The CrossFit Life

In June 2010, Nathan Hussman was nearly 48 and, by his estimation, about 40 lb. overweight.

“For two years prior to that I was doing absolutely nothing physical,” he says. “I felt like I was an 80-year-old man. I couldn’t pick my daughter up without pain. … I had to make some kind of a change.”

So at 8 a.m. on the Sunday of his 48th birthday, he woke up his wife, son and two daughters for a trip to CrossFit Charlotte.

He dragged… Continue Reading

The owners of the newly opened CrossFit Ocean Beach take advantage of their surroundings and bring CrossFit to the streets. Hilary Achauer reports.

Ocean Beach is a coastal town in San Diego, Calif., known for its funky, hippy vibe. The main street, Newport Avenue, is full of antique stores, head shops, tattoo parlors, bars and surf shops. Most of the businesses are independent and locally owned.

The residents of Ocean… Continue Reading

After a disastrous injury playing Division 1 softball, Panita Thanatharn lost her passion for competition—until she found CrossFit. Hilary Achauer reports.

Panita Thanatharn had her eye on home plate. It was Feb. 9, 2003, and Thanatharn, a sophomore at California State University Long Beach (CSULB), was having a great season. In the first seven games of the campaign, the outfielder was hitting .526.

Thanatharn’s team… Continue Reading

Lauren Lesinski enters the body challenge contest at her CrossFit box and breaks a lifelong cycle of yo-yo dieting. Hilary Achauer reports.

Lauren Lesinski admits she is not the best loser. As she puts it, “I don’t even like losing baking contests at work. Which, by the way, is what helped get me in this mess to begin with.”

“This mess” refers to the state of Lesinski’s health in March… Continue Reading

Lisa Ilka Abrams describes how 10 women come together to conquer the bar through positive affirmations, commitment to a defined goal and group support.

Many women remember a time in elementary school when someone said, “Girls can’t do pull-ups!” Maybe it was the schoolyard bully, or even a misguided P.E. teacher. We were led to believe that because we were female, some athletic feats were unattainable.

That idea was proved wrong on… Continue Reading

Hilary Achauer explores what happens when your CrossFit box is surrounded by bars, tattoo parlors and tanning salons.

Like most boxes, the warm-up at CrossFit Pacific Beach (CFPB) starts out with a 400-meter run. What you’ll encounter on that run is a bit unusual.

Smack dab in the middle of one of the highest concentrations of bars per capita in San Diego, CFPB opened in June 2010, replacing a defunct record store. After a few… Continue Reading

Emily Beers reports on the mix of veteran and first-time CrossFit athletes at the 2011 Taranis Winter Challenge, held Nov. 4-6 in Victoria, B.C.

CrossFit Taranis owner Reed MacKenzie takes the microphone. A hush comes over the crowd as he announces the first workout to an eager audience. It involves 2 sets of max handstand push-up attempts, with some power snatches in between.

The 10th-fittest female in the world from the 2011… Continue Reading

Hilary Achauer recaps the first CrossFit Kids and Teens competition for girls and boys ages 13-18.

It came down to a battle between Cole Dick and Garrett Janda. They had 5 minutes to find their 1RM squat clean. First, Janda cleaned 250 lb. Then Dick stepped up and cleaned the same weight, sending the two into a tiebreaker. Janda approached the bar, took a deep breath, and squat-cleaned 255 lb.

Impressive… Continue Reading