Author: Matt Steinheider
Story Type: Changes
Home Gym: Bayou City CrossFit
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.
Author: Johana Pat
Story Type: Changes
Home Gym: CrossFit 310
Johana Pat - Before and After
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.
Author: Lani Deves
Story Type: Triumph
Home Gym: Crossfit Southeast Queensland
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.
Author: Stephanie Vincent
Story Type: Changes
Home Gym: Crossfit King of Prussia
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
Author: Jonathon Markovich
Story Type: Transformation
Home Gym: CrossFit Southbay
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.
