headfirst. Surprisingly, it was not as hard as I anticipated and always felt energized and was never hungry.
As I did research on other blogs that eat primal or paleo, I noticed that most (if not all) people that eat this way also do CrossFit. I wondered to myself, what is this CrossFit that they speak so highly of? Did more research again. I was very intrigued at the intensity. So what did I do? More research of course! I browsed for CrossFit gyms in my area and came across more than I ever expected but I decided to contact the one that was closest to me, CrossFit 310 in Redondo Beach, CA.
By this point in April, I had lost about 30lbs on my own already. Then I contacted Kris, the affiliate’s owner, and we set up a time for me to come try it out with the free introductory class. Since I had been doing circuit training I wasn’t too worried about keeping up, but I also had no idea what to expect and I knew it’d be so different than what I’m used to.
I’ll never forget my first experience walking into CrossFit 310. First of all, it’s basically a warehouse, with a huge garage door opening, but I walked through the lobby doors. No treadmills, no ellipticals, no step machines, no weight machines, and no mirrors. All I saw was bars, hanging rings (what, is this gymnastics or what?), barbells, plates, a rope (is this the military or what?), row machines, a punching bag laying on the floor (how are you supposed to kickbox with it on the floor?), and all this scribbling on white boards.
Then Kris came to greet me, asked me some questions about my physical health and I gave him a quick recap, I signed a release form (in case of injury), and genuinely said he’s excited to have me try it. Did a WOD with the rest of the group, which on that day were all ladies who were very welcoming and guided me through the warm up. After the WOD? Felt like I couldn’t walk, but I felt amazing.
Following the WOD, he stated, “I’ve never been a great salesman, ever, which is why I wanted you to try it for yourself as opposed to me telling you what it is and selling it to you…if you liked what you experienced, come back for another WOD in a couple days.” And I did just that. After a few more times, we discussed rates and I joined officially.
That was in April of this year, and the transformation my body has taken from then to now is nothing short of amazing. Beyond the physical transformation, I am immensely stronger. Which completely debunks the myth that you’ll get bulky if you lift heavy weights. I fell in love with CrossFit back then and I am still utterly in love with it. Isn’t that what most people strive for? To have a fitness regimen that you wholeheartedly have a passion for and look forward to? Well, I have found that, and would recommend it to everyone and anyone.
Mid-workout, I often ask myself, “Jeezus, what am I doing here?” The answer usually is muffled by someone telling me to stop stalling and get moving because “that squat ain’t gonna do itself!” Like I need THAT reminder. I’ve been at this fairly seriously for about 6 months. I walk away everyday looking like, at worst, I lost a fight to a semi, or at best, an angry scrappy dog.
So, seriously after all that, why AM I here? Why do I come in here 5 days a week and CrossFit?
I CrossFit because after 15 years of intense involvement in organized sports, I’ve never found something that makes me question my physical and mental capacity and ability, or helped me prove to myself I CAN do it. CrossFit has helped me get stronger. I don’t mean pull-ups or deadlifts or double-unders. I mean in my head, I’m stronger. Someone telling me to keep squatting isn’t what keeps me going. For the first time in my life I know I can.
That’s why I CrossFit – because in such a short time (in relation to how long I’ve been an athlete), I learned there’s very little my body won’t do – and it’s an amazing feeling. Every single day, I surprise myself. I lift more, pull harder, and go faster – because I CAN – because CrossFit taught me how.
It’s a lot of work, and sometimes, when I walk away looking like I’ve just been stigmata’d thinking I can’t do it anymore, I catch my breath, and recall the last 14 minutes and 12 seconds and realized I finished, Rx (thankyouverymuch), so I CAN do it.
I’ve never EVER met a CrossFitter who doesn’t have a reason to go in everyday and work themselves so hard – and it’s very rarely because “I want a hot body”. There is more to this – it’s a game I play with myself to be better than the day before. To be ready for anything anyone throws at me and be prepared for it – in my head and my heart. Maybe my muscles help me through “Barbara”, but it’s my head and my heart that tell me to keep going.
Don’t get me wrong, my body looks better, I feel better, I sleep better – all very awesome reasons to do this, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s just icing on the cake that I shouldn’t be eating because it’s SO not Zone.
Of course, this is just little ol’ me, so ask yourself, why do YOU CrossFit? If you haven’t started – ask yourself why not? You’ve got nothing to lose and an amazing life to gain.
