1 Year ago today I started my journey with CrossFit Auckland and began my induction with Antoinette. Happy Anniversary Bokke! On my birthday Bokke made me do 10 Burpee’s as she felt sorry for me (She didn’t think I would be a long term member). I nearly wasn’t as I had reservations and felt very inadequate physically but Alex gave me a follow up call and told me what I could expect to achieve given time. He was right on all accounts and I have got down to my goal weight. This year I want to eliminate my goats (Exercises I cannot do or perform correctly) and increase my body strength to at least feel comfortable participating in a CrossFit Comp Masters section. Thanks to everyone at CFAK for a great experience and good luck for the remainder of the CrossFit Open events I know you will all do well to the best of your ability.

Thanks Alex and Lisa for being such a great CrossFit Affiliate to train at! Really enjoyed the Gymnastics WOD this morning.

I’m really proud to say that I’m a member at CrossFit Auckland; from our top-notch coaches and amazingly supportive members we create a great community within ourselves. They are all like my family.

When I first started CrossFit I thought I was reasonably fit, until I attempted my first xler8 class, I ended up last and cried during the workout (people thought it was sweat). But one thing that kept me coming back time after time was the enormous amount of support and encouragement I got from everyone else at the club, they knew how I felt and they all had gone through the same thing.

You see, at CrossFit Auckland there is no such thing as coming last in a workout, with a few words from the coaches and other members you end up feeling like you came first. We all have personal goals and work at our own level; and in the end we come out being the most badass versions of ourselves.

I wouldn’t give up the close bonds that I’ve created with the members or the excellent coaching received by Alex and Lisa (TRUST ME, they know what they are talking about) for any other club because with their help and support I was able to surpass my goals for 2012, I love my club, bring on 2013! =D

Tila

Hey Coach

I wanted to write a little rant about my background and the time I have spent here at CrossFit Auckland. I grew up playing a lot of sports, my main sport being Basketball of which I represented Rep teams such as North Harbour and Junior NZ development squads. Unfortunately I had the passion torn away from me when I was young and found myself quite lost throughout my teens. I developed an eating disorder, Bulimia & starving myself from the age of 14 and this stayed with me through to my adult years until the age of 24. After finding CrossFit and training at CrossFit Auckland I have finally rid the habit that had held me back for so many years and have a new found confidence in myself. Being the competitive person I am, there is no way I would sacrifice my strength or “Wod times” at the thought of trying to be a “skinny prototype” anymore. After Alex convinced me to join in the “competitor training crew” I really started to see that I could do well at this if I applied myself. Within 3 months I went from being a scaled athlete to an RX competitor and competed in team competitions at CrossFit Infinite and Mount CrossFit placing 2^nd in both. However, I also found the passion and belief to back myself as an RX individual athlete at the CrossFit Auckland games in which I placed 5^th overall.

Although I am honoured to be representing CFAK on a regular basis, I want to express how much the CFAK box alone means to me. I was not only hooked to the training methods and programming but equally to the CFAK family I inherited. People wonder how I can spend so much time at a “gym”, well this isn’t a gym to me, once I walk through those doors all my worries are gone, I am not judged and I no longer have to hide the person I am! My CFAK family is what saved me so why the hell wouldn’t I be here with every spare minute I have!!

Blossom

Hi Lisa and Alex

Just a quick line to wish you both a great Christmas and New Year and to say thanks for getting me in to some sort of shape over these last 18 months – squats excluded!!!!  I’ve lost around 15kgs since joining CrossFit Auckland and running 10 kms these days is like a stroll in the park – I’ve never been this fit in all my 54 years!!!  I look forward to resuming training again mid-January.

All the best to you and the team.

Peter

In the relatively short time I’ve been going to QuickFit classes I can tell that I have already become fitter and stronger.  Perhaps even more importantly though I’ve overcome some of the mental barriers I had in place and am doing things I never considered I’d be able to do.

The induction was a great way to meet other new members, and really important in helping to understand the CrossFit methodology and bed in the basic techniques behind the stuff we do.  I remember Antoinette telling us that this CrossFit thing was addictive.  At the time I was doubtful – but now I know she was right, it surely is!

Lisa and Alex are clearly passionate about what they do and have created a great club where everyone is encouraged and challenged to reach beyond their potential.

A comment I read that says “This is the only sport where the last person to finish gets the loudest cheer” is so true.  That’s been me a few times and the encouragement from the coaches and other members is awesome.  Even better is the satisfaction of completing that workout and knowing that, actually, you CAN do this.

Thanks guys!

To the coaches and community at Crossfit Auckland,
 thanks for everything. Thanks Lisa, Alex and Cookie for helping me with technique and pushing me every time I came in the gym. I feel fitter than I’ve ever been, both physically and mentally. 
I’m off to Europe now, wish you guys all the best and will recommend you guys as Top Coaches and a top environment to anyone looking for a positive change. Cheers Cookie for giving me shit and pushing past my limits and thanks to my quickfit class, keep it up!

Mike

I never thought that I could get so strong so quickly. When I started QuickFit I could barely do one proper push up, now in under 3 moths I am managing 15 without stopping – I couldn’t ask for better than a 150% improvement. The encouraging nature of the staff at CrossFit Auckland motivate you to go beyond what you thought you were capable of. I will never go back to a traditional gym again after trying CrossFit.

Thanks again

Kelly

Hi Lisa,I just wanted to pass on my high regards to the team at CrossFit Auckland.Antoinette was a very very good induction coach and I enjoyed each session with her which helped a lot. I had all of my quickfit sessions with Dave and again what a top bloke and he really helped push me into my workouts. Full credit to them and you guys, and a huge thank you.

I have been to classic gyms in the past but not really liking them choose to avoid them. But I do like CrossFit, and I will be signing up next winter to push me through the winter. In the meantime is out to paddle board, surf, dive and slot in some home workouts for now.

Again thanks heaps, when we work out some time with our young daughter I will get my wife to come through and see what its all about.Cheers Scott Jury – Architect

Hi Lisa and Alex,

Often think about you and hope all is going well for you at CrossFit Auckland’s new premises – which must feel like old premises by now?

I wanted you to know that I am well and I think keeping pretty fit – by following some of your advice Alex – which was that the very best exercise that you can do is squats !!

You will be pleased to hear that I am religiously doing 20 squats and 20 press ups every morning.  It seems to work and that along with mostly paleo eating (not so good at this time of year) seems to keep me in reasonable shape.  I am still working full time – much of it in an office – but I have just had a few good physical sessions in my garden (moved 3 cubic meters of bark today) and in my parents’ garden recently – and the body is holding up well. Go the squats and push ups!! My ‘old self’ would have been stiff and sore – especially in my back. So thank you for the great tuition and encouragement.

Hope that the 2 of you have a very happy Christmas and a good holiday break.

Love to you both

Sonia Joyce

I really want to truly thank you both for what I have got out of CrossFit Auckland over the last 18 months or so that I have been coming frequently and this is in no small part due to the efforts of you both. You are both very supportive and encouraging and always have something to say that will help and improve me and after this it is really up to me. I also just love the high standards that you both have and it really has promoted excellence within each of the people that attend and CFAK overall – superb!

Coach – thank you and CrossFit Auckland bro, my Metcon for today was – Mow the lawns – these are f###ing epic lawns bro, used to take me half a day, 60 litres of sweat and I’d be puffin like a steam train, in the end I bought a ride on man, today I thought – F### it, lets see how it goes again with the hand mower, and the lawns were long man cos of all the rain, been too hard to mow with the ride on – got it done in 1 hour, 28 min, and could have done the F###er again, sure there was sweat, but breathing wasn’t anywhere as near as bad as it gets in a nasty WOD and lookin forward to Krav tonight, the f###ers better bring their A game.

Have cut out all bread, pasta and grains etc, eatin heaps of veg and lean meats chicken etc for the last 2 weeks, usin olive oil, and Advos etc – not quite Paleo, but I’m gettin there man, once again mate, so f###ing glad I found CrossFit Auckland man – big hug bro

Hi Lisa and Alex, I was going through some old boxes this morning and I spotted this old X-ray taken 6 months after major surgery to repair a ruptured patella ligiment. The injury was left untreated for 10 days as it was mis-diagnosed as a hairline fracture after a motorbike accident.

When this happened I was told there was doubt I would ever regian full use of my knee again. That was 24 years ago, I have done alot in that time, looking to get the most out of everything I do, but always feeling limited by the belief that my knee was weak. It was a convenient excuse. Since starting at CrossFit Auckland I have learned that I my knee is strong, it just needed to be used in the right way, trained and given a chance to grow strong. I suppose this is what functional movement is all about.

Looking back I realise that every squat, wall ball, run, jerk, clean, thruster, box jump, row, lunge, deadlift, even burpee is a privilege; one that I have earned. I’m turning 45 this year and have never felt fitter, stronger, more whole and capable than I do now – ever. CrossFit Auckland has been pivotal in my reaching this point.

Thank you for creating an environment where people can grow, challenge and push themselves beyond what they believe is possible.

It’s about more than just lifting heavy s–t! Thanks!

I compete in the sport of Outrigger Canoe Racing. For those of you who do not know much about it, it is a type of canoe with a lateral support float known as an outrigger which is fastened to one side of the main hull. The most common types of outrigger canoes you will see in New Zealand are 6 man, 2 man and 1 man canoes. I use a paddle, singled sided for several strokes then change to the other side.

I have successfully competed internationally representing New Zealand in both sprint racing (500m and 1500m) and distance racing (10km – 70km), receiving podium finishes at world Sprint level and notable distance races.

For the last several years I have competed in a race in Hawaii called “Nga Wahine O Ke Kai” (they call it the un-official world long distance championships): it’s an exhilarating 69km surfing ocean race from the Island of Molokai to O’ahu across the Kaiwi Channel. 10 athletes make up a team, of which 6 are paddling at any given time. The other 4 athletes are in a support boat preparing to switch into the canoe.

Every 15minutes or so the support boat goes ahead of the canoe and drops off the replacement paddlers in the ocean, substituting paddlers in the canoe, switching paddlers in and out of the canoe happens simultaneously: you only have 1 chance getting in the canoe so it’s critical no mistakes are made. If you were to think of this race in terms of ‘CrossFit’; then it’s like doing a 30min WOD, having 15minutes break between each one over a period of 6 hours!

My build up to the 2010 ‘Nga Wahine O Ke Kai’ campaign was quite different compared to the 2009 training schedule. Last year I was privileged to have been part of a top open Australian crew. This year they officially represented Australia so my passport and accent did not qualify me! Following the programme last year, I found my self on the water 7-10 times per week, clocking up a massive 100-120km per week, with 3 gym sessions and at least 1-2 runs per week, a very hard schedule to keep up when you work 40-50 hours per week. I have never gone into this race so conditioned as this, or so I thought, until I found CrossFit!

My 2010 training programme was almost the reversal of last years. I was at CrossFit Auckland ‘banging out’ up to 7 WOD’s per week (including strength training) and on the water up to 4-5 times per week clocking up to 60-70km. It was a gamble going into this race with such a different build up, I knew though in the back of my mind I’ve never been as fit or as strong ever in my life, so surely I should be O.K!

There were 83 canoes on the start line this year. Our team, “Hawaii, New Zealand Team RevoluSun” entered in the Masters Division (over 40′s). It was an intense race the entire way, constantly jostling for positions with other crews. We crossed the line in a time of 6hours and 4minutes, first master’s crew and 4th canoe across the line! We were a mere 1minute and 4 seconds behind the 3rd Open Team and 10min behind the winning open team. This was truly no mean feat, a notable performance.

I felt strong and focused throughout the race; alongside my team mates I believe we had a near perfect race. CrossFit most certainly was the winner on the day. I’m sold on this type of training for my sport and it most certainly now has a permanent role in my training programme as well as encouraging other athletes in outrigger canoe racing to make it a part of their training schedule too.

Thank you Alex and Lisa at CrossFit Auckland in giving me the opportunity to train at your facilities and for the numerous coaching and guidance given to me over the last year, not to mention all the club members whom I train with. Thank you again.

Hey guys, thought I would share this with you. I was looking at some photos from just before I started at CrossFit Auckland and I just about fell off my chair. I have to attribute almost all of this to you and your training methods. I remember then, my weight was about 95kg. I am now 78kg and am the fittest I have ever been. So cheers! You guys are awesome.

For most of my life, I’ve been very active with the outdoors and sports and believed myself to be a relatively fit person; that is until I met Alex and Lisa from CrossFit Auckland…

I did a month of PT with Alex and quickly discovered not only was I unfit but that general fitness had a whole new dimension and I soon found myself addicted to the personal achievement of becoming fit in an all round sense for the very first time in my life.

At 40, I am the fittest I have ever been in my life. My inspiration and motivation comes from the desire to remain a fit and active farther and husband. CrossFit Auckland is not elitist, it’s a community of people just like me training for a variety of personal reasons. Unlike conventional gyms, you seldom do the same workout which is one of the things I love about CrossFit; you can literally train for months and never do the same workout twice.

Whatever your age-group, gender or fitness level, I highly recommend CrossFit Auckland. Alex, Lisa and Michael are fantastic coaches with a great attitude towards their members. If your one of the thousands that have tried fitness programs or gyms before and for one reason or another quit, I recommend you trial CrossFit Auckland. As long as you have a little perseverance you will thrive here, it’s truly unique and very rewarding. Hope to see you soon.

Inspired by that story, that was it for me the next day I was down at CrossFit Auckland, joined up and started the 12 week woman’s programme. Having completed that and achieving fantastic results I went on and joined the “big kids” classes (WOD, workout of the day) and have been lovin it ever since.

CrossFit isn’t just for “athletes”. Anybody who puts their mind to it can do it! I’m no super fit athlete, just a Mum of 2 who wants to stay fit, strong and healthy. I like their back to basics philosophy, no fancy gym equipment, I like the fact that they believe in the body should be trained as a whole, developing functional strength, promoting lean body mass and improving health.

All their workouts are always a challenge (and I’m not joking), never boring, they are all scalable so they fit everyone’s level. Alex and Lisa are great coaches, they make you feel very welcome at the gym, it’s like a second home to most of us.

I thoroughly recommend the coaching @ CrossFit Auckland. Alex and Lisa are so passionate about what they do, so if you are looking for a change to your regular gym routine or want to start something new, give it a go, you won’t regret it.

Stronger, fitter, faster, go

Good morning Lisa and Alex

You know you are obsessed with CrossFit when you start praying for your clients to cancel so you can get to a CrossFit Auckland class.

That’s not happening cause my clients are just as passionate as I am sigh sigh:) Thanks for a awesome first experience of CrossFit Auckland Games for me. I LOVED IT!!!! So much that I am planning to up my training to 2x a week from next year so will join early January.

Lots of love and sore muscles

Just wanted to say another big thanks to you and Alex for all the good stuff I got out of the CrossFit Auckland Women’s course.

I’m now going fairly regularly to Rapid CrossFit just down the road from us and often find myself thinking, thank god for all the stuff I learned up at CrossFit Auckland! It’s been such a great base for technique and discipline; I really do believe I’d be floundering without all the skills that were drilled into us during those 12 weeks.

So thanks again

It had been a couple of years (and a few extra kilos) since I had done any real exercise and I was fairly unfit, lacking stamina and, by comparison, low in energy. Because of my level of fitness I signed up to a first (then a second) CrossFit Auckland Woman’s programme.

• The first obvious thing to me (apart from not being able to sit down easily on the toilet/chair…couch, for 2 days after a squat workout!) was the encouragement Lisa and Alex gave to the team – irrespective of ability. They take a holistic view of exercise and would constantly link it back to real life – e.g. practicing thrusters will help you get that heavy suitcase onto the top shelf of your wardrobe or carrying these weights in each hand will get you stronger for carrying shopping!
• The second most important thing was the technique. Previously I would throw the weights on a bar at a gym and go for it… at CrossFit Auckland the ‘not negotiable’ is the technique and protection from injury… we spent hours (no exaggeration) learning how to pick up a bar (or anything of heavy weight) from the floor. At a guess I would say that over half a class is spent on learning technique. Not once did I get an injury from doing what I was told! What I did get was fitter and more able to function in day to day life without ‘niggles’. Any injuries I might have had in the past have been assisted by the technique’s learned here. I understand more about how my body works.
• The third thing was nutrition – I had really become a bit of a vacuum cleaner for rubbish food – and put simply ‘bad in, bad out’ – The supporting nutritional advice got me out of bad habits and into good. Coupled with the exercise it was a winning combination.

So where am I at now?? I have had 2 weeks in the ‘big kids’ class. Following a similar format to the CrossFit Auckland Woman’s classes, there is a WOD (Workout of the Day) and while technique is still very important most people know how to do it – so the workouts are longer, more intense and just harder! Going to these classes initially scared me half to death! I really felt like the rookie…. But the people are so nice, I feel like part of the family where, what we do is personal and we do it together! While it could be competitive, competition tends to be focussed against you… pitched against myself, I am constantly improving and getting Personal Best times and weights.

If you are thinking that this might be too hard for you, or that you are not a muscle mutt… then this is probably exactly the right place for you – it will be hard! But it will be worth it. You will build muscle, but no one ever complained of a better toned body – did they?? So just do it, you will not regret it for a minute!

As a serving Police officer, I can attest that the emphasis on constantly varied and functional movements makes CrossFit ideal for keeping job-fit.

When I first turned up at CrossFit Auckland I thought I was reasonably fit. Two work-outs later and I knew that I was badly mistaken – and I was hooked.

A year later and I may never be ‘The Fittest Man Alive’, but I know that I will be crossfitting for the rest of my able-bodied life and will be much healthier and happier because of it. CrossFit Auckland will always be the place where I began the journey and Alex and Lisa have been terrific with their coaching and support.

Get along and try it. Bring a bit of heart-muscle, leave your pride at the door and the rewards will be many.

My bro is fairly fit and was on his second year of it. On advice I bought a carbon fibre high tech racing bike and headed off on my first training ride. As a pen pushing 52 year old lawyer who sits in his office all day or late into the night at meetings etc, I soon found I didn’t have the strength to grab the bike by the throat and drive it up the hills.

My daughter suggested “CrossFit” as a way to toughen up and noted Crossfit was only 5 mins from my office at Albany. I went along to my first class and was pleased to see a mixture of ages and both males and females. I was surprised and a bit nervous to find that even the older ones were throwing weights around,doing chin ups,sit ups and even those horrible burpees. I knew I couldn’t even do one chin up!.

They gave me an oversize rubberband I could put over the bar and put my foot in to help me up, and to my relief after asking around, I found most of the others had been going for 3 months or more. I signed up.

As a lawyer I am trained to pull the most excruciating faces and come up with pleas to mitigate the pain. Sadly the personal trainers at Crossfit believe in “unreasonableness” (“that’s fine, we can stay here all night until you finish”) and hence you do make progress. You also make some great friends who encourage you along and share the journey.

Seven months later, at the end of September I did my last CrossFit session before heading to Oz. At the last session I was able to do 60 chin ups (6 at a time) unaided, could press 40kg above my head, do 200 metres of a horrible exercise called lunges (comfortably), 200 sit-ups, 600 skips, 60 20kg kettlebell swings.

Even though my brother did beat me, I did the 1.9m swim, 90km ride and 21km run, in 6hrs, 29mins and 39secs. That was a nice 1secs faster than my brother’s first go at it. I can dine on that forever!!

Alex, Lisa and their team of coaches at CrossFit Auckland have helped me significantly in helping achieve my individual success and also enhanced every aspect of my performance as an athlete. I have been amazed at the strength and conditioning gains CrossFit training has made with the added benefit of becoming more efficient and maximising my time on and off the water; I’m undoubtedly stronger than what I was a year ago, and only spend half the time training in a gym that I did before.

The workouts are varied and dynamic. One day I may jump rope, lift weights (Olympic style) while the next day, run shuttle runs, do pull ups and or muscle ups. The end result is improved functional movement; a key factor in being able to transfer your power and strength to moving a canoe as efficiently and as fast as possible while competing.

CrossFit Auckland can help any athlete who wants to get fitter, faster and stronger which will enhance your performance and assist in achieving goals. I guarantee you will get huge benefits from this form of training.

I just wanted to tell you that since that session I have become a Crossfit junkie!! Absoultely love it!! I currently use the Auckland website for the WOD and perform them at my normal gym! Since I arrived back I have gone from being able to do 10 max male push ups, to now being able to do 50 non-stop, and can deadlift 15kg over my body weight!! I am absolutely thrilled!! I’ve never been as fit as I am now! And I saw results in no time!!

I just wanted to say that I have recommended Crossfit to soooo many people now and to a lot of my patients!! Its great for functional strengthening and so time efficient!! Keep up the good work and I wish you all the very best for the future!!

Cheers

At the beginning of my time at Crossfit – you promised ‘strength and endurance’. I think it was very successful!!

Thought that you might like to know that thanks to my time and effort, and your tutoring with ‘CrossFit for Women’- I managed the 3 day Humpridge Track before Xmas – no problems at all.

I was very chuffed – long days (19 kms) and steep on the first day. Beautiful walk. I then <strong>celebrated my 60th Birthday </strong>with a climb to the top of Ruapehu Saturday 9th Jan on a stunning day – amazing at the top, the views and the colour of the crater lake.

The Humpridge was interesting in that 1 of us cycled and walked for fitness, 1 of us walked and had recently done a couple of half marathons, and I had done CrossFit (no walking or marathons); I probably managed best of the 3 of us! The strength and endurance was just what was needed.

Kind regards to you both.

I just wanted to say a big thanks to you both. This has been a big week for PRs and overall progress for me at CFAK:

• Monday my CrossFit Total went from 166 to 217.5 with PRs on my Back Squat and Shoulder Press
• Saturday I was happy with my I AM CROSSFIT Checkout Beep Test and 300 results, especially when I look back to my very first check-in results:
• First ever check-in: pull-ups on Green band, push-ups with Green band, 8kg on DB and it took me 20:46 / Beep Test 5.2
• Last check-out: pull-ups on Red band, strict push-ups, 12.5kg on DB and it took me 18:00 / Beep Test 8.1
• Today was a PR on my FGB score with 225 (last best score was 212!) – thereby demonstrating that I have achieved one of my I AM CROSSFIT goals for conquering Wall Balls.

Thanks to you both for having the club and community and giving the mental and emotional support that makes this kind of week and all the empowerment and joy that comes with these achievements possible. Alex – a special thanks to you for the thought and encouragement and pushing that goes into my Thursday sessions with you as well as the shoulder rehab.

Keep it coming guys!!!
xo

Joe loves his personal coaching sessions and looks forward to the new challenges presented each week.

I believe that the one on one coaching sessions have directly led to Joe being recognized as a North Harbour U13 representative for hockey and for his appointment prior to injury to the North Harbour A cricket team.

Joe’s cricket coach has acknowledged that Joe puts 100% into his fitness training to the point where he would win the CrossFit PUKIE award! We encourage this! Last week Joe was the first in his year to finish the Round the Bays run in 46 minutes– long distance running is not something we have targeted but the lessons he has learned at CrossFit Auckland have facilitated his ability to beat not just his class mates but his teachers.

Since Joe joined CrossFit Auckland his older brother Bobby Mayes (aged 17) and I have joined the Class Workout programme. We strongly recommend CrossFit Auckland to everyone irrespective of age, fitness or location.

William has both dyslexia and dyspraxia and began the programme with poor core strength and week physical fitness. The changes have been dramatic.

Academically, William has been able to focus better in class, organize himself and his items, and achieve mostly A’s in the first term report. Physically, William traditionally finishes last in the yearly cross country competition. This year, he was able to finish the race, without stopping, with another 15 students behind him.

He does enjoy sport, but due to his dyspraxia, struggles with normal co-ordination activities. During cricket this season he scored the team’s 3rd highest run score and began regularly taking wickets. It has been remarkable the change in his ability to concentrate, focus, and co-ordinate during sports.

And to my surprise, after each session, whether it be a group CrossFit Auckland Teens session or a private coaching session, he is on a high. He loves it. I believe the change in his ability is due to CrossFit’s focus on core strength and co-ordination activities, linking the right and left brain functions. I have now begun personal coaching at CrossFit Auckland myself – it looks like too much fun.

I had been going to CrossFit Auckland for about two months when I became pregnant with my first child. After reading a couple of books and websites I decided to quit CrossFit, as they all talked about “taking things easy” and not doing anything strenuous – which definitely ruled out CrossFit!

I spoke to Lisa, who gave me some really good advice that I could continue CrossFit at my current capacity providing I had doctors clearance and was in good health. But I would need to ensure I didn’t overdo it, taking small breaks and listening to my body. So I decided to keep going and see what happened.

What happened was a further three and a half months of excellent exercise. The coaches were really fantastic. They all kept a close eye on me, ensuring I didn’t overheat, run out of breath or push myself too hard (something that was hard to do after punishing myself previously at CrossFit). I could do all the same exercises and workouts, but just had to take a little longer, and reduce the weights or reps on occasion. As I neared the end of my second trimester and the bump started to get in the way, the coaches always had plenty of ideas to alter the WODs to ensure I still got a great workout, while keeping me and the baby safe.

I finished at CrossFit Auckland about halfway through my pregnancy. I am really grateful that Lisa convinced me to keep going. I got to keep up a good level of fitness, and it helped me keep my weight gain well within the recommended guidelines. Because the movements done at CrossFit mimic everyday movements I believe continuing CrossFit helped my body adjust and cope with the physical changes of pregnancy.

And working out at CrossFit Auckland ensured that I was receiving professional guidance and supervision the whole time. Thanks heaps to Lisa, Alex and the team – without your guidance I would have chucked it all in immediately and missed out on all the health and fitness benefits I got through the early stages of my pregnancy.

I’ve included CrossFit into my weekly training for over 3 months now and I am blown away with the results I’ve achieved in such a short period of time. Being exposed to such a variety of physical skills has excelled my fitness to a new level which I haven’t reached before! CrossFit is always challenging, but at the same time fun! It’s a great environment to train and push your self in, with great support from both coaches and other athletes. I’ve now set a goal to compete at the 2011 CrossFit Games.

CrossFit Auckland has changed the way I look at fitness!

I haven’t been this fit in fifteen years and it feels good! I find myself empowered to step out in other areas of my life. Thank you CrossFit Auckland!!

Yet never have I felt so exhilarated, so inspired, so rewarded. In the 6 weeks that I’ve been doing it, I’m fitter, stronger and slimmer than I’ve been in years!! I’m a CrossFit Addict!!

Wow, what an amazing last 8 months. My first day at CrossFit Auckland was definitely one to remember; sweat, tears, a realization of how unfit I was, couldn’t even do a single pull-up!!

Its amazing to think how far I’ve come in such a small amount of time.

And now not only have I smashed all my goals out of the park, I’m off to represent New Zealand at the Australasian Regional CrossFit Games in Sydney.

Oh and now I can do free Pull ups and Deadlift 125kg! Not only has CrossFit Auckland made me fitter, stronger and healthier, but it has truly changed my outlook on life…

I plan to become a member after this CFAK Women and will keep enjoying it alongside my beautiful husband whom has really taken to CrossFit Auckland and speaks about it religiously to family and friends!!!

Thank you to Alex and Lisa (and the CrossFit Team) there has been a great healthy change in my family.

Look forward to next workout class!!
Regards

CrossFit doesn’t discriminate against weight, age or gender it’s the best fitness environment for everyone. CrossFit makes you reach and break through fitness boundaries that you thought you could never do – when I started CrossFit I thought I knew where my breaking point was, I was wrong!

It doesn’t just train your body it helps you change your mindset of how far you can push yourself – with this type of training your limits are pushed to the extreme every workout.

After training at CrossFit Auckland for about 5 weeks, I noticed a huge change in my speed, strength, muscular endurance and body shape. Probably the biggest change I noticed was the change in my attitude.

With having a 24/7 smile on my face and truckloads of energy, I can safely say CrossFit has changed my life for the better in more ways than one. I recommend CrossFit to anyone that has ever dreamed of being more than ordinary.

If your dreams don’t scare the crap out of you, then they are just not high enough.

However this is the perfect cross training for me. I thought I was moderately fit and strong but Alex has well and truly put me in my place (he has put the fear of Fran in me!).

Thank you for this wonderful journey that will not finish at the end of the 12 weeks. I’m here for good!

Again, thanks guys!

I found the first week very scary but with the endless patience and boundless enthusiasm of Alex I am now doing things I wouldn’t have thought possible!!

The workouts are always a challenge, never boring and knock every other gym into a cocked hat.

I can’t wait to see what shape I will be in after the 12 weeks are up. Alex and Lisa, your enthusiasm is contagious and you are to be congratulated on running an excellent programme. Thank you.

I want other people like me to know that I am no super fit athlete, just an ordinary middle aged mum – CrossFit does work for everyone no matter your age or stage in life.

Weight loss was one of my goals to begin with – I used to be quite obsessive about the scales and would get really frustrated if I didn’t see my weight going down but now I don’t care what I weigh I just want to look and feel good, improve my fitness and increase my strength.

I love CrossFit – it is the only fitness programme I have done where I have seen such great results in such a short space of time and is also enjoyable and makes you feel so good. It’s changed the whole way I look at diet and exercise and I would recommend it to anyone.

I have more energy than I have ever experienced .

I am fitter, faster, leaner and stronger than I have ever been before.

I am consistently learning new tips every time I train with Alex.”

It was a leap of faith to sign on and after the first week I wondered what on earth I had got myself into!

But I kept on turning up and you kept pushing me and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made for a long time. I had almost given up on my ability to get fit again and to lose any weight and now look at me!!

I have to say that your enthusiasm for what you do is contagious and you have that skill of pushing people just far enough. I owe you a heap of thanks.

Roll on the big boys class!! Thanks again.