About Battle CrossFit

I retired from the Marine Corps in 2014 after 22 years of regimented regular exercise and the need to eat healthy to stay within weight standards. Once I entered the civilian life, it was easy to eat anything and everything and skip workouts. Besides that, the Marine Corps was not kind to my knees, lower back, hips, feet, elbows, shoulders, etc.; pretty much every joint has some degree of osteoarthritis. The weight quickly piled on and I found myself going from the mid-180s to my heaviest weight of 257 lbs. I did try some crash diets where I dropped down to around 210 lbs. for awhile, but quickly gained that back. My wife (Joanne), started CrossFit around November, but I did not really consider it. I felt I was too out of shape and in pain to even try. Finally, Joanne convinced me that I would really like the workouts and there was a coach (Justin) that she thought I would enjoy working with. I decided to give it a try. After the first lesson with Justin, I knew this was something I would really enjoy. Even though I couldn't do the movements well and my cardio sucked, Justin made me feel like I was doing great and progressing, while ensuring I did not overdo it. He is honestly one of the best coaches/mentors I have ever worked with. Wanting to be better at CrossFit made me want to lose weight to make things easier. I received a lot of great advice from the coaches and owners (Jody and Glen) on my nutrition, and I decided to cut out sugars and refined carbohydrates. When I started at Battle in April, I was 246 lbs. and after just 5 months, I am presently at 194 lbs. There is still a lot of work and progression I need to work on, especially mobility, but I feel like I have made great progress thanks to all of the great coaches at Battle. I still have aches and pains, but a lot of the pain in my knees and other joints have diminished since I started CrossFit. I am a lot more fit, and I feel a lot better about myself since I began. All the coaches at Battle are professional, encouraging, and motivate you to do your best. Doing the WOD at Battle is the thing I look forward to most every day. The atmosphere, the people, and the coaches make it a great experience.