
AJ Bass
My first introduction to Crossfit was a little more than three years ago. A co-worker familiar with Kathy’s boot camps convinced me to give it a try. I remember my first workout was in a church parking lot on a hot August evening. We were doing burpees, med-ball cleans and a row for rounds. I was hooked!
Prior to that introduction I was floundering in a globo gym membership where I was not excited about exercising, I was gaining weight and losing strength. I was getting a little too close to 200lbs, and my blood work was starting to show signs of poor health.
Crossfit offered me an exciting opportunity to have fun working out, and I especially loved the aspect of having a prescribed workout. I had always neglected cardio work and lower body strength work, but with Crossfit wods I didn’t really have a choice. Even more attractive than the wods is the welcoming Crossfit community. It was such a new experience to actually be welcomed into a gym environment. Everyone from the coaches to the gym members have always been friendly, and more encouraging than any group of people I have ever been a part of. The CFM community is really what set them apart from other gyms I’ve experienced, and it’s the community that keeps me coming back year after year.

AJ with wife Dixie
Three years in and I’m enjoying the CFM community more than ever. While I am still challenged with a ton of weaknesses, my Crossfit results include: getting much stronger, my weight has leveled out at about 178lbs (about a 15lb loss), my blood work has improved significantly, and I have made some really good friendships with quality people.
One of my favorite things about our gym is that the staff is always looking for ways to improve our lives by adding additional resources. MassageFit has helped me through several minor injuries, and my back has never felt better than it does with the help of Dr. Tim. After years of ignoring the staff’s good diet advice, my wife and I have recently moved closer to a Paleo diet and I love it. We’re still early in the process, but so far I feel much better overall eating a cleaner diet.
I love watching the gym continue to grow, but I’ll always have fond memories of parking lot work outs with Freeman and Kelli before the gym was built. If you think they are tough on you now, just imagine being the only person in a wod and having the full attention of both coaches the entire time!