It has been 5 months since I started Crossfit, but about two and a half years since I first discovered it. I loved it from the moment I read about it but it wasn’t big in Australia and at the time getting to the box in the city was too difficult to work around. I was a Martial Artist (at the time I did Karate and a sword style called Haidong Gumdo) and fit, so I kind of did my own weighted circuit training. Won a silver medal at Nationals for Gumdo and everything.
But that’s not the end of the story. My journey has been one of pain and struggle.
I think I’ve been on a diet since I was 7 and got a little chunky. It set me up for a lifetime of bad relationships with food and my body. All during high school I had big boobs. The kind of big that causes pain – I was also overweight despite doing karate 3 times a week. I didn’t eat in front of people; I still avoid it when possible. Between the boobs and my weight I was at a chiropractor twice a week just to try to release some of the pain. Regardless, I was hunchbacked and unable to do very much.
I had a reduction when I was 19. I lost 6.6lbs from one and 5.5lbs from the other. I started exercising. Remembering that as a kid I played every sport that was offered to me. When I moved to Sunny Queensland, I learned that I liked to Run and I did pole dancing. When I started working at MickeyD’s I joined a gym.
I also stopped eating.
My workouts increased from 1 a day, to 4 a day. 7 Days a week. One of the trainers at the gym told me to ignore everyone and just keep going because I looked amazing. She didn’t know anyone else who could run 5km, do a strength session, then do another 5km just to finish things off. Didn’t help that I wanted to fight and was told that being so tall with a good reach that I would make a better fighter at a lower weight – 10kgs lighter than my ideal healthy weight.
I took my input to 500 calories a day and stuck to it.
And the numbers on the scale fell, rapidly. At first I was really praised on it. Congratulated on my dedication and commitment. Never mind that I would get messed up if I even as so much missed a day of training. Seriously messed up.
I say all this with little recognition. I don’t remember much of the time that I spent battling my eating disorders.
I knew I had a problem when all of a sudden walking was an issue, when I was in tears of pain walking up stairs. I really knew things were bad when my hair fell out and my skin was bruised where the bones rubbed against it. My period stopped. I pretty much kissed that good by for a good 3 years. I was hospitalized at 32kgs (5’9”) with the doctors surprised I could even walk, let alone that I was even alive.
And of course the refeeding process would make any cross fitter cry. They stuffed me and force-fed me bread, pasta, and sugar. I felt sick constantly, bloated. I wasn’t allowed to drink water but I was allowed milk. IT WAS HORRIBLE. Which led to the other eating disorder that I battled since leaving the hospital. I tried so hard, but eventually – as it so often does – I just switched one for the other. My therapist commented once that even though I was ‘out of it’ he had never met a more self-aware person in his life. He had hoped that I would fight this disorder. He later thanked me for doing just that and called me strong. I never knew how much strength I had.
It took another 4 years after getting out of the hospital to start Crossfit but in the year after I got out I won a bronze medal at Gumdo nationals. 2 years later I was a much-praised 2nd Dan. One of the few female black belts in Australia. I was invited to worlds but couldn’t afford it. Apparently though, women have to work 4 times as hard to get the same respect and when I voiced an opinion I was pushed out of the club.
Enter Crossfit.
Does anyone know how hard it is for a girl to go from being at the top to being at the bottom when it comes to competitive sports? When I first started Crossfit I thought I would make it through the beginner adaptation phase easy. Wrong. But the fact that it hasn’t been easy has made me appreciate it so much more. Through Crossfit I discovered that I am strong, that I am a fighter. That even when I suck at something I will never quit. That when it gets painful, when it hurts so bad from the lactic and the muscle fatigue – I will never ever give up. In 5 months I got my first pull ups ever. I can run a 1-minute 400 when the planets align. I swing kettlebells and lift weights and I struggle. I get cranky over my performance, throw hissy fits when I cant lift heavier, curse, and swear at double unders – but I love every second of it.
In the 5 months of Crossfit I have stopped my eating disorder patterns. I now eat – a lot. I’ve stopped overtraining. I look at myself better, and hold myself higher. I walk with confidence. I challenge people to question my calluses and scrapped up shins. I am no longer the skinny chick, but a fighter for other girls who are starting down the same path. Who don’t realize that by going to extremes to lose weight they could hurt themselves. It makes me cry and I try to give them the facts – bones aren’t pretty, training 4 times a day is going to kill you, and you need to eat more than the 1000 calories you’re aiming for. I work my ass off trying to get that message across.
I truly believe that Paleo and Crossfit saved my life.
Triumph and Change
I have never been able to run, jump, hold my body on a bar and so much more. I was an overweight kid, an obese teenager, and a super obese adult. At age 24 at 420lbs I had a gastric bypass surgery. I lost 160lbs, but in the 3 years following that loss I gained back 60lbs of it. Gaining weight after that surgery was like hitting rock bottom. Like they say, sometimes you need to hit rock bottom to change.
What I discovered at the bottom was how much I used my weight issues to devalue myself. I decided to finally accept myself as I was. Acceptance gave way to a self-love that was never possible before. I naturally began to eat and move in accordance with that love. It makes perfect sense to me that soon after I began truly caring for myself I found Crossfit.
I walked into my local affiliate and immediately knew it felt right. After my first couple of metcons, I felt like I was home. Home in my body. I have always been connected in mind and spirit but the body was the missing link. The way I felt after a metcon reminded me of a handful of experiences in my life, where I was pushed to my limits physically. Those experiences were the most exhilarating of my life, I just didn’t know why until I found CrossFit.
Now I know that I love intensity. Now I know that I enjoy physical activity. Now I know what I am capable of.
Since starting Crossfit in September 2009, less than a year later I have lost over 80lbs. I am now the lightest, healthiest, fittest, and strongest of my life at 30 years old. I don’t think of workout as a chore, in fact I have to impose REST days on myself. But like many others in Crossfit boxes around the country, I am starting from scratch. Every movement I develop is new. My body & my muscles are like a baby taking their first steps. Every WOD is practice walking in my new body.
I am proud of my first steps:
- Never not finishing a WOD
- Not being able to do a push-up on my knees to 1 RX’d push-up
- Not being able to get through 400m without walking to a 2:00m 400m sprint
- Jumping Pull-ups to kipping pull-ups with a 1 inch assistance band
- A 7-inch box jump to a 19-inch box jump
- A #75 1RM shoulder press to a #95 1RM shoulder press
- A #205 1RM deadlift to a #300 1RM deadlift
- A 2:23s 500m row to a 1:49s 500m row
- Never touching a barbell to winning a novice strongwomen competition
I am now a “Fit 50″ mom of four. Mahalo to CrossFit Monrovia and our new Ohana! 2008 was a devastating year for my beloved, strong husband who was diagnosed with Small Cell Carcinoma of the Prostate. He fought hard for 6 months, but in October 2008 he lost his battle. My family needed to begin our new life without him. Our two youngest daughters (11 & 12) were introduced to CrossFit Monrovia Kids. What a lifesaver it was. With the help, training, and encouragement of their Coach, Kate Hunt, their transition began.
Our beautiful daughters are now fit, confident, and strong (physically and emotionally). Our story does not end with them though. I am proud to share that in addition to the girls, their older sister (26), brother USAF (22), grandmother (78), niece (5) and me (50), have become a proud part of the CrossFit Family. We have 4 generations now at our lab!
After watching the girls for a couple of weeks at CrossFit, and with much encouragement from them and the coaches, I decided to try the “Intro Class.” Boy, was I in for a surprise. I have worked out most of my adult life but nothing prepared me for those 12 minutes of “hell.” Needless to say I did my best and puked at the end of what was the beginning of my “new life.” And what a wonderful life it is. I can’t wait to go to class at least 4-5 times a week. I don’t read the daily WOD because whatever it is I will try it.
My oldest daughter and mom also caught the fever. They saw the changes both physically and emotionally that I went through, and now 9 months later my daughter (who has never exercised) is 60 pounds lighter and hooked. My mom is an inspiration to us ALL as well. Proving that at 77 years old, you’re never too old to get into the game. Lastly my five year old granddaughter was offered a mini’s class which she attends enthuastically. Needless to say, we all drank the Kool-Aid!
In response to Nike Women’s “My Butt is Big,” ad I saw:
I am tall, skinny, and lanky
Like a praying mantis
and thousands of pull-ups, push-ups, and squats
Have made my body leaner
Definitely not bigger
Thats OK with me
It means I’m often overlooked
When pitted against those “bigger” than me
But I tend to over-deliver
It’s a green light
To eat whatever I want
Even though I eat Paleo
It’s a lion laying in wait
To pounce on any competition in my sights
That may have forgotten I’m here
I am tall and skinny
That’s OK with me
And to those who think bigger is better
I invite you to come workout with me
When I tell people that I am in better shape at 30 than I was at 10, 15, and 21, people often look at me in disbelief. I was always the “chubby” kid who was medically excused from recess and never was a part of any sport, not even as a spectator. I was born with scoliosis and ARNOLD-CHIARI MALFORMATION a rare genetic disorder in which parts of the brain are formed abnormally. I had corrective surgery for it at the tender yet very brave age of 13, and although the surgery allowed for the prevention of further nerve damage, some of the damage was already done, and it left me with Chronic Pain that made my teens and 20s pretty unbearable and downright miserable.
Throughout my 20s I lived as a Zombie and took high doses of pain killers. I would take up to 3600 mg of a nerve pain medication meant for diabetics and to control seizures in epileptics that could easily knock down a HORSE! My primary care physician told me once that she was surprised I wasn’t slithering across the floor like a slug. The medication slowed my system down to the point where I would fall asleep faster than any narcoleptic (many times at the wheel, yikes!) and my metabolism was not just slow, it was at a complete halt, causing me to hit an all time record weight gain that made my back pain ten times worse and my mental state of mind in perpetual negativity.
The pain medication was causing me more problems than the chronic pain itself, and it wasn’t like the pain was getting any better, in fact it was worse. My body would quickly get immune to the prescribed dose and often it would have to be readjusted higher so that I could feel some relief.
The low self-esteem, the habitual negative thoughts, and always feeling physically uncomfortable often made me feel near suicidal, because there is no way you can be on all that medication, feel that daily tortuous pain, and it not affect your thoughts and mental health in some way, shape, or form.
I had no strength in my shoulders and arms. I couldn’t hold a 20 lb. baby without feeling pain and discomfort radiating down my nerve damaged left arm and wanting to pass the child to someone else immediately so that my arm wouldn’t collapse. I would often wonder what quality of life I would have and had resolved within myself that this was the life I was destined to live, one of pain and discomfort, one of misery and discontent. I labeled myself this medical incompetent person who would never find relief.
As I approached my 29th birthday I begin to think about the life I was living. I wanted to be healthy and feel alive. The pain medication had stripped me of any sort of life and I walked around numb and almost cathartic, as my body continued to suffer pain. Something within me began to awaken, or at least was trying to, but I wasn’t quite ready yet because I was being numbed by the medication.
I decided to wean myself off all the medication. It was not easy and the withdrawal symptoms, although I was told would not occur, were tough to handle. I was going through a detox, although the neurologist would never admit to it. Little by little I began to awaken, to see life for what it really was, a wonderful and exciting privilege to be taken advantage of and to be LIVED! I began to see some weight begin to drop off, but it was a difficult and arduous journey, that is until I began CrossFit.
Before I began CrossFit I had dropped around 50 lbs. by reducing my carb intake and eating healthier, but my muscles were still weak and I was very unfit. When I was introduced to CrossFit Ignite in Westwood, New Jersey through my sister, I was immediately hooked, especially when I had met coaches Steve and Tina, who welcomed me with open arms and a kettlebell! It stopped being about weight loss for me and became a total life changing experience from that point on.
I began to immerse myself into this whole new world, this new culture, this CrossFit. I was meeting amazing individuals from all walks of life who had one common goal, to live their healthiest and best life. These weren’t just your average joes, these were people with a fire and passion for living that was infectious and I quickly was drawn to them. I wanted to be one of these CrossFitters until I realized I already was.
I began CrossFit in April 2010, and already I have seen a tremendous change in my body. I have not only dropped an extra 20 lbs., but I have muscle definition where there once was fat. Remember I said I couldn’t lift a 20 lb. baby? Well now I can Turkish-Get-Up 35 lbs. on each side. Remember that “Chronic Pain”? Well the only pain I experience now is from the Kettlebell bruises or Deadlift scratches on my shins. No more Chronic Pain!!!!!!
I promise you that this is proof that if you take the time to honor your body that it will honor you in return. I do not even suffer from discomfort as I once plagued with. Although certain exercises are challenging for me, because I had never used certain muscles, they are far from impossible! My 6 month goals is to perform a kip and to hold a hand stand, and this I will do because I have seen myself accomplish things through CrossFit that I never thought possible once.
Now, I believe that there are no limits to what our bodies can do. I was given limitations as a child, teen, and young adult because of a medical condition and I labeled myself just that and lived as just that, as someone with pain, physical and mental. Now, the only label I am proud to share with the world is “CROSSFITTER”.
My training started back in middle school at a Gold Gym in Southern California. I had always been active in sports whether it was soccer, basketball, or baseball growing up. When I realized that being a 6′, 220 lb. 7th grader was not going to cut it in those sports I focused on football. I began training with a family friend who had played college football at the University of Oklahoma. He was big, strong, and taught me the foundations for lifting; both power and olympic style. I trained with Chad for almost 2 years, and by the time I began my freshman year of high school I was a 200 lb. bencher, 250 lb. squater, among other lifts.
I enrolled at Esperanza High School in Anaheim, CA in 2000. Esperanza was a major football powerhouse in Orange County football in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Because football and weightlifting were so closely tied, our weight room facility was second to none. We had lifting platforms, stacks of olympic plates, we even had lifting shoes. I began training with our coaches immediately before my freshman year, and my lifts skyrocketed. We were taught correct and proper form, how to gain weight (football style; not paleo), and also how to program our weight lifting schedule for optimum performance. Our coaches were also olympic lifting certified and believe that competition on all levels was necessary. My sophmore year I entered my first weightlifting competition. It was at a high school in Newport Beach, CA and I placed 2nd. After that I was hooked. I traveled around the country competing. At the National Junior Olympics, during my junior year I placed 2nd among all boys 17 yrs. and younger in the 105 kg weight class.
I graduated from high school and continued to play football as a walk on at the University of Arizona. The weight room facility here completely blew my mind. We had a 60 yard indoor astro-turf track, over two dozen lifting platforms, enough bumper plates for the whole team to lift together. It was extremely impressive. Looking back, our workouts were Crossfit style; very high intensity and usually quicker than an average football lifting session. Although we never did a “Fran” or “Helen” the lifting was still comparative. In college I was a defensive lineman. At the height of my college career, I was 6’1, 290 lbs. I could bench press 490 lbs., deadlift over 600lbs., squat over 650lbs. But I had a huge gut, I ate almost anything I could get my hands on, and lived a pretty unhealthy lifestyle. I realized at the beginning of my last school year, that I was not going to make the NFL and began trying to slim down. When I graduated I had already lost approximately 40lbs. by eating what I did not know was “Paleo”.
I moved by to Orange County, CA when I graduated and joined back up at my globo-gym; even getting my friend Dominic to train me. He was a good trainer who knew how to push me, however he made the mistake of introducing me to my first Crossfit gym. It was a garage gym in Yorba Linda, CA which is now the affiliate known as Primitive Crossfit. Dominic and I drove over to this random house and when the garage door opened, there was an old C2 rower, some home made boxes, kettle bells, and slam balls. I had no idea what to think. However, over the next year I trained there almost everyday. Matt Charney, my coach had to convince me not to come in some days to help me avoid over training. It was the beginning of my Crossfit addiction.
My coach convinced me to enter the Orange County Throwdown competition that took place in January 2010. I was slightly reluctant at first but then jumped head into training. I ended up place 3rd out of 60 male competitors and became hooked on competing instantly. I entered the Southern California Los Angeles sectionals the day after the O.C. Throwdown to really test my competition level. I found my “goat” pretty quickly was double unders and handstand push-ups. I ended up placing 45th out of 85 competitors. Although I didn’t qualify for the Regionals, I began hitting the gym extremely hard and have become pretty proficient at doing double-unders.
I moved down to Hermosa Beach in early January and joined Crossfit Southbay.The competition within the gym is amazing. Everyday the WOD is posted on the gyms’ blog and the competition begins to brew. I’ve loved every minute of training there. The coaches are all incredibly motivating, the members all care about each other and it’s become quite the family. Every weekend we all get together, whether it’s at the gym for an extra weekend WOD, the beach for some volleyball, or at a restaurant or bar for dinner and some drinks.
Crossfit has helped me in so many ways that I cannot begin to describe. It’s taught me how to train with others in a competitive yet constructive atmosphere. It has also taught me how important a good and well thought out diet can be. When I first started Crossfit, which is almost 2 years ago I kept hearing that it was a cult and could become addictive. After two years and two completely different gyms, I now understand why. It’s the best “cult” I could’ve joined.
We’ve received a lot of well written stories and we’re excited to announce we’re going to start posting them on our blog. Every few day’s you’ll be able to read a new story coming from one of the talented writers that has decided to share their story with you, the CrossFit community.
We’ll make it well known every time a new story comes out and we hope you reciprocate by considering putting your own story out to the world. Feel free to keep checking back every day or two since you never know when a new story will be up!
Get ready because the first story is coming your way this afternoon!
In my experiences in life and the corporate world I have learned that different people are motivated by different things. What gets me going (heavy weights) is not necessarily what my girlfriend really has a passion for (chocolate?) and vice versa. That’s why I want to write about what motivates me to CrossFit and ask for your feedback on what motivates you to CrossFit as well.
I have the kind of personality that gets addicted to those things in life that seem impossible. The more challenging, mentally and/or physically, the more excited I get. When it comes to CrossFit, the nature of the game is to train for the “Unknown and Unknowable” (Theme for 2009 Games by Dave Castro); posing the never-ending challenge of mental and physical toughness. I wasn’t much of an athlete before starting CrossFit but have since caught CrossFit fever. Doing so however, has caused me to push myself to the point of exhaustion, over, and over, and over again. This is where I discovered the second motivating factor for why I CrossFit; the comraderie.
Everyone in the gym I started at, CrossFit Invictus, was extremely welcoming and supportive of a new guy that had no clue what he was doing. The coaches there guided me through this period of learning helping me avoid any major damage (Thanks Sagefor teaching me how to bail on a snatch!) and within a few weeks (okay, months) I was on my way to making some serious improvements in my overall health.
The last motivating factor for why I CrossFit, and why I’ll never quit, is the community. On May 17th, 2010, my mother lost her six year battle against lung cancer. In her honor I have setup a team to participate and raise funds for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in downtown San Diego. After polling everyone I knew from work and my personal life I had about $100 dollars and 3 people on the team. I asked the owner of CrosssFit Invictus, CJ Martin, for his help in raising awareness by posting a blog article about the relay. That article ran June 15th, 2010 and within days the team had hit our goal of $1,000. The support from the other members at the gym has been overwhelming. I don’t know that I could have handled the loss without their support.
That is why I CrossFit, and why I’ll never quit.
Yours in CrossFit,
Ben Sullins & The CrossFit Story Team
In case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve added something pretty special to our site. Before we go about touting the great things we’re doing though, we know you’re asking yourself “That’s fantastic guys, but how does it benefit me and my love of CrossFit?”
So instead of telling you what’s new, we’ll start with what it’ll do for you.
The first bit is what you can expect to see from us every day. If you read it and don’t like or agree with it then you don’t have to tune in any more. It’s awesome because you have a clear description of what we’re aiming to do and you know what we’re looking for in a story about CrossFit. A win/win for everyone. “Wait a second” you might say, “That seems too good to be true.” It’s not, we promise. What we’re talking about is our Mission:
“CrossFit Story captures and cultivates the life-changing, sweat-inducing, leave-your-excuses-behind stories that breed inspiration every day. Period.”
The second bit will inspire you the same way it drives us every day to keep going. We all need a pick me up on a cloudy day or motivation when we’re feeling sick. That’s what this will do. It’s like a CrossFit approved paleo energy shot using words instead of a physical drink. It’s our Vision statement of where we will be in the future and what we’ll be doing along the way:
“CrossFit Story exists to be the spark that ignites people to live a beautifully fit life using every means possible.”
Bring your stories to CrossFit Story and help us inspire the world through fitness.
Yours in CrossFit,
The CrossFit Story Team
In the CrossFit community there are countless tales of how life changing this sport, CrossFit, really is. Stories range from former athletes that have found their love of sport again through the complex and challenging nature of CrossFit to people that were so out of shape they were headed for health problems that could affect the rest of their lives.
This begs the question, why does CrossFit, unlike many other sports, inspire such great stories?
Simply put, because it works. CrossFit transforms people from “Normal to Awesome” (Again Faster) in short order, and who doesn’t want to be awesome?!
CrossFit enables normal people to become healthier, happier, and stronger through fun, dynamic, daily challenges. In these events known as the Workout of Day (WOD, pronounced whad), a community of former average people turn into awesome athletes no matter what their skill level. This builds comraderie among gym members and excites additional effort into the competition. Since the movements change daily and rarely repeat, athletes don’t get bored. This is a huge differentiator between CrossFit and other fitness programs.
That’s why it’s so great to hear about how someone went from an unhealthy life, to healthy stud. When these changes occur, they touch peoples lives at the root level, that’s what creates all these great stories, and that’s why we are dedicated to sharing them with others. Not only are we trying to get your stories out to other CrossFitters, we want to share these stories of change with those who haven’t had the chance to experience it for themselves yet, in other words, to the entire world.
For help with you story please visit our How To page or contact us directly (link)
Yours in CrossFit,
CrossFit Story Staff
