Success Stories

With all the training that goes on down at the box and the high frequency we see our members every week its sometimes easy to forget the journey that some of them have been on.

We see them training hard and following our dietary advice, we programme our sessions to hit their fitness from all sides and we are always around to offer support via email, Facebook and in person at the box whenever they need it.

We have been doing this CrossFit thing for over 3 years now but you know what? It still amazes me when one of our members shows us old photos of themselves before they joined up. It shouldn't amaze me because I know what we do and the advice we give is the best advice they can listen too and follow and I know the CrossFit methodology irrefutably works. I've seen it with so many people over the years. But I still get that buzz of excitement when I see that absolute change in one of our guys or girls. I guess its why we do this job and why I wouldn't want to do anything else. 

Neil Farley joined us in August of last year (2012) after continual harassment from most of his friends and family who were already training with us! You know how it is if you do CrossFit. WODs, training and AMRAPs become your sole topic of conversation that you get to bore all your acquaintances with!

So he finally gave in and came down to check us out himself......

Neil at 98kg.

This 'before' photo was taken a few years earlier when Neil had decided enough was enough and had signed up for a 10km run. At this point he weighed 98kg. We cant take all of the credit for his weight loss as at this point he had started running and cycling to work. He says he joined a gym but like most big-chain gym memberships it hardly got used as he got bored and had no direction or guidance in the right way to train.

By the time he joined us he had already done a fantastic job of getting his weight down to 89kg but felt as though he needed more of a push as he wasn't seeing any more progress.

As well as training consistently with us at least 3 times a week, Neil also joined up to our regular Paleo challenges run by Plan P. These 30-day events are an introduction to the Paleo way of eating for our members. Provided is a full two-week recipe meal plan created by coach and chef extrodinaire Barney Gehlcken (who runs the kitchen at the fantastic Noble House Pub in Hove, East Sussex) and full shopping lists of things to buy and things not to buy. We also weigh and measure everybody in at the beginning so that we know exactly what progress they make during the 30 days.

It most definitely isn't easy, with the hardest part being 7-10 days in when the body is craving sugar and headaches and mood swings are common. However, after about 14 days the body starts to switch energy sources and you start to feel amazing. For more info on Plan P or the Paleo diet click on the links.

Neil had a fantastic success with his paleo and has kept it up ever since. It really does change the way you think about food and what you put into your mouth. Yes, of course there are still times for treats but on the whole most of our members who try it out end up sticking with it for the majority of their meals.

Neil at a sprightly 72.5kg this week.

Neil lost an impressive 5.5kg in weight and 3 inches from his waistline whilst on the challenge, taking him down to where he is at today......a fantastic 72.5kg.

The change from last August has been amazing to witness and be a part of and now Neil is fully in tune with the CrossFit way of life. He trains hard, takes our advice on board and is feeling a whole load better for it. Oh and yes, he does now talk about CrossFit all the time too.

If you would like more information on CrossFit, Paleo or Plan P and how we could help you out just give us a call or drop us a line. We're ready to help.

Lets see those photos again. Great work Neil, fantastic job!

Beyond the Whiteboard....CrossFit at Work.

At CrossFit Connect we regularly publish photos of our whiteboards, workouts of the day, photos of our members in various displays of lifting prowess and anything else we can think of to try and convey CrossFits huge appeal and results to any potential new clients. Yet, to those who are not initiated into the folds of CrossFit our endless posts and tweets about how great it is can quite easily not mean a thing!


The UK CrossFit scene is thriving right now and with the addition of Reeboks backing it is about to go stratospheric in its popularity. But what can we do to help people take that first step in becoming involved in CrossFit if the adverts on TV and the new 180kg deadlift video you posted of one of your members last night seem a little 'elite' from the thought process of your regular gym goer?


Well, we thought it would be nice to go a little old school and simply ask one of our members who has had great success with CrossFit to answer a few questions about their time with us and what they have achieved. To show you real evidence of CrossFit at work. 

August 2011                                         March 2012

Rosie Francis is a 37 year old school teacher who joined us in August of 2011. She has become one of our most dedicated members and has been an absolute inspiration to us all at the box. Since the start of her training with us Rosie has lost an incredible 17kg (thats over 2.5 stone) and has transformed herself with our coaching and her utter dedication. I will continue to sing her praises at the bottom of this blog but for now, lets hear it in her own words. Over to you Rosie.......

CFC: Could you tell me a little detail of your background in sports. What did you used to do when you were younger and when did you start noticing you were getting out of shape?

RF: I was useless at sport at school and I was never in any school teams. I did a bit of kick boxing at Uni but this usually involved more time in the union bar than actually working out! We moved to Malaysia in 2007 and I was living the high life of a diplomat. It really took its toll on the waist line and after seeing myself in a photo about 18 months in I decided enough was enough. I joined a martial arts centre and took up taekwondo. I trained 3 hours a day, 6 days a week and went from total beginner to 1st Dan in 15 months (a gym record). I guess this was my first taste of success in sports. When I got back to the UK in 2010 I didn’t continue the taekwondo straight away as I needed to concentrate on getting a job and some money but I think it was also because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to sustain that level of training. I didn’t want to wear the belt if I felt I no longer deserved it, so regrettably I have never gone back to it. 

CFC: What made you decide to get fit and change your habits? Was it one moment or one thing? Or a gradual build up of factors?

RF: Since returning to live in England I’d put off joining a gym – the usual excuses of not enough time or money, pressures of looking for work etc..... then before I knew it we’d been back in England for two years and I was still making the same excuses. I found some old pictures of myself from when I had been doing taekwondo and it just reminded me of how much I used to enjoy working out and having a goal to work towards outside of my career. That was when I started looking into what was available in the area. I knew I was looking for something different to a normal gym as they just didn’t appeal to me. I had never heard of CrossFit but when I stumbled across CrossFit Connect’s website I knew it was just what I had been looking for.

CFC: Did you find it hard to make that first phone call to us?

RF: No. I read through all of the info on the website and thought it sounded interesting. I think by the time I got round to calling I was so fed up feeling unfit and putting on weight I was just relieved to get the ball rolling.

CFC: What made you decide to come to CrossFit Connect over anywhere else?

RF: I read everything on the website and it made me feel it was just what I was looking for. I watched some videos online and thought I would give it a go.

CFC: Had you been a member at any other 'big chain' gyms before? And if so how did you find them?

RF: Ha ha! David Lloyd – lasted all of 1 month and got thoroughly bored. Gold’s Gym - again about 1 month then got BORED.
With the big gyms I just felt lost. It was hard to remember what to do with all the machines, there was very little monitoring of your progress and I couldn’t afford a personal trainer so was pretty much left to my own devices. In the end I used to just turn up, do an hour on the cross trainer and then go home. It was quite a lonely experience, everyone plugged into their iPods in their own little world, and I just found the whole thing very unmotivating. 

CFC:  How did you find the first few weeks training at CrossFit Connect? Was it tough for you to motivate yourself to keep coming?

RF: I knew that Crossfit was something I wanted to stick to from the moment i started. However, I’d had good intentions about exercise before and hadn’t seen them through. So knowing myself and not wanting to repeat the past I made sure that before I left each class I booked myself into the next one – giving myself no excuses!
I have to admit for the first few weeks the drive over to the box was a little nerve racking! What would we be doing today? Would I be able to do it? Would I make a fool of myself? I knew this was silly because the coaches down at the box would always make sure I knew exactly what to do and that all the movements were scaled to my level of ability.

CFC: Would you say there was a watershed moment when it went from being hard to motivate yourself to just becoming automatic to come down to the box as part of your week?

RF: I can’t really remember when it changed but all of a sudden the drive to the box wasn’t nerve racking anymore. It was routine – just something I did as part of my day. Now I can’t wait to get to the box. I’m excited to see what’s in store for us on the whiteboard - even though sometimes I still groan when I see lots of running (not my strong point but I’m working on it!).

CFC: How do you think CrossFit differs from anything else you have done before?

RF: I think what makes CrossFit unique is the amazing supportive atmosphere you get at the box. It doesn’t matter who turns up to a class, we all cheer one another on and everyone really wants you to achieve your goals and do your very best. Even though I’m often the last to finish a WOD, you know what, I really don’t mind! It just means I get more people shouting encouragement and cheering me on! :)

CFC: What’s been your biggest achievement?

RF: I think for me my biggest achievement was to run a mile without stopping. It might not sound far to some people but when I first joined CrossFit Connect I couldn’t even run 200m without stopping to walk some of the way. 

CFC: Did you set yourself goals when you came down?

RF: When I first joined I had very vague goals – to get fitter and lose weight. As I’ve got more and more familiar with CrossFit my goals have become more specific and getting fitter and losing weight are things which I know will happen naturally without having to focus on them. (Coach Dave - that 400m run without stopping was a great moment when Rosie achieved it!)

CFC: What are your goals for the future?

RF: Where do I start?! There are so many things I want to improve. I really, really want to be able to do pull ups without assistance and get some double unders (twice round with the skipping rope on one jump). Perhaps even do a 5k run... ...one day! (although don't go getting any ideas with the programming coaches!)

CFC: What has been the impact of CrossFit on your life?

RF: My job is quite stressful and the workload can be overwhelming (I’m a teacher). Since joining Connect I have been making much more of an effort to get my life back. Surprisingly I have found that even though I’m working less hours, I am more efficient when I am working because I’m not so exhausted all the time. Also I’m much less stressed than I used to be. I am definitely more confident, happier and healthier than I have been in a very long time.

CFC: What would you say are the two or three things that really made CrossFit successful for you? Community, coaching etc?

RF: I like the variety of the workouts (WOD’s) knowing that every day you’ll be doing something different. It is absolutely impossible to get bored of CrossFit. As I’ve mentioned before the support of the coaches and the rest of the members is key to the success I’ve had so far. Knowing people believe in you and want to help you improve makes all the difference. Every time someone shouts “Come on Rosie” it just helps you dig deeper for that extra little bit of energy you need.

CFC:  How many times a week on average do you train and how has it been adopting the paleo eating style that we advocate at CrossFit Connect? Do you have cheat days still? How strict are you with the eating?

RF: I started training 3 times a week but found that I missed being at the box so now I train 5 times a week! It means I have to be organised to fit it all in but it’s definitely worth it. 

When I started eating paleo I was only planning on doing it for a month during the 30-day challenge the box held. I wasn’t really a big meat eater and I didn’t really see how I could give up bread, pasta and potatoes forever. During that month I lost 6kg and felt really good. But the month was over, so back came the bread and the dairy and back came the tiredness and bloated feeling that I’d put up with for so long. So back i went to it. Now I eat strict paleo 98% of the time. I don’t find it difficult to stick to, I don’t crave sugary things like I would do on other ‘diets’ (and I had tried every diet!) and I feel more in tune with my body. Now I know if I need a protein hit or a piece of fruit whereas before I’d stare into the fridge, hungry but not really knowing what I fancied. Inevitably I would choose the wrong thing to eat, feel unsatisfied and go back to fridge for more. I am strict with the paleo because I want to be. It makes me feel stronger when I stick to it and when I do have a little something ‘off plan’ I don’t feel guilty like I used to do on past ‘diets’ because I know my body can handle the small amounts of extra sugar or gluten and that it won’t stress my system.

CFC: Any last thoughts in general? Would you encourage women to start lifting weights and get away from aerobics/spin etc that they traditionally do? Did you ever see yourself doing clean and jerks and snatches?! And why do you enjoy them so much?

RF: I would definitely recommend Crossfit to anyone, including lifting the weights. I never really imagined myself lifting big weights and was a little worried about getting big unsightly muscles. What I’ve found is that lifting the weights have helped me to tone up and lose inches all over. The results I am seeing from Crossfit are just so much better than anything I ever got from bums and tums or boxercise or any of the many, many different classes I’ve tried over the years. I really enjoy lifting the weights – there’s a lot of skill involved and it’s definitely not all about brute strength. Getting the technique right and feeling the weights fly up in the air is a real buzz. When lifting weights, it’s so easy to monitor your progress week by week and keep track of your personal bests.


Rosies Lifting Stats:  (Aug 2011 / March 2012)

Deadlifts - was 40kg / now 110kg
Squats - was 30kg / now 70kg
Press - was 15kg / now 37.5kg
Clean & Jerk -  na / now 50kg
Snatch -  na / now 40kg


I hope this gives you some insight into just what can be achieved with sheer hard work, good coaching and access to great nutritional advice and support. Rosie, along with our other members have jumped right into the recent Reebok Games Open competition (see post here) and this extra amount of motivation has driven her even further towards all of her goals. It was great seeing Rosie get her first Toes-to-bar and Double unders over the last few weeks!


For more information and to see for yourself just what CrossFit can do for you, give us a call or drop us an email and come down and meet us and try your first class for FREE. Its perfectly suitable for all levels of ability and we'd love to have you part of the growing CrossFit community. A whole wealth of info on CrossFit and more on why our members see better results than at their previous gyms can be found on our website at www.crossfitconnect.co.uk. This is going to be a big year for CrossFit Connect so come and be part of it. Thanks for reading.

September Paleo Challenge Results!

So our second 30-day paleo challenge in association with Plan P has come to an end and everybody has been weighed in and measured up!

And just like in June the results have been fantastic! A big well done to everyone that completed the 30-days. I think there may have been a few wobbles this time round if the talk in the box is to be listened too but the results are still plain to see!

A paleo diet and CrossFit training is a potent combination to melt away fat, increase muscle and leave you feeling faster, fitter, stronger and leaner.

Its been fantastic to watch our guys and girls improving so much with their lifts, their skills and their fitness over the last few months and to see the newcomers to the paleo diet taking to it and learning its principles is great. Myself and Holly are in this business to change peoples lives and i think the feeling you get when you complete the 30-day challenge is enough to convince you that what we keep blabbering on about is the truth! :)

Eating paleo is not an easy concept to get your head around initially as it cuts out a lot of things that most people have considered a staple part of their diet for all of their lives; potatoes, rice, pasta and bread. Just what are you meant to have with your meat and vegetables at dinner time? Or lunch without sandwiches? Are you crazy?!

However, it takes perhaps a week to 10 days for you to realise that you can live without those items and not long after that to fully feel the benefits of not having them in your diet. You have more energy and your energy levels are more balanced across the whole day without having the highs and lows associated with big sugar spikes. This is not to mention the longer term health benefits that a wheat and sugar free diet brings.


Okay so lets get down to it!

This time around we had 10 people complete the new Plan P guide. And here are the results:

Total weight lost:                   22.4kg
Total body fat % lost:            12% (on 6 participants)
Total waist inches reduced:    15.25
Total hip inches reduced:       10.75

(I dont want to give out individual results and names on the blog but if you would like more exact details then they will be available down at the box.)

Another amazing result and a new batch of members feeling all the better because of it!

Averaging that out comes to 2.2kg and 2% body fat lost per person in 30 days which, if continued like that until Christmas, would mean a drop of 9kg and 8% body fat! Imagine how good you would be feeling about yourselves then! Of course, not everyone wants to lose that much weight. The remarkable thing about paleo is that you only lose the excess fat that you are carrying. The stuff you don't want. If you are eating adequate amounts of protein and calories you wont start losing precious muscle. That's not how it works. And I'm sure the vast majority of people could do with a 5-8% drop in body fat!


This was achieved at the same time of course that everyone saw good increases in their strength and fitness levels, a fact that is recorded in a personal diary of achievement that every member keeps and fills in after every session. We can see the exact progress you are making and importantly for you it acts as a great motivational tool. 

If you would like to know more about the next Plan P challenge, CrossFit or simply want to see the place where our members are seeing so much success then give us a call, drop us a line or come down to the box and say 'hi'. We are a friendly, community driven gym where top quality coaching and nutrition advice are combined to really make a difference to your life.


http://www.crossfitconnect.co.uk
http://www.planp.co.uk
http://www.cavemansnacks.co.uk

CrossFit Connect House WOD Results

On the first day of opening we created a WOD to commemorate the birth of CrossFit Connect. Based around the number 9, due to it being the number of our building, we came up with the following:

9 x rounds for time of:

9 x Box Jumps (24in men / 18in women)

9 x Thrusters (40kg men / 25kg women)

9 x Burpees

We have had a good number of our members taking on this WOD now so i thought it was time we posted some scores. As the RX'd (prescribed) weights are pretty tough we have scaled it accordingly for each of our members and this info follows their times below. The burpees we were a little lenient on but tried to encourage everyone to include the press up for at least as long as they could!

Everyone that has done it has put in such a good effort so well done to all. Next up is to repeat it in a few months time and smash those times!

Guys:

Oli - 14.23 (30kg / 18in)
Andre - 15.24 (40kg / 12in)
Barney - 18.00 (40kg / 24in) RX'd
Dave - 18.21 (40kg / 24in) RX'd
John - 19.57 (30kg / 18in steps)
Nerijus - 20.30 (30kg / 18in)
Darren - 21.42 (40kg / 24in) RX'd (Honorary member!)
Kevin - 23.27 (30kg / 12in)
Joe - 25.28 (20kg / 24in)
Steve - 27.36 (20kg / 18in)
Dan - 12.36 (15kg / 12in) (x 6 rounds)
Dylan 9.18 (PVC pipe / 12in) (9 years old)

Gals:

Jo - 11.06 (15kg / 12in)
Ami - 13.34 (15kg / 12in)
Emily - 16.24 (15kg / 12in)
Purv - 17.44 (15kg / 12in)
Lina - 18.27 (15kg / 18in steps)
Beckie - 19.05 (15kg / 12in)
Holly - 19.24 (30kg / 18in) RX'd
Danni - 19.47 (15kg / 12in)
Maddie - 11.50 (15kg / 12in) (x 6 rounds)
Siobhan - 12.24 (15kg / 12in) (x 6 rounds)

NB: Please note I have been told i have to adjust the heights of the boxes on here as our ones at the box are a smidgen taller than regular box heights due to extra strength! So it should be 13in, 19in and 25in boxes! That inch can make all the difference! ;)