The CrossFit Life

Burned out from years of competitive swimming, former All-American swimmer Emily Ciraolo rediscovers the joy of fitness through CrossFit.

I used to hate holiday workouts.

Swimmers do holiday workouts. My club team did 100 100s on New Year’s Eve. Holiday workouts suck. They suck more than the usual workouts suck.

I thought about this as I drove home from the Fittest on the 4th at CrossFit 716 back in… Continue Reading

Chris Long started out with a goal of being fit by 50. Then he discovered CrossFit and found a new goal: he wants to be fit now—and forever.

“What in the world am I doing? I of all people don’t belong here … I am not an athlete in any sense of the word!”

Those negative thoughts raced through my head over and over, with a few expletives for good measure, as I walked… Continue Reading

Holly Gera works as the athletic director of a large Division III university, but she never considered herself an athlete—until she found CrossFit.

I am an athletic director who was never an athlete. I have been happily employed at Montclair State University in New Jersey for the past 23 years, 16 of which I have worked as the athletic director. I’ve been active to a varying extent throughout my… Continue Reading

A mother and son strengthen their bond through a shared love of CrossFit. Hilary Achauer reports.

Barbara Pappas had always been healthy. Growing up in Germany, she ate a diet relatively free of processed food, and she kept in shape by jogging and taking leisurely bike rides, which she calls “biking with a basket.”

A Montessori teacher, Barbara filled her life with work and raising her sons. Then, in 2010, her 19-year-old son Nick… Continue Reading

Everything is different when you do CrossFit—even Las Vegas. Jeremy Striffler reports on a trip to Vegas that included more barbells than bars.

At high noon on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, I found myself running around a parking lot in Las Vegas with a group of strangers. We were taking a lap around CrossFit Las Vegas, with the infamous Strip off in the horizon.

I had touched down in Las Vegas… Continue Reading

Patrick Whaley’s life almost ended when he was assaulted, robbed and shot in the chest. Thanks to hard work, an ingenious invention and CrossFit, Whaley is still alive and stronger than ever.

When I was a little kid I was really skinny. As a way to build up muscle, I would carry around extra books in my book bag. I started thinking, “What if I could have normal… Continue Reading

For most people, CrossFit is more than trying to look good in a bathing suit. Doug Germano explains.

I was telling my girlfriend why I couldn’t spend too much time with a certain group of people because they were too superficial. She looked back at me with a befuddled look on her face and said, “But all you do is CrossFit! That’s superficial. You just do it to get big and… Continue Reading

Despite its growing popularity, CrossFit is not for everyone. You have to have a thing for suffering—and its rewards. Craig Nelson explains.

A recent article in the CrossFit Journal titled CrossFit Is for Everyone documented the inspiring efforts of Chris Knapman, who, in spite of significant cognitive and physical limitations, is an active (and even competitive) CrossFitter. There are many other stories of amputees, stroke patients, cancer patients… Continue Reading