Chris Gounder

"My father signed me up for his local gym when I was 12;  I stayed with it until my mid 20’s.  The drive to lift and keep healthy for me was high school sports and recreational sports after high school.  When I stopped playing sports I lost my motivation to stay in shape.  That and the desk job I began working slowly but surely added 60 lbs to my frame, and not in a good way.  At age 43 I stepped on the scale to see my new weight had increased to 275 lbs.  (I was 215 lbs. when I graduated high school)  So I tried what most people try, hopped on the treadmill and started back with my lifting routine.  The drive was not there to push myself hard enough to make a difference.  I lost a couple of pounds but I eventually got bored of the same old workouts.

Some folks I work with were taking beginners CrossFit class and they peaked my interest enough for me to sign up for a month to check it out.  Wow!  I really had no idea how much I had really let myself go.  Along with the weight I gained I had lost a lot of muscle and strength.  I was having trouble just finishing the workouts.  A great thing about the CrossFit program is that it can be scaled down to all levels from beginner to advanced.   Coaches Dave and Barb worked with me on technique for each exercise.  They also helped to find the proper scaling for each workout so that I was able to work at my level but also push myself to do a little more each day.  I think that is what keeps a lot of people from trying CrossFit.  They see the You-tube videos and think they have to be in tip top shape to walk in the door.  That is definitely not the case.

I am now a year and a half in and I have totally changed my body composition.  I am down 35lbs.  While this may not seem like much,  I have added a lot of lean muscle and lowered my BMI.  I dropped a shirt size and pant size.  I love the fact that I don’t know the workout until I walk in the door each day.  It keeps it fresh for me and forces me to do the exercises I need but wouldn’t do on my own.  The people and coaches are very supportive for people of all levels.  I would recommend CrossFit Jeannette to anyone who wants to transform their body. "