Originally published in 2009, this is the story of Mary Martin and her CrossFit journey. Mary Martin started with us approximately 3 years ago (Jan 2008) after retiring from the military. She is one of our best examples of ‘intensity’ and puts her soul into each and every workout. Here is her story!
After retiring from the U.S. Army after 20 years of service, I was looking for a way to stay in shape. While serving on active duty, physical conditioning was part of the work day and it was not uncommon for me to work out 5 days a week in the early mornings. Once I retired, I thought it would be great to join a civilian gym and work out without the pressure of maintaining military standards (i.e. workout for fun). I quickly realized that once the pressure was off, I was unable to gain the drive and motivation at the civilian gym and I began to gain weight. Don’t get me wrong, I continued to work out but the days went from 5 days to 3 days and the intensity was missing. It finally came to a head when a good military friend let me know I was gaining weight and it was not good.
As I contemplated what my friend was saying, I saw an article on CNN.com titled “Is Your Gym Membership Worth It?” It was your standard article until it started discussing some alternatives to big box gyms. One alternative was a program called Crossfit. As everyone does, I Googled the term to find out what it was all about. As I read more about Crossfit from the web site, I became more intrigued but I thought there probably isn’t an affiliate near me. To my surprise, there was a group close to my home (Crossfit DelawareValley); now all I had to do was get the courage to inquire. I sent an email to Rob and he answered me immediately and we set up a visit.
From the first visit, I knew this would be a great program for me. It was focused on core strength (which I was lacking) and fundamental techniques of lifting. Technique was very important and the instructors ensured that form was adhered to during all aspects of our training. The concepts were basic and in Crossfit, you do not need a lot of fancy equipment. I quickly realized that I can do Crossfit workouts while on the road with the basic weight set in most hotel gyms.
Still a little gun shy about joining, I started with the 10 session option so I could learn more about the program. With each new session, I really became an addict. There was variety in every workout from strength training to strength and cardio. There was competition and team work in every session and at the end of every session, I really felt like I had accomplished something.
Having done Crossfit for a little over 2 months, I was able to lose 12 pounds. Finally, my friends and family are noticing the difference in my body and I feel great about working out. I look forward to checking the workout of the day (WOD) before each session so I can get pumped to push myself to new limits.
For those who are in a regular gym routine and are tired of minimal results, I recommend you try Crossfit. You will not be disappointed and you do not need all the fancy equipment to workout, just basic weights and a strong desire to push yourself and others.
