Dugan Gravage, Why Do You Do CrossFit?What was your fitness, CrossFit, or yoga "life" like before you started training with True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga.
I would workout occasionally at a gym here and there but nothing regular or structured. I was pretty active outdoors; skiing, mountain biking, hang gliding etc. but it was becoming more apparent as I got older that my caliber of performance was slipping. I couldn't get by with the natural ability of being young anymore and still keep up. CrossFit was super foreign and completely unknown to me. I had an athletic buddy once tell me that he tried out a couple classes and he said "That sh*# was hard, so I quit.", and from that report I was intimidated. All I'd seen of CrossFit was these crazy people on TV doing absurd things with their shirts off and super short shorts. I was skeptical. What brought you to True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga in the first place? I have no clue what motivated me to walk through the door or how I found CrossFit. Probably a Google search and the ease of signing up for an intro chat with Leslie got me to TSCF. I honestly don't know what I was thinking (still don't) walking through the door into something I had no idea about. Although calculated, it was pretty risky maneuver that paid off. What was your first impression? Has that changed? My first impression was that Leslie wasn't going to let me just show up and go half-ass. That's what I was looking for and needed. I'd been to other gyms where I'd do a short circuit and walk around and eventually end up at the basketball court shooting hoops. TSCF was a place I could show up, get work done and be on my way feeling accomplished. I still feel that way which brings me back for more! What was the first thing fun or positive thing you experienced while training with us? Rather than narrowing down just one positive thing or experience, I'd have to say that the overall progression I've had with CrossFit is pretty neat to reflect on. From scaling pull-ups to finally getting a kip, to linking kips, then linking chest to bar is just one example of the seeing and feeling the progression. I think I could say that about just about everything we do at the gym. Digressing, although not impossible, is rare. Are you working on any special CrossFit related skill now? Everything? I feel that every movement or workout has room for improvement. Some more than other, but that is what this crazy thing we do is all about. I'd like to get the muscle up before the next decade is out. How has you life changed since training with TSCF? I travel often for work and working out on the road always consisted of going down to the small, cramped, stinky, humid, dirty hotel gym to waste an hour of time just to say I "worked out". As I've refined my CrossFit skills and gained confidence in the sport I've been reaching out and exploring other CrossFit affiliate gyms around North America while on the road. This is something I would have NEVER done before. It can be intimidating walking into a gym in a large city, knowing no-one and everyone being super strong. But with the skills and confidence I've gained at TSCF, I face the intimidation and go for it. What's your favorite True Spirit CrossFit memory? Rather than choosing one memory about TSCF, I'll expand on my thoughts from what I've shared above. While traveling to the many different CrossFit gyms across the continent, the same thought has crossed my mind many times. That being just how special we have it at TSCF. Although the CrossFit community as a whole is super welcoming and I've met great people in many places, the caliber of coaches, programming and members here at TSCF hasn't been experienced anywhere I've visited to date. It takes the whole package to have a great gym and I'm always stoked to come home from the road back to TSCF to work out.
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John Elwell, Why do You do CrossFit?What was your fitness, CrossFit, or yoga "life" like before you started training with True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga.
I was fairly fit in college, and participated regularly in karate and cycling. After college I embarked on a typical corporate-world career, sitting behind a desk for 30 years, all the while thinking I needed to do something more physically. I never really stuck with anything except longer hours at work while eating lousy food. Unsurprisingly I lost strength and gained weight - over 50 pounds by the time I was in my 50's. What brought you to True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga in the first place? After retirement I tried for a year to get in shape on my own. Though I made progress I just couldn't seem to stick with it. I finally decided I needed something more structured to help out. I knew about CrossFit because I've eating a paleo diet since 2010, and CrossFit is discussed often in the paleo-sphere. I found the "functional fitness" aspect of CrossFit very appealing, rather than just getting good at one thing. I checked out online all the CrossFit boxes in the Bozeman area. I selected True Spirit because of Leslie's intro video clip on the website. At my age my biggest concern was getting injured, and Leslie addressed that topic right up front in her video clip. What was your first impression? Has that changed? I took foundations from Leslie and my first impression was her broad knowledge of CrossFit exercises and techniques, and very importantly, the limitations that come with age. I felt that if I listened to her, I could do this without injury. My next impression was being scared to death when she said Dover would be my coach for the Silver Fox class. For some reason I thought I was being thrown to the drill sargent from hell. Of course, that was a completely wrong impression, and Dover is knowledgeable, thoughtful, a great coach, and a very nice person to boot! What was the first thing fun or positive thing you experienced while training with us? Rope climbing! I wouldn't have dreamed that as I stare 60-years-old in the face that I would be climbing ropes. It took a few tries but now I can do it, and I get a real kick out of it. (Now if I could just master getting back down without rope burns, life would be great.) Are you working on any special CrossFit related skill now? As a young man I had good upper-body strength, mostly from hauling and stacking hay. I'm working hard to regain some of that strength. I'd like to achieve 10 or 12 strict pullups, and 30 or 40 strict pushups. (And maybe, someday, a muscle-up.) How has you life changed since training with TSCF? I still have to move hay around, and there is no question that life "on-the-ranch" has gotten easier with CrossFit. What's your favorite True Spirit CrossFit memory? Probably the first time I reached the top of the climbing rope - I was so focused on climbing that it took a second for me to realize what I had done. It was quite a feeling of accomplishment. Hillary, Why do You do CrossFit?What was your fitness, CrossFit, or yoga "life" like before you started training with True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga.
I had a relatively active lifestyle, but no substance or structure. I wanted something more consistent, but knew that joining a traditional gym wouldn't provide that, it never has. I thought that CrossFitters were crazy people, but then I realized that two of my best friends (Noah and Jon) have been CrossFitting for years...so what did that say about me? What brought you to True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga in the first place? The physicality of my job required that I step up my fitness level. I talked about it all the time with Noah and she kept saying, just show up....you might like it. What was your first impression? Has that changed? My first impression was that this was a serious sport that required commitment but it also seemed like a lot of fun. Coach Zach helped me through foundations and made me realize I can do more than I think I can, but needed to cue in on my form to maximize results and avoid injury. My first impression has not changed...it is a serious sport and a lot of fun! I continually work on my form and recognize it is the most important factor in my progress. What was the first thing fun or positive thing you experienced while training with us? Honestly, it's all fun and positive. I've learned a lot of new skills, which has increased my performance in all sorts of everyday activities. I discovered that I like rowing and benefited greatly from Coach James' rowing clinic. I sometimes have access to an erg when I'm away for work, so this was a really important skill to to learn to maximize my fitness when I'm out of the country. Are you working on any special CrossFit related skill now? I would like to accomplish one strict pull-up and deadlift 200 lbs by the end of the year. Totally doable. How has you life changed since training with TSCF? I have so much more motivation to work out and actually attend the 6am class, which is something I would have never done before TSCF. I carry this motivation with me to the field...getting up at 4:30am to work out with programming I've developed for myself without gym equipment. I also have a lot more strength and stamina in general. Whether it be hauling the Christmas tree out of the woods, hiking up a steep ravines all day for work, or carrying equipment up hills....I got this. What's your favorite True Spirit CrossFit memory? A recent memory actually. Noah and I did a challenging partner workout and crushed it! Keeping up with her is no joke, but I did it and she Rx'd it. Nailed it. Brian Flikkema, Why do You Do CrossFit?What was your fitness, CrossFit, or yoga "life" like before you started training with True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga.
I had no idea about CrossFit, besides only crazy people did it. My fitness journey had only just begun. For all of my life I hated sports and fitness. If I needed to go more than a block, I drove. But then life gave me a little lesson that time can't be taken for granted. So I decided I needed to start hiking everywhere I could before life would take away the option. Then I realized I couldn't get as far as I wanted to so I started running. That was all in the two years prior to joining TSCF. What brought you to True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga in the first place? For me it was an honest chance of luck. My friend Skip had been trying to get me to come for a long time. I probably never would have walked through the door except I won a free Foundations class Leslie donated to a local non-profit. It's probably the only reason I ever gave it a try, and I have never looked back What was your first impression? Has that changed? At first, I thought you were all crazy. I couldn't do a pushup or a pull-up, so I didn't think I would ever be able to keep up. I remember watching what everyone else was doing, and getting frustrated, even wanting to give up. Has it changed? Absolutely. Now I know we are all crazy! And I know now that everyone can keep up. Truly the only person you are "competing" with is yourself. Everyone else is just motivation to push past what you did before. What was the first thing fun or positive thing you experienced while training with us? There have been so many, I'm not sure I could point to one thing. The first Murph, the first time I Rx'd a workout. The motivation and training of the coaches. That first bar muscle up. Oh, and looking in the mirror or comparing before and after photos. It's subtle at first, but give it time and effort and the change can be dramatic! Are you working on any special CrossFit related skill now? The main skills I am working on are muscle ups and double unders. But for the summer my #1 goal will be running, and more running. How has your life changed since training with TSCF? It's a night and day difference. Most importantly, I'm more confident in my own body. It's helped me reduce my stress, helped me gain a healthier life balance, and has helped relax my anxiety and depression. Oh, and I sleep better too. Fitness wise there is no comparison. The fact my running speed increased by over a 2 minute mile just by adding CrossFit is a perfect example. What's your favorite True Spirit CrossFit memory? Well, my memory sucks and there are so many to sift through over the last two year. I think most recently it would be between volunteering at the Festuvus games, or one of the larger events like baseline or Murph. Those just add that little extra on top to make it extra special. |
Special EventsApril 27 Festivus Games
May 4 - 5 Montana Spartan Race May 5 Give Big Gallatin Valley Gym Challenge May 10 Baseline & Beers May 11 Montana Craft Beer Week BEER OLYMPICS at TSCF June 22 OutWOD June 28 - July 12 Anniversary Throwdown July 13 Knuckle Buster OCR July 14 5th Year Anniversary Party Record your WOD on Beyond the Whiteboard.
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