Author: Christopher Stokes
Story Type: Triumph
Home Gym: CrossFit Hollywood
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.
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: Stephanie Cedeno
Story Type: Triumph
Home Gym: CrossFit Ignite
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”.
