I have client a with agoraphobia, balance and stength issues and chronic fatigue. We train twice a week for 30 minute sessions because that's all he can manage.We scale everything and it shows the universal applicaton for CrossFit.

While he lacks a lot of physical ability seeing th changes in his ability through CrossFit is inspiring. He's always says "I'll give it go when I show him a new move and still came back even after we went a little hard one day and he ended up floored from a visit from pukie.

The greatest part is when he tells me how his training has improved his confidence and balance and the smile on his face after I get him to do something he never thought he could do. He came to me with a max deadlift of 20kg and we've got it up to 60kg so far.

This is the true power of Crossfit, I believe, be inspired by the firebreathers but be more inspired by the everyday people changing their lives each ay through CrossFit.

Wounded Warriors (amputees) and Kyle Maynard doing Fran side by side at Alamo CrossFit...Feb 2009.
Leaves the rest of us with absolutely NO excuse.

I have many clients that I am proud of because of their hard work, determination,and achievements . One client is Jim Phelps. He's 56 years old and if one would characterize him you could say he's not from the deep end of the gene pool when it comes to athletics. What he does have however is a warriors heart and dogged determination. He hits every wod we post with gusto and has lost over 26 lbs while using the Crossfit methodology . He now weighs what he weighed when he got married over 26 years ago! More importantly than that because of various health issues he was taking numerous prescribed drugs. Costly with side effects! He has cut his dosages to 25 % of what was prescribed in some cases and got rid of some all together based on the changes we instituted in his life. I have no doubt that his quality of life is much higher now and will make the next chapter in his life easier,more fun and much more productive. Great job Jim!

I train a family and the youngest son has dyspraxia, so when he first came to us three months ago his movements were very disjointed, he was very very shy, didn't speak, couldn't even look you in the face to talk to-now he wants to press heavier, squat heavier, deadlift heavier, he talks almost constantly now, goes out with his friends and is applying for new jobs-and beating his PR's-I am immensly proud of him and the person he is turning into.

We've got some great stories at our box, too. And they relate to the fact that CrossFit improves your daily life outside the gym.

One obese client has dropped 25 lbs. in 2 months and her doc took her off her blood sugar meds.

A 60-year-old man came to us 5 months ago and couldn't do a sit-up - he's now doing kipping pull-ups. His wife recently joined and couldn't believe that she finished 3 hours of yard work last weekend and is now managing her work stress better.

A young father is now down to his high school weight, when he was a runner, and he now has energy for his kids.

...and the list goes on!

It's great to have the bad-ass firebreathers in the gym, but it's these stories that make our job so rewarding.

Lis...Off topic, but can you give us an update on the RRG? I didn't notice a contact person on the RRG website, and would like to know when they will be writing the Errors/Omissions policies in Florida, and if there is anything new to consider when we are purchasing general liability coverage for our affiliate (which I am going through quickly since our previous insurer is dropping CrossFit facilities).

Thanks!!!

JB -- I don't have that sort of info for the RRG but I can certainly pass your question onto those who are working on it. Hang tight. We'll try to get some info for you.

Since we headed off-topic anyhow, let me ask this question -- did any of you read the article linked on today's main page? It's about media companies, but go and read it with CrossFit affiliates in mind. Pay attention to the talk of far-reaching and broad social networks.

In particular, pay attention to the ending: "The challenge for all media—old and new—is the same, even if the difficulty level is higher than ever before: Focus on what makes each brand different and more valuable than the ever-increasing number of alternatives that technology makes inevitable."

You could easily substitute the phrase "CrossFit affiliates" for "media" there, can't you? On both a macro and a micro level . . .

I have so many stories of hard work and dedication, it is hard to think of just one. I've had three people in the last month or two come in after surgery and say, "My doctor is clearing me for exercise in 2 weeks but I am ready to start now, what can I do?" I had a great conversation with a long time customer, Josh, the other night about how he committed to go on the Paleo diet. Since the beginning of the year, he has lost over 30 lbs. He is running and met-conning with men much lighter and has the current DL record at the gym. AND he got his black belt in Karate this summer.

There are a number of stories like his, I could go on... I am super lucky and very grateful.

That is one sweaty, old, loud, hilarious, motivating, obnoxious, nit-picky, tough, tenacious man without any shame! Looking great Dave!

5 years ago my dad was a portly fellow in his early 50s with a growing list of health problems: obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, migraines, sleep apnea, etc. When his doctor (who is also his best friend) wanted to put him on a pile of medications he adamently refused and insisted he could fix his problems with diet and exercise. His friend the doctor literally LAUGHED at that idea and told him he had six months to do it or he'd insist on the meds.

Fast forward to this: http://www.crossfitbrio.com/2009/09/brians-birthday-filthy-58.aspx
My dad's 58th birthday a couple of weeks ago. By his own choosing, he picked the Filthy Fifty, except we made it the Filthy 58 just for good measure! Nothing more than CrossFit and Paleo food and he's in better shape than ever in his life... Every single one of his health problems is gone and, needless to say, he never did have to take any meds!

My mother is a huge inspiration. She was once a "chronic walker", where you routine consisted of walking 2 miles on the treadmill. That's the extent of her athletics and fitness her whole life.

When I started the gym, I kept hounding her to come in and try it. Excuses went flying (can't do this, can't do that). I worked with her at her house for a while, and finally convinced her to come in.

I've created a monster!

It's been 1 year since she started at the gym and she's seen so much progress. She's doing things that her 60 year old friends can only dream of doing (DL'ing 145#, flipping a 150# tire for 200m, doing REAL pushups). She's an inspiration to everyone at the gym.

Just last weekend, there was a Level 1 cert in Toronto. I couldn't believe it when Mom said she was going. We went to it together and she wow'd everyone! Before the cert, she said it was a one-time deal. But after getting back, she told me she can't wait to go to the next one!

Love you mom!

Corrie shared Casen's story in the Aug, '09 CrossFit Kids Magazine. Inspirational, both the young lady and her parents.

We have several but my pick to share is Carl. Carl came to us a year ago after an accident where a truck rolled over him. His shoulders had been crushed, he couldn't raise his arms above his head, he was in his 60's and he weighed 313#'s. Carls first workout was:
walk to the end of our building
3 sit and stands
I walked with him carrying a chair for his sit and stands.
Today Carl does hill sprints with the class, is able to press above his head. He's still in his 60's (haven't figured out how to fix that yet), but he weighs under 190.

....and I just got a text from my trainer. Carl got 22 rounds on his scaled version of Cindy today. PR by 9, count em folks, 9 rounds.

I think of Jean. She had a dream of going to Ireland in the spring of 09. She started training crossfit winter of 08. She needed assistance to get off a treatment table during her first visit. She was frustrated, but she was committed to the training and changing her life.
Fast forward 1 year. She lost over 100lbs, could bang out 20 knee to elbow(when before she could not even hang from the bar), was run walking 2 miles and got rid of furniture in her house so that she could have more room for dumbbells...woohoo!
Jean spent 1 month in Ireland; hiked all over the country side and chased luggage through airports at various destinations while she was there. According to Jean, she had more energy and was more vibrant than her daughter, who is 25 years younger than her.
Jean is an example that it takes one decision made over and over again to change your life and your future.

I could tell you several stories...

My 63 year old athlete who is living with MS and since training here has eliminated her pain meds,

my 63 year old Marine vet who came to me 255lbs and unable to squat, now weighs 190lbs and not only squats but is up to 11 real push-ups,

my 60 year old CrossFitter who works out here despite the fact she has 3 joint replacements, 2 knees, one hip and soon-to-be one shoulder. We have restored full ROM in the shoulder to prep for her upcoming surgury, two months ahead of schedule..

but I've been waiting for an opportunity to tell this story!

...(cont)

Since adopting CrossFit principles into our training 15 months ago, we have grown a wonderful community here. I have wanted to affiliate but as silly as it sounds, the money to do so has been hard to assemble. This is our sole income and I have a wife and three kids!

So the other day one of my clients asks if I want to get a beer after the last session of the day. When we get to the pub I find 12 of our athletes waiting there for us! They bought us dinner, had a cake there and presented us with a card.

Turns out they had been sneeking around planning this for months. Two of them- Dana and Deb had started a contribution and called around to others to join in. Inside the card was a cashier's check for $1,200.00 toward our affiliation.

Testimonies and words of thanks and encouragement were given to us that night and my wife and I were overwhelmed by the support! I am truly humbled to be surrounded by such a community. Our athletes are like my second family!

That was over a month ago and I still just don't have the words to express my gratitude!

Thanks to them, very soon PXT will be the home of CrossFit Excellence!

Lis-
my story is caught in the filter...:)

I had a 63-year old female client that came in weighing 240 pounds. She lost 40 pounds, went from 20 kilos on the deadlift to 80 kilos. She went from no pushups off the knees to several pushups off the toes. Her C2 rowing went from over 3:00 for a single 500 meter piece to 6,000 meters in thirty minutes -- a top 20 ranking worldwide. She became a hard worker; she once stopped in the middle of a workout to toss her guts in the bushes outside then insisted on finishing the workout. During this time she also enrolled in massage therapy school and said that she'd have never been able to physically get through the classes if it hadn't been for Crossfit.

When I was 4 years old my father past away. Growing up my whole life I felt no reason to push towards a better life or even live. At the age of 15 I had entered the life of a drug addict, abuse the common drug like weed and hallucinogens but most of all cocaine. I had gotten kicked out of my regular school and i entered an alternative high school which consisted of 57 students county wide. It wasnt long into this drug craze before i started dealing drugs. My mother gave me a choice, stop dealing or get out. Well i'll tell ya ,the $800 dollars a week at the age of 16 made my decision pretty easy, so I left and found a friend to live with. It toook about 2 years for what was once the care free life to turn bad.I had kicked up a $4000 debt from drugs. I also had competition looking to take me out of the picture, waiting for me in front of my house and i had no choice but to by a gun. This was no way to live and at this point my life was either headed dead or in jail. Lets fast forward about 6 months. CrossFit was introduced to me by my lifelong friend who I had always been competitive with. It took me about 4 months to grasp the concept. Within these 4 motnhs i was looking for a reason and a way out of the life i had entered and looking to start fresh. But nothing showed me the right path nor gave me a reason to better my self. The previous 3 years i did nothing but hurt myself and the people around me, why stop now? Until I understood CrossFit. I realized my drug habits would hold me back and not allow me to prevail in what I looked at as my new addiction. It happened without a wink in my eye, i needed to stop what i was doing to myself, so i got someone to lend me $4000, I had stopped selling drugs, discontinued my relationship with my previous friends and i stopped doing cocaine. It took about a year before i went out to my first level 1 cert. But I had no money. I had just paid back the person who had lent me $4000 dollars. Well i had a choice to make and i made the right 1, I sold my car and my motorcycle and was able to afford my airfare, hotel, and cost of certification. 2 months after I had came back from my cert i had quite my job as a mechanic and went from making $600 per week to making $60 working the front desk at a soon to be CrossFit facility. My decision was simple, i wanted to help people and this was the way to do it, to make the time people spend with me the best part of there day. I currently have over 20 1 on 1 clients and over 20 followers that take my class religously on a daily basis. I plan on getting my level 2 soon and openeing up my own CrossFit facility. And the best part is that i have been drug free for about 2 years. My dream since I started CrossFIt was to share my story with Greg Glassman and thank him what he has done for me and my family. My relationship with my mother couldnt be better, she CrossFits as well now because of me. Well this weekend i had fulfilled my dream. Words can't explain how CrossFit makes me feel.Its ability to strengthen ones emotions and confidence and well being is amazing in itself.Coach, thank you so much for what you have done for me, I hope this message was written well and enough and got my story across.

Thanks for sharing your story here.

WOW! Anon, I wish you great success and life-long sobriety!

One story is so hard to pick up for me. I have women who couldn’t do pull ups that now knock out sets of 5 with no problems. Others who have lost over 40 lbs. Soldiers whos back pain is gone, but to me the biggest success for me is bring this great program to Soldiers of Fort Hood. Thanks to the support of all the all volunteer trainer force I and Don have we have been able to train multiple units on Fort Hood on how to improve their PT and in front of our eyes the trainer who just stared as students of ours are now trainers who make a HUGH difference in peoples lives. That means so much to me because through them the difference is exponential.

#20 anon-

Thank you for sharing. You have an amazing future! Keep growing! We're glad you are here!

This man practice martial arts and mountaneering, his rheumatologits tells him not to do such a sports anymore for he has acute pain in some joints.

The doctor tells him: "Fortunatelly you don´t do Olympic lifting."

The man becomes fat and unhappy....and his joint´s problems do not dissapear. Then finds CF. The doctor tells him that "CF is dangerous" for him (the doctor should read Lisbeth´s post on this issue).

The man goes to another doctor, who tells him -based on medical evidences, not in narratives- "whatever you are doing now, continue doing it, you´ll live one hundred years".

The man becomes a CF instructor, and a CF Gym owner. Now he does and teaches oly-lifting, came back to martial arts and mountaneering, and he is spreading the CF word wherever he goes.

Such a lovely and inpiring story. Thank you again for sharing with us, Chris and Corrie AND, of course, Casen.