1
Sep
Steve Smith
| “I’ve kept myself pretty fit for many years now. I have a demanding and sometimes stressful job, and I also have balance my time with my wife and three young kids. I live in Arlington and work in DC. Before the pandemic, I regularly attended a gym in DC for over four years, enjoying their great lunchtime boot camps. COVID changed a lot for all of us, with more time spent working from home. The gym I used to go to struggled and eventually closed. During the pandemic, like many others, I invested in equipment like an ERG rower and ECHO bike and managed to keep up with workouts for a while. As we emerged from COVID, I wanted to return to a more structured environment. Before joining Ballston CrossFit, I tried all the local gyms—F45, Madabolic, Orange Theory, Barry’s—but none of them were right for me or had the atmosphere I was looking for. I found Ballston CrossFit through a random Google search based on proximity to home, and I’m glad I did. It’s a fantastic place where the instructors are not only fit and engaged but genuinely connect with the people taking the classes. This creates a great community feeling. I was surprised by how much I liked CrossFit. It has a bit of a reputation for being cult-like, but I don’t think that’s the case. You can scale the workouts to fit your goals, which I do. The classes are diverse, with people of all levels—men, women, young, old, etc. The key elements for me are the numerous classes available, engaged, knowledgeable, and friendly coaches, and high-energy, welcoming classmates. Additionally, Ballston CrossFit regularly hosts special workout events for holidays like Labor Day and Christmas, which are a lot of fun and foster great camaraderie. On a personal note, I’ve enjoyed learning some of the more technical moves that I never thought I’d be able to do or even try, like handstand pushups. A core element of CrossFit is constantly changing and different workouts and so that keeps it interesting. After all these years of working out, the secret to success is clear: build it into your routine and keep doing it. Everything else will take care of itself. The benefits of going to a place like Ballston CrossFit are that you not only get a great workout, but you also look forward to doing the workout. For people looking to get on a better fitness track – irrespective of fitness level, I would suggest you call and talk to the coaches. Don’t worry about the technical stuff. That will come in time, and there are always modifications to help you get there. Good luck!” |