I first really got into fitness during college by taking advantage of the Rec Facilities and being actively involved with UW-RecSports. After I graduated, I found a job in Madison and began throwing my life into my career and making time to work out 4 to 5 days a week, doing the same thing I always did while I was in school. Three sets of this, run for this amount of time, etc. Fast forward to last year, I realized how much my day to day routine was one giant monotonous rut that I hated and began looking for different ways to change it up.
One of those ways to change it up was CrossFit. Rewind back to right after college and I was living with one of my friends from school. He joined CrossFit Recursive and I saw first-hand the positive impact it had on him. I was always making excuses for not trying CrossFit myself but he turned me onto CrossFit Recursive when I decided to give it a shot.
I signed up for CrossFit Recursive’s Foundations class and cannot even begin to describe how humbling it was. I can bench 225 pounds with relative ease but couldn’t overhead squat 35 pounds (or even 15 pounds, I think). Each Foundations class taught something different but the one thing that was consistent was that I looked forward to the next one because my instructors were knowledgeable, approachable, and friendly. When I was done with Foundations, I still wasn’t sure if CrossFit was for me but figured I’d give it a shot if for no other reason than to keep me from falling back into the rut that prompted me to give CrossFit a shot in the first place.
Now CrossFit is meant to push and challenge you and to be honest it was a bit of an adjustment doing the daily workouts. Sometimes there’d be a movement I had never done before or something else where I was doing a fraction of the weight that the person next to me was doing but it was always such a good workout. It gave me a sense of accomplishment that made me keep coming back for the next one.
At CrossFit Recursive, the coaches make the effort to engage you and want you to be successful. They, as well as the other members, really create an environment that makes you feel like you belong, no matter where you’re at in your fitness journey. Everyone is so supportive. After showing up enough times and seeing the progress I was making, I knew I made the right choice in sticking with it and I was thrilled with the results.
Physically, I am doing lifts and movements that I never thought I could do and I feel so much better mentally. I am much more confident than I was prior to doing this and have a much better outlook about the other things in my life.
A common joke is, “What’s the number one rule about CrossFit? You ALWAYS talk about CrossFit.” I heard it through college and still hear it to this day and the context is always to knock CrossFit. In my own experience, especially with CrossFit Recursive, CrossFit has given me two things… First, a sport where I am constantly challenging myself and making progress.
Second, it’s given me such a great sense of community. I am incredibly thankful for both and honestly I think the times I bring it up I just can’t help it, it’s been such a great ride for me, so far. Joining CrossFit Recursive is the best decision I made in 2017 and if I had one regret about it, it’s only that I wish I had started earlier.