Testimonials
Don't believe us when we tell you how CrossFit can change your life? Here is a real account of the impact CrossFit has had on people.
Bryce Astill gets his first muscle up with a broken leg
Bryce's First Muscle Up from High 5 Productions on Vimeo.
Sondra Fair RKC
66 year old women completes her RKC from CrossfitNRG on Vimeo.
Patrice Carmody
I’m a wimp and proud of it. But
Crossfit has brought out something in me that I never knew existed. I have never been athletically inclined or even coordinated for that matter.
I’ve never played sports so I don’t have an athletic background to draw from. I did aerobics back in the 80's in my leg warmers and leotards, and I’ve started more exercise programs than I can count.
I wish I had all the money I’ve spent on unused gym memberships, stationary bike, rowing machine, Nordik Trak, Aerobic Rider, elyptical, The Firm workout videos, etc.
I always felt awkward and out of place at a gym, particularly the meat-market variety.
I started Crossfit at 801 last spring. When I walked in I was immediately intimidated. I thought, "What’s a wimp like me doing in a place like this?" I committed to twice a week, which sometimes meant once a week. When James and Dave opened Crossfit NRG in November, I decided to take Crossfit seriously. Since the first of the year, I have come four times a week (with the exception of one week when I only made it three times). I now meet with Rebecca on Monday evenings to help meet my fitness goals.
I am trying to look at food as fuel for my body rather than a hobby or an obsession. I am learning about pre- and post-workout meals. I am down 20 pounds from one year ago, with about 35 pounds to go. That, however, isn’t the biggest change I’ve seen. The biggest change for me is on the inside. I am proud of myself for my accomplishments. I am doing things that I never imagined I could do. I don’t compare myself to others–I compare myself to myself. I look at where I was, where I am, and where I want to be.
I am excited to be a member of Crossfit NRG. I am proud of the work that James, Dave and Holly are doing with their members. I am thankful for their expertise, guidance and encouragement. I am happy to be part of a warm, welcoming gym where I see familiar faces and people who have become my friends. I am also thankful to be able to walk after last night’s workout.
One year down....30 more to go! I’m planning on being around for a while.
Patrice Carmody. 52 years young, Secretary.
Dave Cowart
I would love to take credit for all that I have accomplished, but many appreciative "thank you"s need to be given to those who have helped me along the way. I know, because I have tried, that I would never have done this on my own. It was only through the motivation (and sometimes perceived cruelty) of James and Dave that I pushed through and kept going.
I also just wanted to thank EVERYONE at CrossfitNRG. Their stories have helped to motivate me and, even more than this, seeing them on a daily basis push through the pain and strive for their personal best inspires me to do the same. Crossfit was never intended to become a part of my life, it was just a temporary fix to get me physically qualified for the military scholarship for med school.
It has done so much more than this, however. I am addicted and even when I am bruised and broken, I can't wait to get back in there and see what other challenges I can overcome. James is right when he says that we just need to stick with it and constantly challenge ourselves. I am probably a little weak when it comes to challenging myself, which is why seemingly every time James walks by me during a workout, it's "add this weight", "use this taller box", "go faster", "no rest", "don't let your wife beat you....she's PREGNANT" so on and so forth. You gotta love these guys at Crossfit.
My experience here has truly been inspirational and Crossfit will always be a way of life for me. It is the only program that has worked and helped me to get the results I want, which isn't six pack abs and a 32" waist (though these would be nice), but more importantly it is a overall satisfaction and self-esteem knowing that I am becoming a stronger and healthier individual, everyday.
Anyway, James should have known better than to post my story because everyone knows that they can't get me talking or else I never stop. Thanks you guys! I am praying that we don't have to move away, especially to a small town where they don't even have Crossfit. Can't wait to see where I can be in 3 more months of Crossfit.
Jon Belnap
I wanted to take a moment to write a little about my experiences at CrossfitNRG. I was referred by a co-worker. I was talking to him at work, and in causal conversation he told me a little about Crossfit NRG. At that time in my life I was looking for an effective way to get in shape and loose weight. I was considering hiring a personal trainer at the local gym, but never was able to find a trainer that I felt could help me.
My co-worker told me that if I was interested that he would take me to the gym and introduce me to the trainers. I accepted his offer, and later that afternoon I walked in the front door at Crossfit NRG. To be honest the gym was not what I had envisioned. I was a little nervous, and felt that they were going to judge me based on my excessive weight.
I met James that afternoon, and he made me feel comfortable and told me to come to the gym for a couple of days to see if it was a good fit. I accepted the offer and showed up the next morning at 6:00 am and met Dave. I was impressed that although he had never met me he knew my name and was expecting me. I went through the WOD of the day. It was hard and nothing could have prepared me for that morning. I nearly vomited that morning, but I felt like I had accomplished something for the first time in my life. With in hours of the morning routine I could not walk with out an immense amount of pain.
For some unknown reason I decided to show up the next day, then the next week and then I prepaid for several months. I figured the best way to remain consistant was to invest in advance for my exercise program.
I started the last week of February 2009. In just six short weeks I lost 20 pounds. I have never been back to the local corporate gym. After exercising “Crossfit style” one can never return to a boring routine of lifting weights and watching people pose in the mirror like they are the next Arnold.
At CrossfitNRG I have found that everyone is positive and motivating. No one judges each other, even if you cry. There is a brotherhood forged that is second only to that found in the military. No one is trying to beat each other. Every member at Crossfit NRG is just trying to beat their personal best record.
I personally feel that Crossfit NRG is no longer an exercise program. It has now become a way of life. Crossfit NRG is a place where I can go in the morning and exercise with my friends and always feel that I am part of the group.
At Crossfit NRG we are Elite Fitness.
Jon B.
Bill Grey
I have had the great pleasure of paying James to show me many ways to inflict pain upon my body for the better part of three years now.
Whatever James asks, I do. It is Pavlovian at this point. It works. First, a little background. I have been obese and sedentary my whole life. I graduated high school at 225 lbs.
About 5 years ago I weighed 245 lbs and was working 60 to 80 hours a week behind a computer. Finally, one morning, my back muscles cramped up and began to spasm. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced and felt like someone grinding a knife in my lower back.
It took every ounce of determination I could muster to work though the pain just to get out of bed. I could barely walk. After seeing a specialist, x-rays, and tests, they determined that the problem wasn’t skeletal and was stress induced. My job was killing me.
Armed with pain killers and muscle relaxers I went through prescribed physical therapy at TOSH where they had me walk on a treadmill and do squats against a wall with a big rubber ball between my back and the wall. Pretty tame compared to Crossfit, but it took everything I had. After a couple of weeks, I transitioned to the Sportsmall and did my own treadmill and recumbent bike.
A couple of weeks of this and I was able to get off the pills and was able to control my back through exercise and forced relaxation. Then I focused on the weight issue and started the South Beach diet. I lost 20 lbs on South Beach and kept it off for the next 2 years. Over those 2 years, my back remained okay, but I would still get occasional, short episodes of tightness and pain.
Then I asked the Sportsmall about a personal trainer. They sent me to James. After the grueling free session, I wouldn’t be surprised if we both walked away thinking “What have I got myself into?” I was in awful shape and the sessions that followed proved it. I was somewhat worried about working with an ex-Marine close combat instructor, I am not really the gung-ho type.
But I signed up for three one-hour sessions a week and James worked me over for the better part of six months before he went off and got a “regular job.” I couldn’t even squat to parallel much less get my butt below my knees. I had zero flexibility and zero aerobic capacity. My shoulders and back were so hunched I must have looked like Quasimodo.
I know I was soon moaning “the bells, the bells. But James cured my back problems. He twisted me into a pretzel and had me imitate dragons, lizards, and bears oh my! He strengthened my body with kettlebells. Swings and snatches and presses and squats galore. I love kettlebells. With my kettlebell shaped body you would think “See the kettlebell, be the kettlebell” would be easy. It has not been, but I’ve loved every painful moment and I have the bumps on my forearms to prove it.
When James told me he was opening his own gym, I knew I would be signing up. There was never a doubt in my mind as James has improved my life so much. Then he invited me to view a WOD at 801. Oh man was I scared. The potato had just barely gotten off the couch and it was supposed to crossfit? No way! Yes, James’ way. I signed my wife and I up the first night we attended an NRG WOD last November and we started the Zone diet right around Christmas time.
As for the results, I’ve lost 25 lbs and am going for at least 10 more. I participated in the 5K in February and finished it. That is the first time I’ve ever run anything in my life other than between the couch and fridge during timeouts. My energy level is through the roof. I am more focused. I get all my work done during office hours and rarely have to work what was the usual ten or twelve extra hours a week. Zone and Crossfit has been unbelievably successful for me.
Thank you NRG!
Shauna Palmer
I’ve always been a very competitive and active person…tried every sport, gym, trainer, diet and piece of equipment known to woman or man. Always being highly active meant that I have lived my life being able to eat whatever I wanted without worrying about my weight… that is until after having double knee surgery 4 years ago where I never really recovered my flexibility and couldn’t get through anything strenuous without a tremendous amount of pain. I was doing yoga 3-4 times a week and the elliptical trainer, but I had put on a lot of pounds that weren’t going anywhere. I really thought I’d never be able to completely bend my knees again let alone jump and run, but here I am doing it and loving it. My goal when I started CrossFit was to simply finish that first WOD without embarrassing myself…I didn’t need to worry. Even when I was the last one over the finish line, everyone was so encouraging and supportive. Those first few weeks were hard (seriously hard) but it felt so good to do those exercises (even when things were scaled down to my ability it was still hard) and I was proud of myself for finishing the workouts. I really can’t believe how quickly these simple and sinister workouts are melting the chub off of my body. After two months of faithfully working out 4-5 days per week, and with kind, informative and assertive training (always emphasizing form and proper technique!), I’m actually squatting, running and lifting better than I ever thought possible. After only two months, I’ve now lost 19 inches and 23 lbs. That’s 2 full sizes over most of my body! I hit a plateau for a couple of weeks where I didn’t lose an ounce. James recommended the Zone diet and I lost 3 lbs. almost instantly by switching eating plans. I’ve always been conscious of good foods and ingredients but it really helped to apply the same discipline to my food that I was applying to my workout. I am feeling better than I can remember feeling for quite some time and the added bonus of losing those stubborn inches and pounds is a major motivator. I’m looking forward to the coming months and the ability to perform even better during the workouts…I can’t thank James and Dave enough for all their hard work and encouragement (and even sometimes yelling things like “you can do it!” “keep going!” “WTF?!!”) in getting me to this point. But I’ll try to thank them anyway by asking if anyone want to buy my memberships to the “other” gyms. I don’t need those guys anymore. Thank you very much!
From Angela Cowart
Hey James!! I just wanted to drop a note and say hello and thank you. You guys are great and crossfit was the best thing I could have done being prego!!!justwanted to let you know I was at my pre-prego weight 3 1/2 weeks after having Abbie and wearing my pants I wore when I got married!!!!!! You guysare amazing and have a great program going on there at NRG!!! Hope you, Holly, AJ and the new one are doing well!!!! We shall see you soon!
Angela
From Matt Robins
Matt Robins
I had lived about 15 years of a relatively inactive life. My diet consisted of “healthy” processed foods such as bread and pasta. I wasn’t much of a junk food eater and ate cookies in moderation – no cookies for several days and then a whole box in a day. I don’t recall having any specific goals. At the time I joined CrossFit I was just looking for a place to get stronger by lifting free weights. I had no plans to change my diet except maybe add a post workout protein shake to build muscle.
I soon realized after starting CrossFit that I better change my diet. I didn’t want to work out so hard and then not see results because I wasn’t eating right. Then James came up with this crazy challenge. Everyone else was doing it, so I had to do it. Normally a challenge like this would require a double dog dare.
One thing that Crossfit has taught me is to not set limits on myself. I truly believe that I can do things that I thought were once impossible for me. It’s just a matter of how much time I am willing to spend and how hard I am willing to work to reach a particular goal. I didn’t always feel this way, but there is something about breaking a previously held limit, like deadlifting more than you thought you would ever do, that makes you believe that the impossible is now possible. One of my goals for October was to sprint 100m in under 13 seconds. At the beginning of the challenge, I could sprint it in 14.2 seconds. After the first week of sprinting at a high school I had dropped it to 13.9 seconds and I began to think that maybe dropping 1.2 seconds in 30 days was a little too ambitious. Yesterday, I ran the 100m in 12.98 seconds! I have set a goal for myself to be able to do a handstand on the rings. Why? Well, why not. Just don’t be surprised if you walk in the gym one day and see me upside down on the rings.
Oh, did I mention that CrossFit works. My grace time in March was 12:32, in July 7:44, in October 4:40. Not only do you get more fit but the psychological benefits should not be ignored. Let’ me not forget about the friendships that I have made.
I would like to thank Coach Glassman for creating CrossFit. I would also like to thank James and Dave for creating CrossFit NRG. I don’t think there could be a better duo to complement each other. I have tremendous admiration for anyone who has the courage to start a new business. When starting a new business it is not unusual to go without a paycheck but actually end up paying to work instead. I have been told that the path to success is to help other people get what they want. I would say James and Dave are on their way.
