Helping you thrive into your 90’s and beyond
Trevor joined CrossFit Undeniable back in early July. He’s been amazingly consistent since Day 1, typically at the 7AM class.
We wanted to learn more about his story including how he found CrossFit Undeniable and his background. Find out Trevor’s past and future career (helicopters are involved) and what motivates him to workout.
Continue ReadingIf you head into the 4:30PM class tonight, you’ll see a familiar face leading the class. One of our long-time members, Zane, is stepping into the coaching role after obtaining his Level I certification and spending a few months shadowing and learning.
We’re excited to have him onboard! We wanted to share a bit more of his story. It’s hard to believe he’s been at CrossFit Undeniable for 7 years!
How did you find CrossFit and CrossFit Undeniable? What has kept you around the community for so long?
I found CrossFit when Zach and Karly came and taught a few group sessions at my church. Since all of the sessions were done at my church, we didn’t have any equipment so all of our workouts were body weight stuff like squats and push ups with a few PVC pipe movements sprinkled in.
I loved working out with a large group and realized I had a lot to learn about different movements so I joined CFU shortly after and have been here ever since.
One reason I have stayed with CFU for so long (7 years!) is also the one thing that stood out to me over the years: the amazing people I get to work out with. Over the years, I have participated in a whole bunch of group workouts and community events at CFU, and every time, it reinforces how great our community is, with the fellow athletes that I get to work with as well as the awesome coaches that drive me to improve.
What motivated you to become a coach? What do you enjoy most about coaching?
I decided to coach after informally coaching some of my roommates with the experience I had gained through CrossFit. I thought it was really fun to help them improve and wanted to do more!
What are you up to outside of the gym (hobbies, etc)?
Outside of the gym, I am a graduate student at CU Boulder and likely will be for a while longer, but I love camping and hiking in my free time.
Today, we’re excited to welcome a new coach to CrossFit Undeniable! Many of you have probably already met Ryan as he’s been dropping into classes over the past several weeks with his wife, Lizzy. We’re excited to have him on the coaching schedule starting today!
With that in mind, we wanted to share a bit more about how he got into coaching in the first place.
How did you find CrossFit?
I found CrossFit in 2014 after I finished my collegiate tennis career. One of my childhood friends encouraged me to try a class out, and I immediately fell in love with the community. The atmosphere was so different from the commercial gyms I had always gone to.
What was your first CrossFit workout?
My first workout was Filthy 50. I remember I couldn’t move for a few days afterward… it was great!
How did you find CrossFit Undeniable?
My wife and I were looking for a gym that felt like home. We moved here from Mississippi, where we were part of a gym for five years. Our top priority was finding a truly supportive community, and we found that with CrossFit Undeniable. Everyone here has been so quick to welcome us and make us feel at home.
What motivated you to become a coach? What do you enjoy most about coaching?
I knew I wanted to become a coach early on in my CrossFit journey. CrossFit helped me battle my own insecurities, and I wanted to help other people fight those battles as well.
My favorite part about coaching is watching an athlete conquer something that they’ve struggled with, whether it’s a specific movement, personal goal, or inner battle. There’s nothing better than that!
What are you up to outside of the gym (hobbies, etc)?
When I’m not at the gym I’m either out hiking with my wife, or trying out a new brewery somewhere.
And just to illustrate he can throw some weight around, here’s a 200 lb snatch. Looking solid!
With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down CrossFit Undeniable for close to three months, all of our athletes were forced to adapt to new challenges and circumstances. They had limited equipment on-hand and tons of new distractions standing in their way.
Throughout it all, we were blown away by the dedication we saw from our community. Facing new challenges, they absolutely rose to the occasion. We wanted to share some stories from our athletes on how they thrived during the shutdown and lessons they learned moving forward.
I’ve worked way too hard this last year to backtrack during these couple of months!
That’s the mindset Sarah took into the quarantine period. She’s been a part of the CrossFit Undeniable community for over a year, and she’s made progress in so many areas. She didn’t want to start over from square one again!
As an EMT, photographer, and full-time student studying nursing, she also has a lot on her plate. Here’s how Sarah stayed motivated during the pandemic even involving her family, nailing her first handstand push-up, and PRing two lifts!
Continue ReadingPhysical health is a common reason many new members seek out CrossFit Undeniable. That isn’t the only reason though. In Stephen’s case, he found CrossFit Undeniable as a way to control his mental health as well:
I originally decided to come back to Crossfit after a 4 year hiatus to help control and maintain mental health as well as the overall well being of my physical body.
He’s an Executive Chef in Colorado, and physical activity helps to combat stress he encounters in his day-to-day work.
Continue ReadingWhen athletes look back after a few months of working out at CrossFit Undeniable, it’s hard to deny the physical changes. They’re stronger, leaner, and faster.
For Chris, those physical changes are actually just a by-product of what brought him to CrossFit Undeniable in the first place. He came to CrossFit largely because he recognized the benefits physical activity could have on him emotionally:
I knew, at least for me, physical exercise was necessary for emotional growth. I could spend all day everyday alone and thinking of things that would never come into existence. I love books and learning which are great but could also mean that I spend an enormous amount of my time and energy in my head, disengaged and not present to the world around me.
CrossFit represented a way to get out of his head for an hour and put in some sweat equity. The workouts were already prescribed. All he had to do was show up and follow what the coach told him.
Well, if he was looking for a way to get out of his head, he sure got one during his first workout:
Looking back, I wonder if Kyle [the coach] makes up for his stature [he’s on the shorter side] by thinking up grueling and punishing workouts for newcomers because that night as a first timer we did something like (implied hyperbole because I don’t actually remember) five rounds of 20 wall balls and 200 meter runs. All I really know is that I vomited, a lot.
Here’s where many folks would walk away and never come back. Chris? This left him feeling excited:
I went home that night a little wobbly, but definitely excited to come back.
And come back he has. He’s made so many improvements since he first started at CrossFit Undeniable, crushing difficult workouts including Operation Red Wing.
I remember the elation I felt after finishing Operation Red Wing, which was above and beyond the hardest workout I’ve ever attempted. My time wasn’t impressive by any means, but just finishing a workout felt like that was an accomplishment that precipitated a few emotions.
Oh, and remember his goal coming in? To use physical activity as a way to get out of his head and feel more “in-sync” emotionally? Certainly achieved.
For me, I feel more aligned or consistent inside and out. Of course, there are physical changes, but I didn’t join the gym to get into shape. I joined the gym to stop thinking about the how to’s of life and to actually do something. I’m more engaged with kids. I’m more present with my wife. I’m more social with others. I’m calmer in most moments. I’m peaceful about the future. It’s only when I stop working out that I find my life a little more chaotic.
Sounds like a win to me!
Kudos Chris for all of the improvements you’ve made since joining CrossFit Undeniable. Thanks for being such an amazing part of our community! I know your calmness has rubbed off on more than a few folks!
A few months ago, we kicked off a six-week nutrition challenge. We’ve run challenges before with members seeing tremendous results. Typically, we have some general guidelines challengers try to follow and provide tips on improving quality of food, overcoming mental hurdles, and modifying portion sizes.
Our latest challenge was a bit different. We took an individualized approach this time around so participants could see the benefit of working one-on-one with a coach and getting tailored nutrition guidance.
Amanda participated in this latest challenge, and her results blew us away.
Here’s Amanda:
I have struggled with my weight my whole life, but with this challenge, my goal wasn’t necessarily to lose weight (although it’s a bonus). My goal was to have more stamina during my workouts and have more energy throughout the day. Personally, I, of course, wanted to look better and have more confidence in myself.
She isn’t a stranger to the impact of an unhealthy lifestyle. As a full-time emergency room nurse, she sees the impact on a daily basis.
I see the effects of what an unhealthy lifestyle can and will lead to. I used that as my motivation when I took on this challenge.
Our nutrition coaching program focuses on the individual and building out a unique program depending on goals, current challenges, past history, and more. With Amanda, she faced many of the same challenges we all face including a busy schedule (she works 12 hour days). However, the accountability of her coach made a big difference.
At first, getting used to how to balance out my daily macros was difficult for me to get the hang of, especially on the days I worked 12 hours. Marissa was great in teaching me tricks and tips to hit my numbers on those days that I struggled…Knowing I had to check in with Marissa each week encouraged me to stick with it!
And stick with it she did! Amanda did a great job of sticking with the plan throughout the entire six-week challenge, and she saw tremendous gains as a result.
Remember, her goal wasn’t necessarily just to lose weight.
In just a few weeks, I really noticed a difference in the way my workouts felt, my energy levels were up, and I was sleeping better (something I struggled with).
But, she saw a tremendous change in her body composition as well!
By the end of the six-week challenge, I was down a 5 pounds and almost 4 inches, but the most exciting part is that I was seeing more definition in my body composition.
Best of all, she’s sticking with it even after the challenge:
I saw such great changes in such a short period of time, I decided to continue my journey with Marissa and am continuing on with the nutrition coaching at CrossFit Undeniable.
Nice work, Amanda! Looking forward to seeing what you accomplish next.
We love celebrating amazing transformations at CrossFit Undeniable. Ultimately, our goal is to provide people with the tools necessary to transform their life through fitness and nutrition. We create the environment; they put in the hard work.
Melissa is a stellar example of someone that has put in the hard work and reaped the rewards as a result.
In Melissa’s words, after a wedding and holiday season, she was ready to make a change:
After an amazing wedding in September, honeymoon, and food rich holiday season, I told Josh [her husband] I wanted to get serious about my health. So my Christmas present was 10 personal training sessions with Zach at CrossFit Undeniable and a pretty awesome gym setup in our basement.
Melissa’s husband, Josh, has been a member of CrossFit Undeniable for several years. Heck, he’s lost over 125 pounds himself. Now, it was Melissa’s turn to make a transformation.
With busy schedules, they decked out their garage gym so they had no excuse to miss a workout.
Then, Melissa started personal training with Zach once per week. She wanted to get fit and transform her body, but she also had another goal:
My only goal besides to get more physically fit, was to do a real push up (never have done one in my life).
Fast-forward 10 sessions later:
In addition to being able to do a push-up from her toes, she made quite the physical transformation:
I have lost 17.6 pounds (down to my lowest weight since high school), 2 pant sizes and can do a REAL push up!
She also credits the training with helping her develop a new self-confidence.
Amazing work, Melissa! We’re so pumped for your results. Your hard work has certainly paid off. Time to set some new goals!
Getting an oil change isn’t exactly what you would consider a life-changing type of experience, but for Brandon, it’s kinda close to it. While getting his oil changed, he happened to see the sign for CrossFit Undeniable and walk on in.
That was two years ago. Since then, he’s made a complete 180°.
He’s shown up consistently, and the hard work is paying off. His body has transformed, and he’s stronger now than ever. In fact, when asked what one piece of advice he’d give to someone new?
You’ll get stronger than you can ever imagine
Listen to Brandon’s full story including what he learned from winning a recent nutrition challenge. Speaking of nutrition actually, I loved this quote:
I feel so much better eating the way I do I couldn’t imagine going back to how I was eating before.
