“I have been doing CrossFit since February 2010. Before I started out, I was barely able to do 2 strict pull-ups; absolutely gassed after running a mile; and weighed 234 lbs (overweight). Being a former Division I athlete, I wanted to work out in a team environment with some competitiveness. After my first workout, I immediately fell in love with it. It was perfect for me. I was always looking forward to the next workout. Now, I weigh 198 lbs. and I am working out 2 times a day. I still can’t get enough of CrossFit as workouts are always different and keep my body doing things I didn’t think I could do before. CrossFit has been a great blessing for me to change my lifestyle for the better and keep my body in great shape.”

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I have worked out at a gym all my adult life, but always seen it as a chore – something I had to do to keep from becoming soft and flabby or a blimp. I joined “CrossFit Bloomington” because five different friends were so enthusiastic about it. My gym was closing and I needed a new place to go, so I gave it a try. What a good decision! I just love it. Here’s why:

For the first time in my life, I have found a physical fitness activity that is huge fun, an intense challenge, and exhilarating. The warm ups alone are a good workout, but every time I finish a WOD (workout of the day), I feel completely spent and at the same time completely energized. The WODs are always challenging and sometimes they seem impossible, but somehow, with the encouragement of the trainers and fellow members, you get it done. Then, you stand back and look at what you’ve lifted or what you did with your body and you feel really proud. I have never felt that way about my physical abilities before. Never.

The trainers are stern taskmasters, but extremely skilled at their work. They insist on proper form at all times, protecting participants from injury. They also insist on completeness. Pull ups are all the way up to the bar! Squats are all the way down! Kettlebell swings all the way up! And yet, they are the gentlest, most encouraging people you’ll ever meet. Right when you think you’re about to collapse, they tell you you can do it and that you’re looking good. There is nothing like doing something that pushes you to your limits and having a trusted person stand by your side telling you you can do it. It’s an amazing and deeply human experience.

There’s also an esprit de corps among participants when the WODs begin. People wish each other good luck and encourage each other along the way. The main point of the WOD is to do your personal best, but there is also a gentle competition among participants that helps you do your best. The really cool thing is how amazing athletes who can do everything far better than you take a genuine interest in your success. They finish their WOD and stand by your side encouraging you to do your best. One day I was working on handstand pushups – just trying to go down a couple of inches – and someone I didn’t even know called out, “Way to go, Eric! You can do it! Keep trying.” Wow! What a feeling to be in an atmosphere like that. No wonder I love Crossfit.

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I am a fairly new member to CrossFit Bloomington. A friend had discussed it with me and finally gave me the nudge to give it a try. My only regret is not having listened to him sooner. Having attended for approximately two months, I can not only say that I have gained strength, but confidence as well. CrossFit Bloomington is unlike any other place in town. Upon first arrival for my Foundations Course, I felt welcomed. During my first foray into the WOD (Workout Of the Day), I felt supported. The staff and members are quick to introduce themselves and offer advice and encouragement. Each time I participate, there is no shortage of support from everyone involved. I look forward to the challenges that CFB throws my way with each new WOD in which I participate. My advice to someone considering CrossFit Bloomington: Don’t wait – you will love it.

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May 24, 2011 was a red-letter day for me: I got my first pull-up. I mean, my first ever, in the entire 58 years of my life!

To understand why that’s such a significant milestone for me, consider that as recently as 10 months ago, when I joined CrossFit Bloomington, I by no means considered myself an athlete. I didn’t exercise as a girl or young adult and never played sports in school (this was before Title IX, folks). I exercised only sporadically throughout my 30s and 40s. About 5 ½ years ago, I realized with a jolt that I was feeling decidedly and uncomfortably old. Decrepit and creaky, even. I was at a high point in my weight and a low point in my energy levels. I decided I needed to change course. I joined a gym, and started the standard gym routine familiar to so many: 30 minutes on the elliptical 6x/week and strength training (mostly on machines) 3x/week. It helped, no doubt (along with eating healthier). I lost weight, and I started to feel more energetic.

Fast forward to a year ago. I’d kept up the standard gym routine, but didn’t feel I had much in the way of gains in strength or physical capability to show for it. True, I wasn’t feeling badly or decrepit, and I was no longer winded from moderate exercise or unable to move comfortably, but I hadn’t been able to get to that place of feeling like I was physically thriving. And that’s what I was now after. Once I got past feeling badly, it became all about aging well. I was seeing lots of friends and relatives my age who were suffering from a host of aging-related health problems and were resigned to suffering through them. I didn’t want to go down that road without putting up a fight. I knew that the best insurance against the frailties and infirmities of advancing age was to get as strong as I could. Now. The physical plateau at which I found myself just wasn’t going to cut it.

But what to do?

I started hearing a couple of different friends and acquaintances talk about this thing called CrossFit. Intense. Demanding. Full-body functional movements. Interval training. Maybe just the ticket, even though it scared me (not an athlete, remember?). My fears were trumped, however, by my curiosity about this new (for me) approach to exercise and my determination to see exactly what I was capable of physically. I joined CrossFit Bloomington right after Labor Day in 2010, and I haven’t looked back since.

Almost immediately, I was thoroughly disabused of any notion that I’d been “fit.” Simply put, CrossFit kicked my butt. The workouts exhausted me, but in a wonderful way. I went from never having touched a barbell in my life to hoisting a loaded one in the air! I started hanging and swinging from an overhead bar for the first time since elementary school (and I wasn’t good at it then). It took me longer than I’d expected to master the basic movements (not an athlete  no muscle memory on which to call for a lot of this stuff), but under the demanding and careful eyes of the CrossFit Bloomington trainers, who made damn sure I got my technique down and didn’t do anything that risked injury, I slowly learned the basics. Hey, look at me, I could do a deadlift! A back squat! A clean and jerk! This was the kind of stuff that I only saw the Very Serious Men doing in the weight room at my former gym. And I was having a blast along the way.

Within a very short period of time, I became a CrossFit junkie. (For confirmation, ask my husband….) I love working out with such capable and skilled trainers, who are able to find that sweet spot between pushing me to be stronger while keeping their eyes on my safety. (Proper form is everything!) I couldn’t push myself physically the way I have these last 10 months without knowing that they have my back. As do the other folks with whom I’ve had the privilege of working out during my time at CrossFit Bloomington. We have more fun together than I could ever have imagined having while exercising this hard. We all celebrate each others’ accomplishments, while at the same time use those accomplishments to motivate ourselves to push harder. It’s a combination of camaraderie and (friendly) competition that’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my life. Doing the workout with others, under the watchful eye of a great trainer, somehow ratchets up the energy levels tremendously. It’s wonderful.

As an older woman with no history of being an athlete, I especially appreciate the comfort I feel while going through my paces with some seriously gifted athletes. Whereas the weight room at most gyms has always felt to me like boys’ territory – not very welcoming to women, especially women my age – here I was working out side-by-side with strong young athletes (women, too) who welcomed and even encouraged me. Another new experience. And seeing others around my age or older doing amazing things has been a constant inspiration.

In short, I have loved, loved, loved this journey into Lifting Heavy Things. I love feeling strong. I love my new-found sense of being physically capable. My balance has improved, and I move through everyday life more gracefully (I think) and with far greater physical ease. I used to have a somewhat unsteady left knee. It’s now rock solid. And I love, love, love the muscle definition I see in my arms. My legs. Other places I won’t detail. I feel more comfortable with and at home in my body than I ever have in my life. I’ve never been in better shape.

In the past 10 months, my strength and general physical condition have improved far more than they did in the prior 5 years of doing the standard gym routine of cardio and weight machines. I’ve hit milestones I never could have imagined. Besides getting my first-ever pull-up, in the past couple of weeks for the first time I bench pressed 100 pounds and deadlifted 200 pounds (compare that to my starting weight of 45 pounds for both). A handstand still eludes me, as does the rope climb, but I haven’t crossed them off my list entirely. Maybe by the end of the calendar year. I remind myself that I once thought I’d never get a pull-up.

And dare I say it? Now, finally: I’m an athlete. Thanks to everyone at CrossFit Bloomington.

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Two years ago I was slowly sliding back into depression, a problem that has plagued my entire life. At 62 I was feeling that most of my opportunities for real physical challenges were behind me; I was thinking “well, I’m finished with this,” or “I’ll not be doing that anymore.” My Dr. belonged to Crossfit Bloomington at the time and treating me for depression, and he suggested I try the regimen. That was November 2009. I joined Crossfit Bloomington, (then at the Walnut Street storefront) and was introduced to the fundamentals and then WODs that included crazy warm-ups like “carry 25 lb. plates over your head and trot to the Gas Station and back.” Within a month I was hooked, my life veered onto a different course, and I’ve never looked back.

Crossfit Bloomington has given me a new body, confidence, improved my mood, and provided me with a wonderful set of new friends. It has disabused me of the idea that at my age there are limits. Sure, I’m slower and less limber now, but I still remember the tremendous sense of accomplishment when I learned to do a handstand pushup or when I did my first RX workout with pull-ups (unassisted). The atmosphere at the gym is relaxed and supportive with an emphasis on safety. And yet there is also a competitive edge, friendly rivalries, all wrapped in mutual caring for other members’ goals and progress. This is the most fun I’ve had in years.

So don’t let some pre-conceived notion about age and strenuous athletics keep you from trying out this challenging but rewarding sport. Crossfit Bloomington has given me an entirely new outlook on life. Nothing less.

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I want to thank all of the Crossfit trainers, especially Kim, Drew, and Brian. You guys have helped me develop and push myself to always improve. Its still going to be tough here at the academy, but I would have been in such worse shape without your help. You guys saved my dream of getting into government work. I always thought I was in decent shape and could never really find a consistent, enjoyable way to work out and challenge myself. The Crossfit Bloomington experience was an eye opener, and enjoyable in a sick sort of way Geoff, your staff and trainers there are top notch and definitely were a key factor in me sticking around to try this “crossfit” thing out.

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Before I joined Crossfit Bloomington in 2009, I used to attend indoor cycling classes. I loved them and got a great workout every time, but they didn’t do anything for my upper body, which was really weak. I tried to complement them with different weight-lifting routines from magazines and such, but they all involved multiple sets of multiple exercises for every body part and that just seemed to take too much time. As a result, I never stuck with any of them for long. At Crossfit Bloomington, the weights are the cardio, and our workouts involve upper/lower body as well as your core, so you get a true full body weight workout and cardio, and usually in less than thirty minutes.
When I joined CFB, I didn’t think that at 48 I would be jumping up on 24” boxes or doing handstands. As a matter of fact, the idea of doing a handstand was actually quite “threatening” to me and it was a very big deal when I found out I could even do one at all.

After a year and a half of following the CFB program, I have become much stronger and fitter, and I love the positive changes in how my body feels. Not only are the workouts at CrossFit Bloomington effective and efficient, but they also offer a great deal of variety. The workouts are different every day, and most of the time are quite exciting. I am constantly motivated to expand my current limits, which has changed how I think about exercise. I used to exercise so that I could burn more calories and eat whatever I wanted while keeping my weight under control. Now I try to watch what I eat so that I can perform better during my workouts. I no longer workout to look better (even though that happens to be a nice “side-effect” of doing Crossfit) but to be able to do things I couldn’t do before!

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