As my college lacrosse career came to an end I knew I needed to find a way to stay in shape and keep exercising regularly. I began running a lot, even completing a half marathon, but I started noticing that I was slowly losing any muscle that I had gained while in school. I started going to the gym to lift but found myself sticking to the treadmill/ elliptical out of intimidation. When I finally built up the courage to start lifting again, I loved it! I lifted and went to the gym consistently, 5 days a week, for about a year. As the year passed I noticed subtle changes in my strength and body composition. I was putting in so much time and effort but barely seeing any results. I knew I needed to make a change if I wanted to become any stronger, which is why I decided to join CFGB!
In the 2 months since I joined CrossFit I have noticed more results than I have in the past year of working out on my own. I feel healthier overall and have more energy throughout the day. I always look forward to class no matter how tough the workout sounds. Thanks to the wonderful staff and members, CFGB has really helped me to feel like a member of a team again.
Picture Credit: @danieljacobmartinez
- Sarah
I was going to my previous gym off and on - max 3 days a week but more like 2. I had been doing the same classes over and over and nothing ever changed and I was extremely bored with the routine.
Just in the 2 1/2 months I have graduated from the on ramp I can tell a huge difference in my fitness! I have thinned out in a lot of areas and can see much more muscle definition that I ever have before. I'm much stronger now than I've been in the past 15 years. It's very challenging but its so rewarding b/c it doesn't take much time before you see the results as long as you put the work in. I love working out here!!!
- Becca
So happy to have found CrossFit Glen Burnie. It provides me with the structure and encouragement that I needed to get into a routine for a healthier lifestyle. Most importantly, I LOVE that it's a very family friendly environment where I can bring my kids along and share it with the entire family. Highly recommended!
- Bruna
Before I joined CFGB, I focused mainly on running and some other endurance cardio like the elliptical for exercise. While those activities do offer a good workout, I found myself getting overuse injuries from the repetitive motion, and even though I had endurance for days I was lacking in the strength department. Since working out at CFGB, I can already feel that I'm getting stronger, using muscles I never have before and gaining skills I've never had (like climbing a rope for the first time!) I feel comprehensively more fit and healthy and the support from trainers and other members makes all the difference!
- Jessica
Before I came to Cross Fit Glen Burnie, I ran to stay in shape. I love running, but it meant that I was limiting myself to cardio endurance. In the three months since I've been here, I've realized how much I was neglecting key parts of my health including strength and flexibility. In that small amount of time I feel so much more fit all around. And that's thanks not only to great coaching staff but a really welcoming community of athletes that make you feel supported. I can't recommend it highly enough.
- Mark
My fitness journey started in 2012, when I was diagnosed with a compromised heart and failing kidneys. I reached out to a co-worker and began to workout and run/walk. Due to the limited mobility in both legs, it was very tough at first. I was able to lose 70lbs., however, last year I was diagnosed with cervical cancer (early stage) which required surgery. The downtime hurt my progress and left me weak. I was attending Crossfit at a different location, so I knew the benefits of CrossFit and that I would gradually build up muscles that were lying dormant.
Since joining CFGB, I've found a CrossFit home where I'm not judged by the coaching staff when I explain I can't do box jumps, instead they provide scale-down options and encourage me as I work my way through a WOD or a series of movements. I feel accomplished and actually enjoy being a part of the group. I would highly recommend CFGB to anyone like me, who has physical limitations, but in the end, found friends who were willing to help me create a "new & improved" me.
- Pat
Before I started working out at CrossFit Glen Burnie I was lifting weights at my unit facility on Ft Meade. After a few months of working out on my own, I began to miss the camaraderie, fellowship, and accountability of working out with a group. I found all of that and more at CrossFit Glen Burnie. Over the past year I have seen my strength increase and my functional movement technique improve as well the soreness I used to feel has either gone away or significantly reduced as a result of the programming and improved fitness I have received at CFGB. I love this gym and the people that work and play here. I will miss it when I move to Tampa in a few months.
- Steve
Before starting at CrossFit Glen Burnie, I was a couch potato. I had absolutely no motivation to exercise. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with having 2 dislocated discs in my lower back. I was in constant pain and I saw a Chiropractor regularly to help manage my back pain. I had also gained about 30 pounds in about 7 years. This weight gain didn’t help ease my lower back pain. During a recent physical exam, it showed that I had high blood pressure which resulted in migraines and constant nose bleeds. I knew that I needed to change my lack of fitness. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life out of shape and having physical problems.
This year is the year that I was turning 40 years old and I just didn’t want to be out of shape anymore. I want to be fit so that I can be healthy for my wife and young children. I’ve thought about joining the gym to get more exercise and I had heard of CrossFit but didn’t think it was right for me. I didn’t think that I could do any of the exercises since I was so out of shape. I’m glad that I finally took the plunge to getting my body well. That’s when I joined with CrossFit Glen Burnie.
I have been with CrossFit Glen Burnie for about 4 months now. The first couple of months were pretty intimidating. I didn’t really know any of the exercises and I didn’t know the people. Exercising with the other members really motivate me to do the best that I can while exercising. They really encourage me during the workouts. This is good since the workouts are tough! The trainers really focus on getting my form correct so that I am doing the exercises properly. They’re always encouraging me to push myself a little more each time I go workout and I feel really good about the progress I’ve made during my short time there. Not only do I feel stronger but my blood pressure has normalized and I haven’t had the migraines in a while. My back pain is almost non-existent and my Chiropractor has told me to keep up with my exercises. This is something I definitely plan on doing with CrossFit Glen Burnie.
- Chris
I was a member of another crossfit facility from 2012 through 6/2014 but had to leave as I had to attend training for my employment out of the area. I did not stop working out but the training had its own physical fitness regimen. I did supplement those activities with weight lifting and running. My training ended at the end of November 2014 at which time my fitness again consisted of weight training and running. I continued said activities until 03/2015 when I dislocated my shoulder (while running) and then began rehab in 05/2015 with light lifting and running. I felt good enough to go back to crossfit in 07/2015 at which time I became a member of Crossfit Glen Burnie.
Since returning to crossfit in 07/2015 my strength has started to return to pre-injury levels. I still need to make more time for additional running sessions. Right now I run about 2 times a week and would like to run 4 times a week, with a total desired mileage about 15 miles a week. When I first started in a crossfit gym I was mainly a long distance runner and really did not supplement my routine with stretching or cross training. I quickly realized that I could not continue with the number of miles I was running a week (approximately 50 miles a week) and also engage in crossfit activities. I cut back on my running and within a year gained about 15-20 pounds of muscle. Even with significantly reduced mileage I have maintained a good base of running fitness and my short distance times have not suffered too much. Additionally I do not suffer a lot of the pains and runners’ injuries I experienced when running higher mileage. I have ceased competitive racing, mainly because I don’t have the itch anymore. I am able instead to engage in my competitive nature nearly everyday at the gym.
- Ricky
My name is Josh, and I joined CrossFit, because of my neighbor, friend, and CrossFit Trainer Mike. Ok, well not completely because of Mike, mostly because I needed to come do it and get this 45lbs plate out of my gut, but Mike got me out there and now he’s leaving for Afghanistan (funny how that works). I officially started CrossFit on 27 April 2015 after attending two Saturday classes as a guest with Mike. For starters, this has been a wake up call. I was 206lbs when I came out of Basic Training 14 years ago. Although I’ll never see that again, I never really realized how far I had let my overall fitness fall off. Now I’m doing the basics, and focusing on the basics, no pride involved, just fighting to be better, stronger, faster, and healthier. Although this challenge comes with its own hurdles there is this great trainer named Bob who pushes me every day, stays patient, and forces me to deliver. The rest is up to me, NO QUIT!
- Josh
I started doing Crossfit at CFGB in March of 2015. Before I started, I was mainly doing your typical powerlifting/bodybuilding movements. I squatted ALOT and mixed in other various movements like deadlift, bench press, and isolation exercises. I started stagnating after two years of doing the same thing over and over, and decided that Crossfit was going to be my new adventure. It has been exactly that. Every day brings a new challenging movement for me to work on. Crossfit has really exposed my weaknesses and has made me an overall better athlete in just the few months I have been coming. I’m currently down 10 pounds and my energy levels are noticeably higher. The best part of these increased levels of energy, is that it has increased my overall motivation in life. I am a more active in everything I do now, and I’m always looking to push myself further. My success so far is a true credit to the staff and community at CFGB. I highly recommend that anyone looking to better themselves come and check out our community. You will not be disappointed.
- Amrik
I’ll start by saying that I am a skeptical, less than athletic 40 something Army officer. As a requirement for my job, there is an inherent need to stay in shape and attend physical training events. I have been doing this for almost 10 years now and I am simply horrible at the physical aspects of my job. Nothing, up to this point, has worked even though I have been in some very good units. So, late last year, my wife and I decided we would give this Cross Fit thing a try because we had been coming to the gym throughout the summer to pick up fresh vegetables from a local farm that delivered there.With my high level of skepticism I thought we were just going to be told some things that would interest us enough to fork over the bucks to get started and then it would be up to us from that point on. At least that is how most gyms work these days. That was not the experience we have had. They start you off with this thing they call on ramp. It helps you to understand exactly what it is you have committed yourself to. The movements that repeat themselves are not easy to master and it takes a ton of time to practice them in order to be good. So, you learn the movements and get your feet wet completing workouts at the beginner level.
When I finally finished the on ramp course, I was pretty nervous about joining a real group. I had seen some of the regular class participants work out and I knew that I wasn’t anywhere near their level. Was this going to be another disappointing macho man experience where you have to prove how burly you can be (and probably hurt yourself in the process)? So I got up early one morning for my first class and sure enough, there was me and this other guy who could lift half the gym. Stink! But what happened after that is why I am still around 3 months later. Burly guy didn’t care so much that I wasn’t like him and the coach for the class was observant enough to make sure I stayed within my limitations. That was a real paradigm shift for me. You mean I don’t have to start with two 45lb. plates on each end of the bar to fit in here? Nope. In fact, there is pressure in the opposite direction. Do what you can and work up to the day you can do that and we will celebrate with you is the attitude.
Now, are there some things I would like to change? Of course, nothing is ever perfect, but is there something here that I need so bad that I can overlook the things which make me shake my head? I wish I was younger and less prone to injury. I wish I could reach goals sooner, I haven’ really grown at the rate I would like to. I wish I had the coordination to put more than one double under together. But at the end of the day, is there something happening in my life that would be absent had I not taken the first step on this journey? Unequivocally, yes. I really need the things CFGB brings to my life. I need a group setting and good coaching and people walking the same path I am. I wouldn’t be any closer to my goals without all that and for the first time in a long time I actually feel like I may achieve some of the things I’ve wanted for a really long time.
- Eric
I’ll be honest, I was VERY hesitant to join CrossFit at first. 😱 We had just moved here from the West Coast so I didn’t know ANYONE here but you guys all made me feel right at home fairly quick. I was also very shy in the beginning because I had never done any type of weight lifting or even a squat but you all showed me that that didn’t really matter. All I had to do was compete with myself to become a stronger me then I was yesterday and I have and am everyday.
Before CrossFit I was riding my bike 3 miles a day and walking 6 miles a day to get my 3 older kids to and from all their schools at different times of the day. Since joining CrossFit 2 months ago I think my fitness level has improved a lot! I’m stronger, I can actually run a mile now, I’ve lost 10lbs and I feel like myself (and body) confidence is coming back which that was pretty shot after having 4 kids back to back.
- Amanda
Crossfit? OMG! That stuff is BRUTAL!
Don’t know how many times I have heard that. Always from people who have never tried it.
Yes, it CAN be brutal, but only if want it to be. For the athlete who has worked out all his or her life and is looking for a challenge – you will find it. For the couch potato who needs help to get off the couch to get to the fridge and realizes there is more to life than last night’s leftovers- there is a place at crossfit for you, also.
A bit about me – 60 years old, for starters. Never an athlete, but always fairly active. Desk job during the day, and spending most of that 8-hour day seated. I had gastric bypass surgery 6 months prior to starting crossfit. Lost over 120 pounds but found myself unable to loose more. Doctors told me I needed to increase my metabolism. Plus I was starting to feel weak, as I was starting to loose more muscle than fat. So I decided to give this “brutal” workout method a try.
I had belonged to a gym when I was in my mid-20’s. After about 3 months I was bored out of my mind and stopped going. Crossfit is different. Each night is something different. Even when you start to repeat exercises, you look forward to it because you know all the things you have
done since you last did that exercise have made you stronger and more flexible. You want to see how much better the “new you” will do!
And there is no pressure. I found many movements and exercises were difficult or impossible for me to accomplish. Not a problem. “Scaling” is taking an exercise or movement that you are unable to do and changing it in small or larger ways so that you can perform something very similar,
but in a way so that you can achieve success and still benefit from it. I scale a lot, though not as much as when I started!
Classes tend to be fairly small, with one trainer always there, hands on passing out encouragement and advice. Often more than one trainer is present. All the movements are reviewed prior to starting the exercise, even if most of the people there are old hands. And the other people in the classes are great at encouraging someone who is struggling to finish an exercise. The trainers here at GBCF are knowledgeable, friendly, and always willing to take the time to provide individual assistance as needed.
Yes, crossfit can be brutal…..and one day I may want it to be! I recommend it to anyone, regardless of age or physical ability, who wants to increase their strength and/or mobility.
- Fred
When my fiancé said he was going to sign us up for CrossFit I laughed/scoffed/snorted, I didn’t believe I would ever be doing CrossFit in my lifetime. In the past, friends would try to rally me to come to a class, telling me it would be great, “I would love it”, etc. but I brushed off their suggestions and stuck with my usual fitness routine. But then that got repetitive and I lost interest so my fitness slumped to maybe going to the gym twice a week for cardio and some strength. My fiancé was adamant on getting me into a CrossFit box. During his hunt he found CFGB which is unique to the other boxes because they offer an On Ramp (beginner) class to spin you up on the world of CrossFit. Honestly, if CFGB did not offer the On Ramp class I probably would not have joined. The beginner’s class took away my fear of not knowing what I was doing and made me feel at ease in the box. Now I am doing things I never imagined would be physically possible such as deadlifts, cleans, snatches, pull-ups, etc. And I can physically see and feel the changes from doing CrossFit for the past 4 months. What I like best about CrossFit is that it is different every day so I don’t get bored and I get to see and experiences self-improvements almost weekly.
