Joe Gibbons
I am a 44 year old male and have been “crossfitting” since mid November 2010. As a young adult in high school and college I played organized sports (baseball, football, track and field). In my mid to late 20′s and into my mid 30′s I continued to be physically active and played softball, skydiving, rock climbing, hiking, etc.). I always considered myself to be in “good shape.” I used to workout at 24 hour fitness or Gold’s Gym doing the traditional weightlifting (with no real plan in mind – just go in and lift some heavy things) and cardio (stair master, treadmill).

Then when I was about 38, I suffered the first of several serious injuries at work. The first one kept me on light duty at work for the better part of a year while I rehabbed from it. Then about two years later, I was injured again. Again, back to light duty status, doctor visits, Physical Therapy, etc.. I was transferred to a desk job about 6 months later for the next year. During this time, I became extremely sedentary and was good at it. Due to the pain I was unable to do most of the daily tasks I was used to doing let alone working out and playing sports. After recovering and being released from medical care, I continued to enjoy my inactivity and never got back into the gym or to doing any of the outdoor activities I used to enjoy. Mostly because of laziness and partially out of fear that I would re-injure myself. I resigned myself to the fact that I could not perform the activities I used to enjoy. So Instead I picked up new ones like couch surfing and competitive eating.

In 2009, my doctor told me that I had mild hypertension and was obese. I was instructed to lose 15 lbs (to start), start exercising, and change my diet. My doctor told me if I continued I would have full blown hypertension, be at increased risk for diabetes and Cardiovascular disease. I returned in September 2010, for my annual physical and instead of losing the 15 pounds, I was up another 20 pounds to my all time high of 250 pounds. My doctor told me again that I needed to lose 20 pounds by February 2011 or he was going to put me on blood pressure medication and to return in February for a follow up blood draw.

This is where I decided enough was enough! I had been hearing about Crossfit and was interested in checking it out but never had the courage to go into one on my own. In October 2010, I saw a co-worker, who I thought looked amazing and was in awesome shape and inquired where she worked out at to which she replied Crossfit and invited me to Share the Pain. I went and did the STP scaled workout for visitors that I was only able to get about halfway through before I quit. That’s all I needed, I was embarrassed and motivated at the same time. I wasn’t going to be beat. Right afterwards, I went up to the desk and signed up for the next Elements training class.

I started Elements around 18Nov 2011, It was very challenging and pushed me to the limits but I loved it. I started doing and learning things I had never done before such as Olympic lifts, handstand pushups, gymnastics, etc… I heard about a style of nutritional eating called “Paleo” and heard members talking about it. I immediately went and found everything I could on Paleo online and bought Robb Wolfs book. I started Paleo eating about my second week into Elements. Elements was exactly what I needed. The coaching staff was incredible! They showed me every movement and how to properly execute the movement which was of great concern to me since I didn’t want to re-injure myself. After Elements, I started out slow and light on weight in an effort to build up my core strength and stability first and get my proper technique down before going under heavy loads. The results I have experienced are nothing short of miraculous. I thought when I started Crossfit that I would lose a few pounds (in my head, I thought maybe, just maybe I could get back down to 225) and pick up some strength and cardio capacity. Never did I imagine the results I would attain.

In February 2011, while only being at CFLV for a little over three months, I went in for my mandatory blood draw follow-up. My doctor was surprised as I was down not only the 20 pounds he recommended but was down 25 pounds to 225. My Triglycerides went from 372H down to 81! My HDL (good) cholesterol went from 27L to 40! My LDL (bad) went from 46L to 63, not perfect but better. (L=Low / H= High) I also had two additional blood tests done that Robb Wolf recommends in his book. They were C-Reactive Protein (CRP) which was 0.5 which is well within range. The other was the A1C which was 5.0 also within range and indicative of a decreased risk of Diabetes. I then went back in June 2011 for my next mandatory four month blood draw. This time I was down to 205. My blood work improved again. Cholesterol was 140, triglycerides 79, HDL 45, Chol-HDL Ratio 3.11, and LDL 79, CRP 0.5, and A1C 4.9. Nothing was out of range, high or low! My doctor stated that he has never had a patient make such a huge correction so quickly where all the blood lipid numbers were perfect AND lose the weight like I did. He asked me what I was doing and I told him Crossfit and Paleo Nutrition. I asked if he heard of either and he said not but “keep it up.”

I am now down to 198 pounds from my beginning weight of 250 and have never felt better. I have lost a total of 53 pounds of weight. Gone is the high blood pressure and GERD. I went from a size 40 waist to 34 waist and a size XXL shirt to Large. I wish I had done a before picture and tracked my body fat but I didn’t. It’s just as good for you all not to have to see that picture though. But what I can attest to is the body composition and size I am getting in my physique is something that I have never had before even as a teenager or early adult. I am back playing softball, back hiking and doing anything else that comes up. I truly believe that I am in the best shape of my life ever and owe it to Crossfit and Crossfit Las Vegas! I realize it was my own efforts, hard work and lifestyle eating changes that made it possible but without the tremendous coaching and encouragement of CFLV owner Joe Marsh and his staff of Vili and Mikey I’m not sure I would have been able to do this anywhere else or on my own. The encouragement and support I have received from other members had been incredible. It is really a tight knit community that helps each other. The members pushed me hard early on and gave me lots of encouragement to carry on which is something I now try to pass on to other members especially newer members in which I see a little bit of the beginner me.

Erin Babani
My journey to CrossFit began the same as most CrossFitter’s:  I had been a member of every single gym, attempted  numerous amounts of exercise classes, wasted money on countless DVD’s, and I was fed up with not seeing results or enjoying anything enough to want to continue with it.  I desperately wanted a workout that was challenging and exciting, something I would want to do every day.

I do have some unique situations I had learn to work through.  I have tilted patellas and misshapen meniscus in both knees (if I so much as step the wrong way my knees will give out), I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease, a common form of hypothyroidism forcing me to constantly battle with weight gain and fatigue, and I was a vegetarian for six years (ethical reasons).  I weighed 132 pounds at 5’1″, I was told by two doctors I would never be able to run again, and I felt very unhealthy physically and emotionally.

My sister told me about a girlfriend of hers who had been a part of CrossFit for a couple of years.  I researched it a little and decided to pay a visit to CrossFit Las Vegas in March of 2010.  When I walked in, I just about turned around and walked out but Joe caught me before I could escape.  It was quite intimidating seeing these people throwing around barbells loaded with ridiculously large amounts of weight.  Joe made me stay for the workout and count a member’s reps.  After the workout was over, several members approached me to talk about CrossFit and encourage me to join Elements.  I was impressed with the range of types of people, the passion they had for this gym, and the sincere welcome they provided me.  I was sold and signed up for Elements that day.

After about two months of getting over the unfamiliarity and discomfort of CrossFit, I fell in love.  Rather than being a workout routine it became a lifestyle.  Six months in, I decided I wanted even greater results and (very reluctantly) went Paleo.  My results increased exponentially after changing my CrossFit goals as well as my diet.  In the beginning I had to substitute rowing for all running and now I was able to perform short distance sprints, I dropped to 117 pounds, and I was getting high quality sleep allowing for more energy throughout the day.  This was all the making for a much happier gal.

It is now November 2011, almost two years of being a part of the CrossFit Las Vegas family.  I am 129 pounds and confident with my muscular physique, I can perform all runs in a WOD rarely experiencing any knee issues, and most importantly, I feel healthy.  I am performing movements and lifting weight I never thought I could do in my life.  I am able to do dead hang pull-ups, Rx’d hand-stand push-ups, deadlift double my body weight, and the list goes on.  I feel a part of what I believe to be the most amazing community of people and have developed many great friendships.

I believe CrossFit is about having the desire to constantly learn, to push yourself to the best of your ability during every single WOD, to show camaraderie, and never give up.  CrossFit has changed my life.  I love it and cannot see myself doing anything else.

Kim Owen
I am prompted to write this letter about my experience at CrossFit Las Vegas because, in my entire lifetime, I have never had such a motivating, challenging and enlightening experience that I had while at CrossFit Las Vegas. CrossFit takes fitness to a whole new level, incorporating mind, body and soul.  It is not just a workout, but a way of life.

My background includes a lifetime of fitness ranging from running track in high school, competing in triathlons while living inFlorida, and an extensive career rock climbing and mountaineering in the western US as well asAlaska.  Running, strength training and yoga are favorites as well. Fitness has always been a way of life for me.

After the birth of my child in 2006, I was no longer able to log the hours required for training for multi-day, multi-pitch backcountry climbs. I was a member of a globo-gym and diligently attended my private training sessions for a year and a half, with very little results to be seen. A climbing friend of mine inColoradotold me about CrossFit. I Googled it, and came to meet Joe Marsh, the owner of CrossFit Las Vegas.

Amazing, is the best word to describe Crossfit Las Vegas. The coaches at CFLV are educated, fit and motivated.  They know how to craft a workout that will tear you down and then bring you back up, stronger than ever. It is never boring or repetitive, it is always surprising- and I am always surprised at how well I perform when I listen to their advice. I noticed gains right away, my strength returned and my confidence soared. My fellow CrossFitters were not just people sweating next to me in the gym, they became my workout partners, my motivators and my friends. The CrossFit community is very connected- a true community- and that connectivity makes all the athletes stronger and more motivated. The coaches were not just instructors, they were leaders, athletes, and friends, living the CrossFit/paleo lifestyle and passing their knowledge on.

I have since moved out of the Vegas area, and not a day goes by that I don’t long for a proper CrossFit ass whooping. Whenever I stop back into the gym, I am greeted by my fellow Crossfitters, and we pick up where we left off without missing a beat. I limp out of the gym, sore and tired but stronger than when I arrived.

If you haven’t tried CrossFit yet, do it! It is truly a life changing fitness experience!