Ashley - Teacher

Since I can remember I had always loved to be outside and being active. I played basketball when I was younger and competed at varsity level for all four years of my high school career. But when I moved to Tallahassee for college my activity level plummeted and I couldn’t find anything that satisfied my craving for competition.

Last May Crossfit Tally did a promotion with living social, four introductory classes for 25 dollars.  I looked at the website, read the testimonials and decided to give it a try.  After the first day I was hooked. Crossfit was something I had never experienced before.  

Every time you walk into the gym someone is there to great you with a hello and a smile.  Crossfit Tally became a place of acceptance even if you aren’t the most elite athlete. I learned that I could overcome my limits by setting goals, competing with myself, and showing great improvement just after 6 weeks.  

Crossfit Tally satisfied my craving for competition.  Every time you walk into the gym you have a new obstacle to overcome, whether its double unders or running a 5k.  I was pushed to a new level that I never thought I could reach.  Even though I have left Crossfit Tally I am still participating in Crossfit down south.  I have recently set the record for woman at my gym for snatching 105 pounds. They have now nicknamed me "bad ash".

I also have RX’ed some WODs which means that you have done the prescribed weight and all the movements are correct.  If you would have told me that I would be able to dead lift 195 pounds last May I would have laughed.  I can’t even begin to tell you all the things I have gained from Crossfit but I can tell you that I have a whole new look on what I can push myself to do.

Ashley is no longer a member of CFTally.

Shawn "Jolly Green" - Career Advisor & Graduate Student

Thinking back, I have been involved in sports in one way or another since I was eight years old and began playing basketball in the third grade.  In junior high I added distance running, and by the time I graduated from high school, I had earned varsity letters in cross country, basketball, and track & field.  

  

In college I hovered in the middle ground between varsity athlete and couch potato, sometimes playing intramural sports and still running a couple of days a week (on a good week) and fiddling around in the weight room from time to time.

  

At Officer Candidate School in the summer of 1987 I realized what a high level of fitness looked like, and for the next 23 years I worked at running, sports and performing bodybuilder type workouts in an effort to maintain the level of fitness I had demonstrated at age 22.  It worked to some extent, but although I was involved in all those activities, and even called myself an athlete, I never felt athletic.  Something was always lacking.  When I was focused on running, I felt that I had no lateral movement skills.  When my workouts featured weightlifting, I ran poorly.  I never felt like I had it all together.

  

In 2007 I stumbled upon Crossfit and knew that there was merit in what was going on there.  I tried a few workouts on my own, but failed miserably because I was not familiar with the concept of scaling.  I relegated Crossfit to the arena of the superfit athletes, one of which I knew I could never become.

  

However, I was inspired by the idea, and after investigating a variety of web pages and workout methodologies I knew that some sort of functional fitness was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.  I tried some kettlebell classes and other functional fitness workouts, took some spinning classes, and continued to lift weights, do bodyweight workouts and run on my own.  In retrospect, I can see that I was only was playing around at working out. There was a Crossfit affiliate near me, but I saw too many people who were injured or over-trained….I didn’t try it.

  

In 2010 a discussion with a coworker who was Crossfit Level 1 certified helped clear up some misconceptions I had about Crossfit.  He set the record straight for me on one fundamental and extremely important issue: scaling.  He taught me that the workout is a challenge, not an absolute, and that success is in the progress one makes.  He explained that almost everybody scales at some time and the point is to make constant improvement, and maybe someday do every workout as prescribed.  He encouraged me to workout with him and some similarly minded athletes.  I bit.  After the first workout I was sore, but I was hooked.  I knew Crossfit was for me.  

  

Ten days after that first Crossfit workout, I moved to Tallahassee and immediately joined CFTally.  The foundations class showed me that while I was in decent physical shape, I had a lot of room for improvement, especially in the flexibility and cardio-respiratory department. I couldn’t do a full squat – air squat – and couldn’t do an overhead squat with a PVC pipe because I couldn’t get my shoulders into the right position.  Rack position Forget about it.

  

But I persisted.  I knew this was what I wanted.  One day in November of 2011, the WOD was one I had last completed in August of 2010.  I hacked nearly 10 minutes off my previous time.  Today, I feel improvement in all 10 areas of fitness, and can truthfully say that I finally feel like and athlete.

  

Shawn is a current member of CFTally.

Melissa "Tweety Bird" - President KaiserKane, Inc.

I have never been a person who enjoyed the gym.  I had joined different gyms throughout the years but I rarely went and when I did I had no idea what I was doing.  I heard about CrossFit from one of my best friends, Ed, in Atlanta who is an excellent CrossFit athlete.  He talked about it often and suggested I try it.  After listening to him and researching the WOD’s on the internet, I thought for sure I would never make it through one workout alive.  Well I quickly learned I was wrong.

  

In the summer of 2010, I decided to call CFTally and make an appointment.  After a grueling fitness assessment and several foundation classes, I began my first week of CrossFit.  It was intimidating, but the trainers were very supportive and the WOD’s were scaled so everyone was able to do them.  I was surprised at how supportive the other athletes were as they cheered me on and after my first week, I was addicted and knew I had found the right place for me.

  

CrossFit is the only exercise program I have consistently stuck with and it has changed me in ways I could have never imagined. I have completed excercises that I never believed possible.  Since I joined CrossFit, I am stronger, faster, healthier and happier!  CrossFit is about pushing yourself to be the healthiest, strongest and best person you can be.  It has taught me that you CAN do anything if you really want to.  Anyone can do it and everyone should do it!!!!  CFTally is a great, friendly atmosphere with all the tools you need to be a successful CrossFitter!    Just be aware, it’s ADDICTIVE!

 

Tweety Bird is a current member of CFTally.

Shelby “Sarge” - College Student

My entire life I have been told I can do anything except be an exceptional athlete. I've struggled with weight my entire life and I got to a point, a little over a year ago, where I felt like it was hopeless to ever turn my health around. I considered going into the Navy after graduation and becoming a Protocol Officer, but once again, like many other things in my life that have been unattainable because of how I felt in my own skin, I felt like it was out of reach.

  

Since September of 2010, my goals have shifted away from the military. Crossfit, however, always will be apart of my life. When my friend Terri showed me pictures from the Crossfit Tally website I thought “I would never survive in a place like that.” By some miracle she convinced me to give it a try and I began training.

  

It didn't take me long to feel like an athlete when I walked through the doors of Crossfit Tally because everybody, no matter where you're at, is an athlete by being there and giving all you got. Everybody is a cheerleader and the trainers are wonderful at what they do and know their stuff. Not only that, Crossfit is the most intense exercise I've ever done but also the most fun and rewarding. It's all about setting goals, competing with yourself, gradual improvement, and celebrating with a room full of friends when you finally set a personal record for a workout you couldn't even get through a year ago. My years of playing tennis in high school never made me feel as healthy and athletic as Crossfit has in the past year.

  

Crossfit is also the first form of exercise that I have stuck with consistently and I never get bored with. Crossfit is very time efficient and fits in with any schedule. Out of the 8 classes that they offer everyday, I am always able to find a time that works for me. It's only 1 hour per training day and you feel like you got more intensity than 3 hours on a treadmill or whatever.

  

If you have any reservations about joining, still, because of money or time or whatever, don't let that stop you. I had a million reasons not to start Crossfit and now I can honestly say that I can't put a price on what I have gained from it: a new body, friendships, healthier eating habits, more energy, confidence, and so much more. If you want it, come and get it. 

  

Sarge is a current member of CFTally!

Lauren "Coco" - Director, Florida Health Choices

Growing up I was always active.  I was involved in competitive swimming, and while I was not always happy about it I was one of those kids in the pool for practice at 6:30 in the morning.  As time went on I became stronger, faster, and had better form.  At the end of practice or a meet it was easy for me to measure my progress.  Did I win a race?  Was the margin of time between me and my competition larger or smaller than last time?  Was I able to keep up with all drills during practice?  Were my time trials improving?

  

In my adult life I have continued to stay active.  I enjoy running, and while it is a great stress relief for me, it was not helping me stay in great overall shape.  I could run 5 miles without any trouble, but I could not do a proper push up or push press a bar.  I would go to the gym and was so overwhelmed by all of the lack of direction it would be straight to the treadmill to watch the television while I ran.  I tried working out with a trainer, but there was no way to easily measure my progress and soon I felt like I did the same things over and over.  I needed something that challenged me, kept my attention, could gauge my progress, and was fun!!

  

Nearly a year ago I came across CrossFit Tallahassee, and have finally found the workout that is made to meet the goals of each and every person there.  CrossFit changes every day, you are challenged every day, supported and cheered on every day, and your progress is measured every day.  While the WOD may seem overwhelming at first, the trainers challenge you to get your best workout and make the WOD fit your abilities.  No matter what a CrossFitter’s strengths or weakness are they are welcomed, and you work through them.

 

Some people may hesitate thinking that they are “not in good enough shape” for CrossFit.  That is not the case. On any given day each CrossFit athlete will be the fastest, strongest, weakest, slowest, or most challenged no matter how long you have been here or what level of conditioning you are at.  After my time at CrossFit the past year I have become stronger, my beloved green band was taken away, and little by little I can increase my weight from the last workout.  I learned that I could do things that when told or explained to me I thought I couldn’t do.  

  

CrossFit will make you the athlete that you wish to be, and make you the athlete that you never knew you could be no matter where you view yourself right now.

  

Coco is a current member of CFTally.