Let's hear more stories about people that gave up very successful careers and risked everything on the dream!

I'm a trainer at Hammer Down! I also gave up a corporate career, started my own small marketing and communications business and coach (and do!) CrossFit as part of a very satisfying, healthy and balanced life. It's an amazing community of people and I'm proud to be a part of it. CrossFit really has brought this group together ((we really did start in a parking lot and a garage and people just kept on coming out!). We compete, we support, we've done team-based nutrition challenges, and we even do non-CrossFit things together. Thanks CrossFit for giving us all the tools!

I've been training with Todd consistently for 3 months now, and intermittently for 4 months before that while recovering from knee surgery. He's been good about tweaking WODs in a way that worked around my knee, and still asks how I'm feeling before the start of every workout. He has a great mix of programming, and has gathered an even better group of people - both trainers and athletes.

Congratulations! From cramming 20 people in your garage to the spaciousness of the box, the business has come so far!

I'm a trainer at Hammer Down. I also left a corporate career to start my own marketing and communications business and coach (and do!) CrossFit, leading me to a very healthy, balanced and happy life. We really did start in a parking lot last year and moved to the 3 car garage...and people kept on coming out. It's an amazing community of people! We compete, support each other, do team-based nutrition challenges, and even non-CrossFit things together. Thanks to CrossFit for giving us the tools to live better, compete stronger, and come together!

HammerDown is my home away from home. There is no greater community in northern Virginia. When surrounded by driven athletes, it makes you an overall, more capable person. There aren't many uncomfortable situations in life that I can't deal with now that I have experience as a CrossFitter. I trust that Coach Todd is going to help me get as strong as I want to be and as healthy as I need to be.

Coach Katz and the coaches at Hammerdown have been amazing! I think they really bring the crossfit concepts to life and have been an inspiration to us from day one!. From coaching the lifts and functional movements, nutrition and most importantly the push to finish every WOD with all we have - go Hammerdown!

Of course its all the wonderful friends we've made and the community that we've become part of that draw us back week after week..

Congrats on making the front page!

A workout at Hammerdown is good for the soul...

I started working out with Todd in the parking lot and love where he is now. Todd has created a fantastic environment for a great group of people. Joining Hammerdown was one of the best things I've ever done for myself. Coaches Todd, Devin, and Sarah (as well as the members) are so passionate and encouraging, they make you want to work hard and be better.

Thanks, Coach Todd and Congratulations!

I was tired of the traditional "in the gym" workout. I no longer had the time to do 3 sets of 10 reps, bench, curls, etc...Married with three kids and full time police officer there just was not enough time in the day. Until I started following Todd's WOD's. After several emails with Todd, who was incredibly informative and patient with me, I was still a non-believer that you could get a decent workout in as little as 8 minutes. I managed to balloon up in weight to 226 lbs. I started Hammerdowncrossfit full-fledged mid April. As of today, June 8, I weigh 195. The only way I will workout now is crossfit. My results were so dramatic; half my platoon at work has started hammerdowncrossfit and even some of our wives. Great job Todd.

Congrats Todd! Looks great! Keep up the great work!

I started Crossfit with Todd 3 months ago and it was the best thing I ever did. In such a short span of time I have gotten stronger in all my exercises, I am leaner, and I am much more proficient in all my olympic lifts.

Todd takes the time to know each of his athletes personally. He knows our strengths and weaknesses and adapts the WOD's accordingly.

Hammer Down Crossfit is a positive place to work out. The community is fantastic, the facility is brand new, and our coach always brings great energy and experience to all his athletes.

Come try it out!

On January 30th of this year, after a lot of pushing from a friend, I walked into Todd’s Garage for my first CrossFit experience. Before I
could fill out the medical release 3 people had come over to introduce themselves. I can't tell you how great that felt, to be welcomed into a community that way. When Todd told me I was only going to do half the WOD I thought I wasn't really going to get the full experience. Of course I was wrong. It kicked my ass! What was even more surprising was that I wanted more! I had never understood how people could enjoy exercise and yet I found myself excited about going back. 5 Months later I have to force myself to take my rest days each week. The nutritional information Todd's shared has been invaluable to me and my family. I love our community. The results I've achieved through Todd's programming continue to amaze me and I look forward to getting stronger. What more can I say, Hammerdown has been a life changer.

The sense of community at Hammer Down is amazing.
From our Paleo Challenge (that had an almost 100% participation rate) to training daily, everyone helps each other reach new levels of fitness.
It's a very powerful experience to watch so many members come off the pull-up band, get their first muscle-up, improve nutrition and lose weight; but what is equally rewarding to me has been watching everyone's confidence grow along with their performance.
I travel all the time for work and like working out early. I have yet to visit a box with the energy of Hammer Downs' 6 am Class!

Who knew you could have that much fun at 6am???

Ps - Still waiting to visit Pukie.. Maybe next week :-)

You rock Coach Todd.
~ Devin

As one of those "runners" Todd mentions above, I have always supplemented my running workouts with lifting. I was really intrigued by Crossfit and decided to try it out this winter, after hearing so many people raving about Coach Todd's garage workouts. I'm so glad I did because I love it! It's made me a stronger person and runner, and I'm doing crazy lifts at weights I never thought possible! What I also love about Hammer Down, is the holistic approach to health and wellness Todd brings to our community- he really promotes behavior and lifestyle change through his coaching and nutrition education. He encourages us to "suck life dry," and I couldn't think of a better way to approach every day!

Thanks and congrats for inspiring us all to live the dream, Todd!

Hammerdown Crossfit, led by Coach Todd Katz, has changed my life forever!!!
The changed occurred when Coach K (also a neighbor) was driving down the street and I stopped him to ask what he’d been up to lately. He proudly answered that he had been training to teach Crossfit. Huh? I asked him what he could do for me in 30 days. He took on the challenge and 30 days later my before and after photos were amazing!!!! I'm proud to be one of Coach K's first students and look forward to helping him continue to build his dream.
This time last year there were five of us working our asses off in a strip mall parking lot, having complete strangers ask us what the hell we were doing! Now those strangers are members of Hammerdown and more importantly good friends. From the parking lot to Coach K's garage the crossfitters kept coming and he and Mrs. K (thank you Melissa) led 3-4 classes a day in their home...talk about dedication and commitment to his students!!! Now with over 4 thousand sq ft. and a bunch of new faces, Coach K and his incredible coaching staff (you know who you are ;)) are improving the lives of so many people. So thank you Hammerdown staff!!!! Again, I look forward to watching people change their lives, one day at a time......

Thank you to Coach Katz - and the amazing Hammer Down trainers -- for pushing me out of my comfort zone ... while helping me to build my confidence and strength as an athlete and individual.

Your undeterred commitment and determination to help each of us achieve our goals is shown by our happy and tired faces that continue to walk through the doors, day after day.

Unlike more institutional gyms, Hammer Down grew out of Coach K and Melissa's home and hearts. The coaches and trainers focus on education, technique and consistency. They are immensely inspiring and I'm proud to be one of their students. The Hammer Down Family is the most supportive athletic community in Northern VA.

If you're interested in improving your life, working hard, and having a lot of fun, please come out and join us. I promise you'll be welcomed with open arms!

I have been active all my life and the boredom of the trips to the Gym as well as the endless DVDs I cranked in my basement, weren't doing it any more. I have to admit that when I first met Todd and his wife Melissa, I wasn't sure about what they were talking about it....CrossFit, what the heck is that! If it is so great, how come I haven't heard about it? I look back now and thank God that we met! The dedication that Todd Katz has for every single one of us is unbelievable!! He truly gives a hoot about what we are trying to achieve, whether it be losing weight, running faster, getting a better night's sleep or keeping up with our kids, he cares!! How refreshing! So,if you are looking to change your over health and well being, step into Coach Todd's Box. If you are looking to gain self esteem, meet incredible people and really feel part of an amazing community, take the chance and check it out...you might even become addicted!

Way to go Todd! It's awesome to see someone changing peoples lives and being such a positive force in the community. Love it!

About 4 months ago, I stumbled upon HammerDown CrossFit from the main page. After a few e-mails, I ventured to the garage to try it out. Like the others who have posted before me, from the moment I walked in, I've been surrounded by such a welcoming, supportive group of people. Between the WOD's and nutrition challenge, I've gotten much stronger, dropped almost 20 pounds, have more energy and just feel better about myself. I'm so grateful to be a part of the HammerDown Community.
Thanks Coach K!

The power of three: a concept that is solidly present in all the best parts of my life. It is the three-legged stool or the tripod that serve as the literal structures of simplicity and strength that, when figuratively present in the more subjective aspects of my life, produce outcomes far greater than I ever imagine.

And so it goes with Hammer Down Crossfit and that nebulous aspect of my life called "fitness." Six months into my relationship with Hammer Down and it is clear that the combination of remarkable coaches, a dedicated community, and a personal commitment has formed a trifecta with impacts I could not initially foresee and for which I am tremendously grateful.

I may have started down this road with Coach Todd & Hammer Down thinking I was going to merely gain physical strength. But along the way, I am learning that the threads between my physical, intellectual, and emotional selves are tightly held, and that to challenge one in isolation is impossible. The fine blend of coaching, community, and commitment are Hammer Down’s “power of three” pillars that have unearthed and coaxed strengths in me I never knew existed, which scarily enough, could have remained dormant.

along with getting leaner and strong, I have met the most wonderful encouraging community of athletes in my life. Everyone stays and cheers on others well after their WODs are over. The feeling that we all are in this together is overwhelming. Many exercises are still out of reach for me but with the coaches advise and my sheer stubbornness I know I will get there.

I work with Lou and he is the one that turned me on to crossfit. I
started doing crossfit because I always preferred to do circuit type
training, but I really didn't know what I was doing. Todd has a great
program going that is easy to follow. What I really appreciate about
Todd is his willingness to help out with questions.

Todd,

Glad to see all is going well. Keep it up!

What can I say but Todd is my guy and 0600 crew are my people!I started in mid April and I LOVE this program.Always new and always a challenge.I talk about crossfit nonstop and even got my college daughter hooked.Love all the coaches.....Do yourself a favor and check it out!

I am excited to see the HammerDown crew kicking serious ass over there! Congrats on being featured - I wish I found out earlier :).

I have never really liked to exercize, then my friend Carol took me to a HammerDown class... Yes, I was very sore for some days but for some reason I got hooked on Crossfit!
You have created an amazing community of people, all the coaches are so very dedicated.
You definitely push all of us to do our best!
GRACIAS, Todd for persuing your dream!!!

The first I heard about crossfit training from Todd was about going to a parking lot and do several exercises as fast I could. This didn't sound like a very enjoyable work out on a Saturday morning. However, 3 months later I decided to give it a try in his garage. I find his classes challenging, different and always a good workout. He defiantly cares about his students by scaling down a work out a necessary. You also see that safety is a big concern of his. Since October my 13 year old son and wife have joined us in the work outs. My son is encouraged by Todd’s training that he gets up for the 6:00 AM work outs 3-4 times a week. enjoys the training he the Now my 9 year old daughter is waiting for kids cross fit. You can’t go wrong with Hammerdown.

I had been going to the typical globo gym for many years. Bored and unmotivated, it was almost impossible to come up with interesting and effective workouts. Last summer, I ran into a friend (Tim) and commented on how “fit” he looked. He convinced me to try Crossfit in the strip mall parking lot, so I showed up to one of the Saturday workouts (thinking I was in pretty good shape). A 20 minute workout proved me wrong- took my legs a few days to recover, but I loved it. Long story short- I kind of faded into the fall and winter and got back in the globo routine. Todd emailed me in March and asked me to come by the garage for a WOD. I did, and I was completely hooked. The community of great people had grown, and as Kevin said above, I was introduced to a number of people right away. Since then, I have had a difficult time making myself take a day or two off each week. I don’t think I have ever been more fit IN MY LIFE…and that’s after only three months!! The side “challenges” (Paleo, pushups, etc) make Hammerdown a special community, and I am proud to be a part of it.
Todd and the other coaches have done a great job growing a wonderful community and building a fantastic box. Corssfitter for life!
BobbyK