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Posted in : Crossfit Testimonials Posted on : Mon, 20 June 2011
I came to Crossfit in December 2009 after meeting other Crossfit members on my ultimate Frisbee team. I commented on what good shape so many people were in, and they pointed to Crossfit as being the catalyst for getting each of them into such good condition. After living and working for three years overseas, I would describe myself as being a “skinny-fat” vegetarian. I ate mostly grains, vegetables, no meat, and suffered from chronic stomach pain. I could barely do a knee pushup, pull-ups were out of the questions, and box jumps seemed impossible.
Now, after a year and a half of Crossfitting, improving my diet to include meat, and cutting way down on the grains, it would be impossible to fully account for the vast improvements in my physical and mental conditioning. I am constantly amazed at the benefits it has given me in every aspect of my life, and I am proud to say I’ve now gained the strength, technique, and endurance to make it through a day’s workout without wanting to cry.
I started rock climbing about the same time I started going to Crossfit, and I’ve noticed a serious and positive impact on my climbing as a result of the training Crossfit offers. Climbing is as much of a mental game as it is physical, and Crossfit has given me the mental confidence to push myself onto progressively harder climbs while providing me with the physical strength and endurance required to make it through a long day of climbing.
When I think about cycling 240 kilometers in two days, ‘therapeutic’ isn’t the descriptive word that comes to my mind.
But for CrossFit Vancouverite, Pascal ‘I don’t look a day over 16’ Gray, his recent bike ride from Surrey to Seattle had elements of unmistakable therapy.
Gray, a High School teacher, took part in the recent BC Ride to Conquer Cancer, a 240 kilometer bike ride. The main reason for the journey: A way to remember his father, who lost a battle with cancer and passed away a year and nine months ago. “The second day of the ride fell on Father’s Day, so that had a huge impact on me,” said Pascal. “It gave me a lot of time to reflect about who my Dad was, and to spend time with him in a metaphysical kind of way,” he added.
Pascal says rides like this help him in dealing with the loss. “It was amazing to be around those 2,900 riders, to be surrounded by people on the same page as me,” he said.
Another place Pascal feels at home is right here at CrossFit Vancouver. His first CrossFit experience? Last year’s Nutts Cup. He still remembers the pain. “I remember pushing to the point that I wondered if I’d get through the workout. And I thought to myself, ‘there’s nothing else that will do this to me,’” said Pascal, who was immediately hooked. “I was totally blown away by the workout and the people in the box, and it actually solidified what I already believed fitness to be.”
