I started working out when I was 14 years old which was in the late 80s. Growing up watching Arnold and Stalone running around all ripped and always shirtless, no one fights bad guys in the snow I guess, put a picture in my mind what healthy looked like. So I began my goal of “getting fit”. My workout was a body builder type workout. Focusing on individual muscle groups with a concentrated effort to target only the area I was working on that day. Cardio always came natural to me so it was never a concern. This workout continued into the Marines where in Okinawa they say you find one of three things – God, alcohol or fitness. Well fitness was my thing so it was 2-3 hours in the gym 7 days a week and 15 mins of cardio a day. Becoming a civilian in 91 I kept that mentality well into my 30s. I thought I was in pretty decent shape, still lifting heavy and able to keep up playing about any sport. Then the unthinkable happened, detached my right bicep by simply moving a rabbit cage. (very wierd story I would rather not get into) I had surgery to reattach, was down about 6 months and was putting my plan together to get back in the gym and get “back in shape”. Well my routine consisted of the same focused body building lifting and my numbers were coming back. Then a year to the day i detached my right bicep, I detach my left. Finished my last set of preacher curls and was lowering the weight, felt the pop and knew I was done. Another 6 months down I realized I need to change my plan up a bit. My idea of what was healthy needed to change. I was discussing this while visiting an old high school friend named Steve Cockrell. He told me he knew of a place that could help me with a new plan, CFC.
Stepping into the box was like another world, managed kaos. I knew while I was doing my base line I was hooked. The functional aspect of CrossFit hit home. Isolating muscle groups just for the look was not healthy. I learned my mobility was limited, cardio was not as good as I thought and I have like no rythm, I know its hards to admit. All the movements in CrossFit made sense, except for double unders, in everyday life. Every workout was harder than the last but I loved it. Got a couple DNFs under my belt but that just made me push harder. The encouragement from the other memebers at CFC is amazing. Even when someone is crushing you they still push you to go faster, do one more rep. If you are the last one in ther WOD they yell at you like you are finishing first. Its an amazing community here at CFC. I have been to many different boxes and compare them all to here. Nothing else matches up to the coaching staff and the members.
(May’12)