CrossFit Centurion

Michelle got bitten by the CrossFit bug shortly after having the odd luck of being our neighbor as of February 2008. Michelle, like many folks, was initially scared of CrossFit. The sight of Allison and I sweating like maniacs, running back and forth, rowing, moving weights and odd objects around, squatting and deadlifting gross amounts, and then collapsing in a heap at the end was causing her some initial concern. How could it not? I would probably be intimidated too. Allison and I were concerned as I can be labeled “interesting” at best, whether I am working out or just standing around, the new neighbors were either going to like us or hate us. I had initially  gotten Michelle’s husband, Ryan, indoctrinated into my cult and he began his CrossFit journey, which continues to this day. Michelle was not actually getting into the mix until early July, but with Allison’s support, our encouragement, & our non-judgemental view of her starting fitness levels, Michelle came in and gave it a go. Since then, her performance and fitness levels have soared. Michelle looks better, feels better, and carries much more confidence into not only her workouts, but daily endeavors.

We initially took a look at where we were starting and explained the process to Michelle. The truth is told up front that this is hard work, but it’s fun and rewarding. Although she came from an athletic past, Michelle had limited upper body strength, lowered endurance, and some flexibilty issues, namely in the hamstrings. We assured her that in due time and steady progression, these issues would disappear and she’d be killing it soon enough.

Our initial focus was on getting mechanical competency dialed in on the movements we were teaching Michelle. At this point in time, we were working body weight exercises only and all squat and deadlift movements were with a PVC training pipe. Michelle’s initial squat was only about 1/4 depth before her pelvis would start to rotate under from the tight hamstrings. Anything overhead was also hard as tight shoulders prevented a bar from being held securely in the frontal plane above her. Slowly but surely, we worked on this using repetitive motions and workouts using these skills.

A month into it and Michelle was showing defninte improvement. Her fears and intimidation of CrossFit had disappeared – she drank the Kool-Aid and was now looking up the WOD on the main site the night before and getting excited about trying it the next morning. We were now throwing Michelle into some weighted WOD’s as well and more metabolic WOD’s involving runs in between rounds. Michelle’s early statement was, “I hate running!”. Still, each run was a slight improvement over the last.

As we worked through August, Michelle’s fitness and form was really coming along. It was evident to anyone who had been watching from the outside. Strength, form and endurance were all starting to show themselves and times were starting to come down in many repeated WOD’s. We still made some substitutions and scaled a bit here and there, but we were getting closer to “RX’d” each day.

This past week marked a tremendous show of improvement for Michelle. Although she didn’t feel great last week and was wondering if it was all really coming together, after a couple days off Michelle tackled some tough ones. In each WOD she did, she set a new PR. Not by a few seconds, or even a minute, I am talking like multiple minutes! Huge chunks of time!

Not only that, but her form and flexibilty issues are quickly dissolving. Michelle’s squat is parallel every time and her weight is nicely planted right over the middle of the foot. It’s a thing of beauty! Michelle is also running like a squirrel on hot asphalt. The dreaded 400m runs are nothing now and the 3k run from the other day was easy enough. Michelle can go overhead now with a weighted bar, perfectly aligned over the body to ensure correct form and function. Michelle’s weighted deadlifts and squats are coming along too, as we implemented them in moderation a short time ago.

Michelle’s overall climb to new fitness and health didn’t come easy, but she made the effort every single step of the way. Neither Allison or I have ever seen Michelle quit a workout, no matter how bad she wanted to. Remember, Michelle is a full time mother of two kids, so her hands are full. Michelle gets 1 hour of time where she can make a change in herself and she uses every second of it. Michelle is a perfect example of how anyone can achieve “elite fitness”, regardless of where you start. Michelle also exemplifies the truth behind the functionality of our gym, despite it’s barebones appearance, and the fact that so much fitness and work can be packed into such a small amount of time, yet tield huge results. In no time, Michelle will be doing the WOD’s at prescribed numbers and when that happens, watch out!

Awesome work, Michelle! Get Some!

Continued Success! Our athletes in 2009.

We started our operation out of our garage with all the simple equipment needed to create tremendous fitness. We had no mirrors, TV’s, ellipticals, or other worthless stuff that would gather dust. Just a stereo, chalk and pieces of equipment that would get a lot of use. Michelle M. was one of our initial clients and then came Deb, Jean, Athena, Brooke, and Steph. Each one of the ladies came to us with a desire to make improvements in their health, body composition and confidence levels. Some had athletic backgrounds and differing levels of ability, nonetheless, Allison and I started them all out on the same path. A gradual progression in frequency and intensity with continued support and encouragement.

Within a few weeks, we began to see marked improvements in their appearance as well as performance. We kept at it, putting them through all kinds of types of movements and workouts and kept them moving forward. Each one of our “OG Ladies” stayed very consistent with their schedules and made it out to almost every workout. It was rare to see one of them miss an appointment.

We outgrew the garage fairly soon and in early 2009 we found a great location in Rancho Cordova. We moved in and the ladies came with us. Each one of them is an entirely different person than when they started with us. Although I am sure they will all tell you they could stand to fix this or that, or they have more work to do, Allison and I are proud to see their commitment pay off. They may not see the changes all the time, but we sure do.

I was clearing out old pictures on the computer and looked at some old ones of the ladies. The changes were evident. If I was confident they wouldn’t kill me, I would happily post the pix.

The other day I watched Brooke do ass-to-ankle squats at 135. This sure wasn’t even close to being the case 5 months ago. She has triceps sticking out of her arms and can do almost any workout as RX’d in full ROM, and full movements. She is right on the edge of full pull ups!

Jean, Steph and Athena have lost more than a few pounds of unwanted body weight. It is noticeable in their figures and clothing. Each one of them is more confident and strong in more ways than one. Each one of them is doing full WOD’s with almost no scaling and finding new milestones each day in weight, time and ability.

Deb has leaned out and found a new workout wardrobe to wear on a daily basis. Prior to leaving our garage facility, she was just getting to the point of pull ups. On the first workout at our new gym in Rancho Cordova, she climbed up on the pull up structure and threw down 7 kipping pull ups in front of Allison and I! Deb uses RX’d weight and puts up a fight in each workout, never missing reps or stopping short. It’s evident when you look at before and after pics of her – muscle definition, defined cheekbones, faster, stronger, leaner.

We are proud to work with these ladies and our new clients on a daily basis. The changes we see in them is all the payment we need to keep doing what we are doing. The proof is in the results. CrossFit has proven time and time again, that proper training and oversight can develop phenomenal athletes, safely and efficiently. Our “OG Ladies” are proof of that!

If you aren’t happy with your results, maybe it’s time to change your programming and get involved with CrossFit. There are no good excuses not to!