Our Athletes

Athlete Profile : Deb S

Hometown: Born in Toronto, Living in London

Age: 28

Occupation: Professional Student…Food and Nutritional Sciences. Previous degree Art History/Sociology

Tell us about your sports & fitness background: Played soccer and did swim team through high school. Started training independently and then got into running, boxing and resistance training several x/wk.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?
Exposed first through fellow school colleague, Jen Broxterman, and CrossFit coach Dave Henry.  She brought me in to try it out. I didn’t really know what I was in for! It was EXTREMELY hard. I remember doing several burpees, which killed me instantly, push ups, sit ups, squats and jump squats. Needless to say it was sweet hell, I was hooked

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?
overall stronger, chest and back much more developed, time, speed and power always improving

Please share with us any favourite CrossFit / CrossFit London moments: completing the Murph, and getting my first kipping pullup

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? abstract painting, nutrition, cuisine, boxing

What is your best/favourite CrossFit skill and what do you dread the most in a WOD?
Not sure of my best skill but I love working on kipping pullups
dread – box jumps, rowing

ATHLETE PROFILE: Tina C
Hometown: London
Age: 35

Occupation: Social worker

Tell us about you sports & fitness background: Not a whole lot.  I participated in track and field in highschool, mostly 100 m dashes (I know…you would have never guessed given how much I complain that I dislike running), and relay and did some shot put as well.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? In June 2009 I started looking for a bootcamp style workout setting.  I wanted to do something for myself, something that would help me increase my energy level and my overall health, but I wasn’t very optimistic.  I had gym memberships in the past and I always dreaded going and couldn’t continue to keep myself motivated to continue going.  So I googled bootcamps in London Ontario and came across CrossFit.  I had no idea what CrossFit was but it was close to work and home.  I was a bit put off when I came across the word “athlete” repeatedly on the website as I didn’t feel at all like an athlete.  Coach D assured me I would be fine so this is how my CrossFit journey started.

Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel? My first regular CrossFit class was max reps box jumps in 6 minutes, max reps situps in 6 minutes, and max meters row in 6 minutes….brutal is all I can say.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)? Before CrossFit I was struggling to keep up with my children’s energy level and struggling to shed some post-partum weight.  Once I started CrossFit, I quickly saw an increase in my energy level, and saw my strength increasing week after week.  Overall, I felt better and healthier and saw a decrease in body fat.

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected? The friendships I have developed at CrossFit are ones that I will have for the rest of my life.  The CrossFit London community is unlike any group of people I have met.  Whether you are attending your first class or have been there for years, the support is no different.

Please share with us any favourite CrossFit / CrossFit London moments: There are so many.  My first Rx workout with Julia Collie is a memorable one, as well as saying I finished Murph without puking.  My first kipping pull up and dress day challenge is always so memorable.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? With two kids I have little extra time but I love reading novels and photography.

What is your best/favourite CrossFit skill and what do you dread the most in a WOD? My favourite CrossFit skill is deadlifts…just cause I feel I excel in this area.  I like cleans as well for the same reason.  I try not to dread anything in a WOD but running and burpees are not my favourite things….just saying.

ATHLETE PROFILE: Alex P
Hometown: London, ON
Age: 21
Occupation: Kinesiology graduate

Tell us about you sports & fitness background:
I’ve dabbled in a great deal of sports, however the main ones were competitive gymnastics throughout elementary school, club/school rowing and track & field throughout high school, and 4 years of varsity track and field at UWO.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?
I first heard of Crossfit 3 summers ago in Calgary, where I worked at Gold’s Gym. I did Crossfit workouts with co-workers throughout the summer, but when I returned home, track and field training took precedence. This past October, my roommate did the Crossfit bootcamp and I began wishing I could join her instead of spending countless hours on track and field training. In January I decided to end my track career and transitioned smoothly into Crossfit – I haven’t looked back. My first WOD was: 500m row, 10x (5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats), 500m row for time and I couldn’t walk properly for 5 days afterwards….I loved it.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?

I’ve always considered myself to be in good shape as an athlete, however I have noticed large gains in all-round fitness in the 4 short months that I’ve been doing Crossfit.

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected?

The amount of time freed up due to shorter workouts! Also, the fantastic, supportive community that I’ve stumbled across.

Please share with us any favourite CrossFit / CrossFit London moments:

There have been quite a few, but generally I enjoy seeing the expressions on people’s faces as they walk through the door and see the workout.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

I’m interested in Speech Language Pathology and am planning to move on to master’s studies within the next couple of years. Outside of school, I love skiing, skating, playing football and canoe tripping. I coach track and field and facilitate wheelchair sports, however I am most content deep within beautiful national parks and mountain ranges, where the pace of life slows.

What is your best/favourite CrossFit skill and what do you dread the most in a WOD?

I enjoy the Olympic lifts and box jumps the most, and love when they’re incorporated into a larger workout. There isn’t a particular skill that I dread – I’ve come to embrace whatever might show up on the board!

Turns out I’m half decent with kettlebells, deadlifts and rowing. I’ve generally stopped ‘dreading’ things these days (I mean, who doesn’t love thrusters and burpees… YAY BURPEES), but I’m still pretty slow at box jumps. They’ll be my favorite, one day…

I first started crossfit in the spring of 2008 with two back-to-back bootcamps.  I immediately enjoyed the competitive aspect of crossfit and felt I was doing well at the workouts.  Not long after that I had my first rugby practice of the year and I saw immediate changes in my fitness level.  I was able to complete tough fitness workouts with the same intensity as when I had started them and I was standing out as one of the fitter girls on our team.  I couldn’t believe that - our team, London St George’s – has a lot of outstanding players and is a competitive team.  I had looked up to a lot of these girls and what amazing athletes they are –  and now I was able to keep up with them.

It was that summer that our team moved up to the Ontario Women’s League -the  premiere women’s rugby league in the province.  It was in my first game that season, a win for London, that I saw how much the changes in my fitness affected my game.  My speed and agility had a marked improvement, I was breaking the line and I was able to score.  That summer I won the Most Improved Player award.

I continued with crossfit over that season and through the winter.  I had another great rugby season in 2009 – I was a core player on a team that placed third in the province.  Other challenges I train for (using crossfit) include my military annual battle fitness test – 13.5km 60 lbs weighted march, open swim races (1km) and the Annual Terry Fox 5km run.  Working in the military, my fitness level is often tested against fit, young men.  I am consistently able to finish in the top third and as one peer commented “Mel is above average when it comes to fitness – for a guy.  So for a girl, she’s really very good”.  I am more and more athletic now and haven taken up a new sport - ball hockey.

I owe these marked changes in my fitness level to my training at Dave’s Crossfit gym in London.  Prior to crossfit I trained using all sorts of programs – I ran regularly, lifted weights, trained using intervals … you name it.  But I could never really break the bar of being just average in my fitness.  It was immediately after I started training with Dave in 2008 that I saw myself stand out as an athlete.  And since then I have continued to improve steadily at different aspects of fitness.

This winter I have continued training hard with crossfit.  I am very excited to see what the results will have for my rugby season.  I am moving heavier and heavier amounts of weights at crossfit – in shorter periods of time.  This is going to have a huge impact on my game this summer.  Moving such heavy weights at crossfit makes me confident that I can move any player on the field.  And that’s a big part of rugby – my whole team

I got involved with Cross Fit thanks to a recommendation from a colleague of mine. I have always been athletic, but I’ve never really enjoyed going to the gym because I don’t know what exercises are best for me. Cross Fit allowed me to learn about and push the boundaries of my strength and stamina in a gym class environment. The small class sizes mean that the trainer has a lot of time to spend on each individual’s form and progress. Over the last four months, I have seen amazing changes in my upper body strength. My legs and stomach are leaner and more toned than ever before and my lung power has increased dramatically.  The best part about Cross Fit is that it helps build a mentality of “I can” in an environment of fit and friendly individuals who are all constantly pushing personal boundaries and celebrating small victories.

ATHLETE PROFILE: ANDREW S

Hometown: Beaumont

Age: 24 or 25

Occupation: Ph.D. Student, Chemistry

Tell us about you sports & fitness background:

I, like almost everyone else from a small town in western Canada, played hockey until university. Also several years of martial arts training.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?

One of my friends kept talking my ear off about CrossFit and finally convinced me to come to the gym and try it out. My first workout was 4×400 m repeats, then tabata squats. I could barely walk for a couple days but signed up for bootcamp the next day.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?

I can run faster, farther, jump higher and lift more than I could before.

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected?

I don’t know which surprised me more; that my muscles were sore most of the time or that I’m completely ok with it. Additionally, that I require almost 50% more sleep when I am physically active vs when I don’t work out for a few days.

Please share with us any favourite CrossFit / CrossFit London moments:

Constantly harassing Merritte and Melissa. Additionally, I (like everyone else) do enjoy a good wall-ball-to-the-face moment.

Any advice for people just getting started?

Yes.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

After work and CrossFit I don’t have time for anything else, but I do enjoy eating an awful lot.

What is your best/favourite CrossFit skill and what do you dread the most in a WOD?

My best/favorite CrossFit skill is the snatch; the thing that I dread most is box jumps.

ATHLETE PROFILE: Jacquie E

Hometown: Guelph, Ontario

Age: 28

Occupation: Key Leader at lululemon athletica Masonville

Tell us about you sports & fitness background:

I have played competitive sports for as long as I can remember (soccer, softball, basketball, hockey, rugby, wrestling, badminton, field hockey…you name it I played it).  In high school I was extremely competitive in softball and went on to secure a full scholarship to a Division 1 school in the US.  After a semester there I decided that I wanted to pursue my academic career in Canada and changed my athletic focus from softball to rugby and played 4 years of rugby at the University of Western Ontario, winning 2 National Championships along the way.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?

I was first exposed to CrossFit when Dave was involved in fitness coaching with my summer rugby team.  I can’t remember exactly what my first WOD was but it definitely involved several rounds of 400m runs, a lot of pushups and overhead walking lunges.  It was tough but I loved every minute of it.  I contacted Dave later that week, signed up for the next bootcamp at CrossFit London and haven’t looked back since.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?

The improvements in my fitness and strength since starting CF have been incredible.  Even though I would’ve considered myself in pretty good shape when I started I still amaze myself with the things I can do now compared to then and I can definitely notice the changes in my body.

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected?

CrossFit makes me feel like I can achieve pretty much anything I put my mind to.  I have met so many incredible people through the sport and that’s probably the part I least expected.  You think you’re just signing up to get in better shape but you end up building some pretty great relationships along the way.

Please share with us any favourite CrossFit / CrossFit London moments:

CrossFit London representing at the 2010 Ontario Sectionals.  Look out for us in 2011!!

Any advice for people just getting started?

Do one thing a day that scares you.  You’ll amaze yourself by what you can actually do if you just try it.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

I recently completed my MSc in Exercise Physiology so I not only love to exercise but also knowing what’s going on inside my body while I’m doing it.  I love helping other athletes develop and have been an assistant/strength and conditioning coach with the UWO Women’s Rugby team for the last 3 years.  In my free time I enjoy knitting, reading, napping and eating.

What is your best/favourite CrossFit skill and what do you dread the most in a WOD?

I don’t know if I have a favourite CF skill, but I love long grinders, anything with kettlebells and lifting heavy things.   There isn’t really anything I dread but I’m tall and heavy so gymnastics movements don’t come easily to me.

ATHLETE PROFILE: Matt P

Hometown: Vancouver, BC
Age: 34
Occupation: PhD candidate, University of Western Ontario

Tell us about your sports & fitness background:

I played few if any sports as a child, but started lifting weights at fourteen. I ran cross-country in high school but my primary athletic focus was on weightlifting as a means of gaining mass.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?

A few years ago I began to seriously assess the state of my fitness after fifteen years of traditional weightlifting and determined that I was weak in more areas than I was strong. I started researching alternative training methods and became involved in kettlebell training in Vancouver. Some of the workshops I attended were held at the Crossfit Vancouver box, which is how I was first introduced. I further researched Crossift specifically for some months before signing up for the foundational movements training at Crossfit Langley in BC. The first workout I did consisted of jumping pullups (I was unable at the time to do more than one or two pullups), kettlebell swings, and box jumps. It lasted less than six minutes and devastated me so thoroughly that I spent the rest of the afternoon lying on my kitchen floor.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?

The most salient change I have seen is the loss of thirty pounds – from 250 to 220 – without any accompanying loss in strength. I am stronger now in domains that I haven’t trained specifically in close to three years than I was before Crossfit when I used to train those same areas in isolation on a bi-weekly basis. My sense of balance and coordination have improved markedly, and I have regained the cardiovascular strength and speed that I enjoyed as a much younger runner. More importantly, however, the numerous and serious gaps in my overall fitness have been corrected, and the correction of new weaknesses as they present can now be achieved at a much faster rate.

Please share with us any favourite CrossFit / CrossFit London moments:

My first muscle-up after months of struggle certainly registers, however one of my favorite moments was doing ‘Murph’ one evening with a full crowd at the box. Another member with a significantly faster mile – Luke Amaral – finished his first run with close to a two-minute lead on my time. However as the rounds passed my endurance in the push-ups began to pay off and I gained ground. I made it out the door for the second mile with a three-round lead and spent the first half-mile listening for the inevitable sound of Luke’s approach. At the turnaround I got my first look at his position and saw that he was roughly two hundred meters behind. It being night and with Luke dressed in black it was impossible for me during the return half-mile to watch his approach over my shoulder, and so I waited for the sound of an oncoming sprint to announce his move for first. When I heard nothing at the two-hundred meter mark I began to wonder whether my lead had been sufficient, but less than a hundred meters later I heard Luke coming at a dead sprint and emptied the tank in an attempt to hold the lead. The final fifty meters were run shoulder-to-shoulder with the two of us hitting the door at the same instant and only barely avoiding a crash. It’s still the hardest I’ve ever run and proof that there really is no substitute for being chased.

Any advice for people just getting started?

The initial physical shock of CrossFit isn’t permanent, and you can get the physical measure of the experience within one or two weeks. The more important step comes during that first workout in which you quietly tell yourself that you are not going to stop moving – not for rest or water or air – until done. Everything follows from that decision and after it’s been made everything is easier.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

Given the time demands of my studies most of my hobbies have suffered in recent years. Prior to that however I enjoyed recreational diving off the west coast and was an avid skydiver. A change of venue and the time constraints of Graduate school mean that my interests are now largely limited to (non-research related) reading and other media.

ATHLETE PROFILE: Bob V “Hoolie”

Hometown: Waterloo, ONT
Age: 34
Occupation: Critical Care Flight Paramedic

Tell us about you sports & fitness background:

Played hockey growing up, played for the Elmira Kings- won the 1997 JR. B Sutherland Cup Champions. Always been active playing multiple organized youth sports and high school – soccer, baseball, volleyball, hockey. Started training in a gym when I was 14 in the off season for hockey

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?

As a flight paramedic, we have a gym area at work and are encouraged by our employer to be fit and active both on duty and off duty. The gym area is small, but located on a large helicopter hanger so I was searching for workouts that could be done at work, in a small group setting with limited equipment. Found CrossFit online. Started creating modified versions of the main site workouts based on the equipment we had available at the time. Found that these body movement workouts where an awesome butt kick. However wanted to be able to not modify the workouts, and wanted to learn some of the more dynamic movements, (Olympic lifts, power lifts, gymnastics movements ) Started searching the internet for video clips to learn about the movements. Found CrossFit London on the net, called Dave and signed up for bootcamp that started in a week. Sept / October 2009. Can’t remember my first workout, but I remember doing the filthy 30, and thought that it doesn’t get harder then that, then realized the rx workout is filthy fifty, and thought I had work to do.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?

I still play hockey 2 days a week, I am a goaltender, and I have found that I am faster, have better rebound control of the puck, able to scramble to make second and third saves better, my ability to fight through screens, is better, and my mental focus is better. As a side benefit, I have lost some weight, and physically look fit and healthy

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected?

Better mental focus, mental toughness and ability to push my body and mind into places that are difficult. It allows me to be a better father, Paramedic and boyfriend, more focused determined and loving.

Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CrossFit London moments:

Can’t remember the exact day or workout, but the first time I was able to win the WOD. It was cool to see my hard work paying off, and to take the skills and advice from Dave, the other coaches and my friends at CrossFit, put them into practice. I value advice from all the athletes and I am willing to learn from everyone. I was shocked that I could compete with some of the skilled athletes we have in London. Pretty cool

Any advice for people just getting started?

Have fun, ask questions to everyone, learn from everyone, and don’t take things to seriously. I want to do well, I can be competitive, but what I have learned most is to be competitive with myself. It is cool to compete but, for me, I set a goal for the workout and go for it. I am happy with my effort as long as it was the best I could do, the times, scores and results don’t matter, only the ones you set for yourself.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

My daughter and family are my number one priority. Love being a father. Like trying new things, and enjoying activities with my girlfriend Jen, and as soon as possible KICKING HER BUTT IN THE DOUBLE UNDER COMPETITION WE HAVE GOING ON. You are going down !!!!!! hehehehe

ATHLETE PROFILE: Clark T.

Hometown: Arkona, ON
Age: 20
Occupation: Philosophy student

Tell us about your sports & fitness background:

High school football/track and field, parkour, skiing

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?

I heard about CrossFit through the American Parkour website which features a parkour specific WOD. I forget what my first real CrossFit WOD was (probably a half-ROM 12 minute Fran or something), but my first workout (excluding bootcamp) at CF London was “Helen.” It wasn’t particularly profound or cathartic or anything, but I think it was good as far as introductions to CrossFit go. Humbling and all that.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?

I now have the body of a Greek statue.

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected?

The god-like super powers and omniscience that come along with CrossFit were unexpected. More seriously, I find that I complain less about stuff now and I’m more willing to take on more difficult challenges than I used to be. After you’ve done 50 bodyweight deadlifts for time, everything else seems easy.

Please share with us any favourite CrossFit / CrossFit London moments:

CF For A Cure was wicked. Reaching my goal of 5 muscle-ups was awesome too… I remember thinking on the fourth rep that I wouldn’t make the fifth, and then someone (I think it was Matt) yell “today’s the day” or something, which got me above the rings one more time. That sort of encouragement and motivation is a regular occurrence at CrossFit London, which is more than enough reason to choose it over working out alone. Also, the day we did “Diane” was hilarious, with everyone falling over doing handstand push-ups.

Any advice for people just getting started?

Listen to Dave and everyone else that’s been there longer than you. Don’t let your ego get in the way of scaling WODs if you have to, but don’t sell yourself short either. And at least make some basic changes to your diet. Also, adopt an elitist mindset and fully embrace the cultish aspects of CrossFit.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

I play piano and write a lot of music, as well as playing bass and singing in a few bands (www.myspace.com/clarkteeple, /old homes, /axionatic). I also spend a lot of time finding new music to listen to. Other than that, I read Wikipedia articles about books by smart people and pretend to understand them in order to get passing grades.

ATHLETE PROFILE: John P
Hometown: London, ON
Age: 45
Occupation:  Chartered Accountant, Owner of Link + Customs Brokers

Tell us about your sports & fitness background:

• Played basketball in High school
• inactive from age 20 to 35
• at age 35 moved back to London and started playing pickup basketball twice a week, I would jog around the block once a week trying to get into better shape for basketball
• Age 40 stopped playing basketball because of too many injuries and no fitness improvement, started running some triathlons

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?

• September 2008 finished the triathlon season and planning my off season training.  All the endurance training had really sapped my strength and I decided I had to augment my endurance training with some strength training.  I was looking for something quick and easy that I could do at home.  Found Crossfit on the internet.  I googled “Crossfit London” and singed up for the bootcamp at the end of September 2008.

• I don’t remember the first WOD but I do remember MURPH.  When the workout was written on the board I honestly thought we had the entire week to finish the WOD.  After finishing MURPH, I was exhausted but felt a great sense of accomplishment.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?

• I don’t do any specific endurance training any more.  I just do Crossfit now.  My running times have dropped off a bit, but not much.  My biking has improved.  I only ran 1 race last summer but finished 3rd in my age group.
• I’m stronger, more flexible, can run faster and jump higher than at any time in my life.  I feel 20 year younger!!!
• I don’t get injured any more.

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected?

• The best thing about Crossfit is the friendships, camaraderie and support of the other athletes.  I look forward to going to the gym.  It’s always the highlight of my day.
• Normal adult working life can become very routine an unexciting.  Every Crossfit WOD still scares the crap out of me.  Accomplishing something every day that is really hard and really scary, is exhilarating!  I never expected this!

Please share with us any favorite CrossFit / CrossFit London moments:

• WOD – 200 deadlifts for time, Jen was counting my reps.  Part way through my workout Jen exclaimed “Your arms are jacked”! ….Good times

Any advice for people just getting started?

• Sign up for the bootcamp, show up for the first day, then show up for the second day….etc.  Just do it!

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

I have a wife and two kids that keep me busy.

I have always been an active and fit individual, or so I thought. A co-worker of mine mentioned Crossfit one day and I decided to check out the website. It looked interesting, so my brother and I decided to give it a try. Our first workout was called Fight Gone Bad, and needless to say it was humbling. But as bad as that workout was, I knew I had found something special, and knew that my days of 3 sets of 10 were forever over.

After following the workouts for a couple of months at our regular gym, we decided to visit Dave at Crossfit London, and I’ve never looked back. I can’t even count the number of personal achievements I’ve achieved at the gym, from new records on every single lift, dropping body fat % and building muscle, to entering my very first 5K run and placing first for my age group. But it’s not just personal gains that keep me coming everyday; it’s the gym as a whole. Dave is an unbelievable trainer, who cares more about the members than himself. His amazing wealth of knowledge and determination to help us succeed is the backbone of all our personal achievements. It is not just a gym full of members, but it is a community, my second family. I know without a doubt I would be nowhere near where I am today without Crossfit London. I just want to say an enormous Thank You to Dave and all the Crossfit London members for helping me achieve what I have already done, and what I will continue to do.

ATHLETE PROFILE: Sean S.

Hometown: London, ON
Age: 25
Occupation: Educator at LuluLemon Athletica

Tell us about you sports & fitness background: I grew up playing a number of different sports in school, but have always played competitive baseball.   I was always into working out once I started high school, but never really found something that worked and kept my interest long-term.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel? I first learned about CrossFit through a co-worker who told me about the website.  My brother and I checked it out and tried our first workout, Fight Gone Bad.  It absolutely destroyed us and we were hooked.  Almost immediately after I knew I had found something very different than anything I had tried before.  I found CrossFit London, sold off the rest of my gym membership and haven’t looked back.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)? Growing up playing many sports I was always fairly in shape and rather lean.  After CrossFit, I have noticed that not only have I gotten bigger, but incredibly stronger and overall much much healthier. Before CrossFit, I did not eat any vegetables, but now I am much more adventurous in healthy food choices and maintaining a proper balanced diet.

I have also explored other areas of fitness that I would have never dreamed of before.  I decided to enter my first 5K race last summer and ended up placing 1st for my age group, I also recently learned how to do a back tuck thanks to our very own Coach Merritt.

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected? Biggest change is my career.  I started out of school working as a financial planner.  It was a great job and something I was very interested in.  After starting CrossFit, my interests shifted more towards health and fitness.  Eventually, I was spending more time learning about healthy living, CrossFit and overall fitness, I decided a change was needed.  I now work at LuluLemon Athletica, and absolutely love my job!  Now I talk about working out all day everyday.

Please share with us any favourite CrossFit / CrossFit London moments: My first CrossFit competition, at Sectionals in 2010.  A group of the CrossFit London members went to Toronto to compete in the first competition to qualify for the CrossFit Games.  In the very last workout of the day, one of the lifts was very heavy and something I had never done before.  Through the energy of the crowd, my adrenaline pumping, and Coach Dave and the rest of the team, not only did I lift the weight, I did it 10 times!

Any advice for people just getting started? The hardest thing you have to do is show up, the rest will take care of itself.  The gym is such an amazing atmosphere that as long as you show up, you’ll get what you’re looking for.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? I have been a lifelong baseball player, and continue to play every summer.  After learning how to do a back tuck, I am now loving gymnastics and want to learn all sorts of cool tricks.  After all the fitness and sports, I try to spend as much time with my family and girlfriend Michelle as much as possible.

Having come from competitive gymnastics, I always loved the motivation and intensity of small group training as well as competing against both myself and others. Once that part of my life ended, and University started, I sacrificed a large portion of that part of my life to allow for other things like work and school commitments. Suddenly, school was done and I was more bored and out of shape than I had ever been in my life. Enter Dave Henry and Crossfit London. After doing two five day-a-week boot camps and joining regular classes, I couldn’t get enough. I would NEVER have imagined I would be able to do the things I can do now. Picking up over 200lbs off the ground, while also being able to do over 25 pull-ups was something I would have thought impossible.

Not only am I physically strong, fast and powerful, but I can say my shape has changed dramatically for the better. This may seem odd to some, but I knew I was doing something right when my mother said to me one holiday “Wow, you’re filling out your bathing suit bottoms nicely! Must be all those squats!” Yes ladies and gentlemen, Crossfit helped me form a butt; something I didn’t have before!

The friends I have made over my years at CF London are like none other, and they keep me coming back, even on the days where I don’t feel up to it. Events both in and out of the gym make goal setting a blast, and I can’t wait to see where else it takes me. To me, Crossfit has become a part of my life I can’t live without. Period.

I had always participated in recreational sports growing up. While at University I continued playing hockey and ultimate. Once I graduated I wanted a way to improve my conditioning when playing ultimate. I found Crossfit and after only a few months I started seeing dramatic improvements in my game. I was faster, had better endurance, and was jumping higher than ever before. With the variety of movements, explosiveness, and intensity I experience training at Crossfit London I’ve been able to make gains in areas I’d never thought possible.

I have trained at Crossfit London for over a year now and continue because of the consistent improvements in all areas of my fitness I
continue to see. I could never go back to a regular gym because I value the personalized coaching and the supportive community of
athletes that train at my gym. No form of training I have participated in can compete with my experience at Crossfit London.

Crossfit has completely redefined the way that I think about fitness, strength and beauty.

The programming, while extremely challenging, is highly effective in building strength and endurance. I have also been lucky enough to meet many wonderful, supportive people that make it so easy to come back every day. By continuing to force me out of my comfort zone, I have been able to accomplish things that I would have previously thought were impossible. After starting a year and a half ago, I could never go back to the conventional training methods.

ATHLETE PROFILE: Melissa F

Hometown: Medicine Hat, Alberta

Age: 27

Occupation: Student, Ph.D candidate

Tell us about you sports & fitness background:

As a kid, I was fairly active, although I was never involved in any sports.  As I got older, I became pretty lazy, especially during university.  In a misguided attempt to stay in shape, I would go to the gym and do 45 minutes on the elliptical…while reading gossip magazines.  It didn’t work very well.

Currently, I am a part of the rowing team at the University of Western Ontario.

How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first WOD… what was it, and how did it feel?

I started crossfit about 3 years ago, after hearing about it from several other people in my program.  I didn’t go at first because I thought I was already in really good shape (I wasn’t), but when I finally got around to trying it out, it was an interesting experiencing.  It started off with me doing more squats in 5 minutes than I had ever done in my life (I probably only did 20 or 30 squats).  I was sitting on the floor, completely exhausted and doubting that I would be able to walk again when Dave told me that we hadn’t even started the workout yet.  He made us do Cindy and it was harder than anything I have ever done in my life.  But, I survived, and I’ve been back at the gym 6 days/week ever since.

What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)?

Since I started crossfit, I’ve become a lot leaner.  I’ve probably gained about 15 lbs of muscle.  The most significant changes for me though have been in my overall health.  After changing my eating habits, I’ve noticed that my energy levels are a lot higher, and it’s much easier to stay alert and focused.

What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected?

I’ve found that life in general is a lot easier to deal with when you’re healthy and fit.

Please share with us any favourite CrossFit / CrossFit London moments:

After 3 years, there have been a lot.  The first time I ever did a pullup, a workout as Rx’d, a muscle up, and just about every other feat of strength that I never thought was possible for me.

What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit?

97% of my day is taken up by crossfit, school, rowing and sleeping so I don’t have time for much else at the moment

What is your best/favourite CrossFit skill and what do you dread the most in a WOD?

I’m pretty fond of most body weight and gymnastic movements (pullups, muscle ups, handstand pushups, ring dips, etc) so I would be happy to see that.  I would also like to see a really heavy lift incorporated into the WOD as well.

Working as a full-time firefighter I have a career that demands a lot from my body. Every shift I can go from being relaxed to operating at my body’s maximum potential in mere minutes. Many of the basic exercises and Workout of the Day (WODs) mimic the exhaustive work that firefighters perform. The workout pushes the me to a level of exhaustion that we often see during fire fighting operations. It allows an individual to experience success in going beyond that level to carry out whatever task it takes to save people’s lives.

Muscle soreness for muscle groups I didn’t know I had!!! I found that working out at a regular gym is very one dimensional. You go and do the same routines three times a week and either the lack of variety or noticeable results will cause you not to stick with it. Crossfit on the other hand is more three dimensional as in addition to strength training you are working on flexibility, coordination, endurance and overall fitness. Results can be seen very quickly. I have noticed my strength and stamina is way up and that I use less air from my Scott SCBA during heavy workload at fire scenes.

I really enjoy the group atmosphere. Nothing is better than running through a hard workout and having other members of the gym encourage you to finish strong. All of our times for the WOD are posted so we can challenge each other to push that little extra. Another great benefit is having the trainer at every session. They will help you before, during and after the work out to make sure you are doing all the moves correctly and help you with anything you don’t understand. It is like having a personal trainer at every workout.