-Shelly-
I have always been unhappy with my body even from when I was a little girl. I was always a larger build than other girls my age. I was never really fat throughout my life until I started having kids. Even though I exercised regularly I was unable to lose all the weight I had gained during each pregnancy. Slowly I was getting heavier and heavier. After my last baby was born I weighed in at 210 pounds. Feeling miserable about myself I decided to do something about my weight. With a little bribery from my husband, I was able to lose 40 pounds. Even though I was 40 pounds lighter I still was not happy with my body. I had a friend that continually tried to get me to go to some guy’s (Josh Langston) garage to try his exercise program. I just never made the time to go try it out. Later that same friend told me that Josh was opening a CrossFit gym and it was free to try for the first week. My husband and I thought we would go and learn what it was that they do at this so called CrossFit and then just do it at home so we wouldn’t have to pay to go to a gym. After going for the free week we decided there was no way we could stay motivated to push ourselves the way that going to the CrossFit box does. So we signed up. Within just a few months I could see significant changes in my body. Although I didn’t lose any weight, I lost 3 pant sizes and got down to the size I was before having kids! I soon found that my large build is a great trait to have while doing CrossFit. I now have a new appreciation for my body that I would never have found anywhere else. I love CrossFit and don’t know what I would do without it. My favorite thing about it is all the wonderful people I have met while attending. The members of CrossFit Blackridge are like one big family. Everyone encourages each other and builds each other up. It is a great atmosphere and I hope to be a lifelong member of CrossFit Blackridge.
-Dave-
I have always lived an active lifestyle and love to do most adventure sports; however, I began having back issues 12 years ago. I still tried to remain active but my back continued get worse and worse to the point that putting on socks and shoes were a big deal, causing my active lifestyle to be severely limited. My back issues climaxed 5 years ago when I herniated two disks in my lower back taking me out of the workforce and having my sweet wife (Shelly) wash me in the shower while I grimaced in pain. For several years I relied on pills to help me function, knowing that if I missed my pills I would be asking my wife to help me get dressed.
One day my pills ran out and I refused to renew my prescription for more with a determination to GET OVER IT! Because I was rendered inactive for so long, my body started to look less like a stick and more like soggy white bread. My wife and I determined to get our health in check and began to run a mile every morning; though my mobility improved slightly, we saw little improvement in the weight department. When we found out that La Verkin was getting a new gym and offering some kind of horrible workout routines to blister people in shape, my wife and I decided to try out the first free week. Like any cult, we were drawn into the atmosphere like a moth to a bug zapper …and were hooked.
After my first couple of weeks, thanking the almighty for rails on stairs and handicap bars by the toilet seat, my pain and soreness began to fade and I began to realize that my back was no longer bothering me. I soon began to build strength in my back again and within a couple months I had lost 30 pounds of fat and was dead lifting well over my body weight. It has been a year since the time my wife and I became a part of the CrossFit family: we both realize that being fit is a lifestyle and with the awesome family at CrossFit Blackridge it’s a lifestyle my wife and I cannot live without!
