NEW TESTIMONIALS

TESTIMONIAL FROM KEVIN

 

I am not sure that I can write a testimonial that adequately describes what the Crossfit Connection in Burlington, and more specifically, what Jason and Ruth have done for me, given the terrible shape I was in when I showed up for my first visit to Crossfit.

In attempting Christine {the name of the workout} for the first time, I was not able to complete it, in fact I was outside on my hands and knees gasping for air, I felt so sorry for Ruth because she was so concerned about me, and whether or not I was going to be ok, and assured me that all I needed to do was come back, and between Jason and herself they would train me to be able to participate, there was only one condition, that when I came I had to give my best effort, not someone else’s best effort, my best effort, and that would change as I got stronger, and if I came back I would get stronger.

In fact it was exactly what I needed, with the understanding that it would be the best I could do on a given day, and knowing there were dedicated professionals’ there to support me, I began my journey into the crossfit world.

The gains that have come from this type of training have gone far beyond my physical well being, not only do you get better physically, but everything gets better, I sleep better, I work better, I exercise better, I eat better, I am less stressed. It enables me to be a better father, partner, friend & professional and the level of self confidence I have now, I have not had since I was in my early 20’s, and I will be turning 48 next month.

I could go on for pages on what I think of Crossfit, but I believe not only is it Crossfit but it is the environment that Jason and Ruth have created within those walls that makes the experience what it is, you need a safe and secure place where you can take the risk needed to put forth your best effort, because without risking failure you cannot put forth your best effort, and being able to challenge yourself without that fear of failure is what makes it all work. The support that I received from the other athletes’ has been inspirational, and I can’t thank them enough, and I don’t have to thank them, because they do it for every person who comes through the door.

It has been 4&1/2 months since I began this journey, and where it has taken me I did not think was possible. There are days, like in everything else when you think you can’t do anymore, but all I do is remember what I was told to me on my first day…………..

All you have to do is keep coming back, give your best effort and you will get stronger.

Thank you so much Jason & Ruth, you truly have changed me.

Kevin Doucette

 

 

 

 

TESTIMONIAL FROM PETER

 

I decided to come and try the orientation classes in late April 2009 as at 45 and not doing any exercise, I was very aware of my worsening physical fitness which I attributed to my busy work life that in my view did not permit me time to participate in any activity.  In reality, I had tried over the previous few years to “get fit” by joining a couple of different gyms and trying their various programs, but I never saw the kind of results I needed to keep me motivated and as a result, I would start missing sessions and ultimately stopped attending altogether.  Clearly something was missing from the experience at these gyms although I didn’t know what.  After my wife (Gillian) started attending Crossfit in March, she began to tell me (and everyone she spoke with) how good it was and how she had never done anything like it and so I decided to take a look at the website and was immediately intrigued by the suggestion of the owners (Ruth & Jason) that we try other clubs before coming to theirs, and having been a member at Goodlife and Cedar Springs was interested to see what was so different. 

As a result, I (or more accurately Gillian as I was still not fully motivated at this point) booked a block of introductory one on one sessions with Ruth to begin my journey to fitness. I was rather nervous at the first session especially reading the various whiteboards in the gym with slogans such as “Pain is just weakness leaving the body”  and as I watched the class finishing up before my first session I wondered what I was getting myself into as they looked awesome and I simply could not picture myself ever being as fit as them.  One particular guy in the class though (Rick) I remembered from the website and I was really inspired having read his testimonial to see how far he had come as I watched the class doing box jumps.

I have to say that Ruth was amazingly motivational from day one and managed to keep me moving even though I was in such bad shape and really struggled to complete most of the exercises I tried.  To round out the first session, Ruth had me go through a structured workout called “Christine” which would provide us with a benchmark of my fitness to refer back to later.  After 24 minutes Ruth stopped me after having only managed to complete 2 rounds out of 3 of the exercises because I am sure she was worried about my ability to make it through a third round.  I went home absolutely exhausted and aching in places I didn’t know could ache.  As a measure of how unfit I was, the following day, my aches had turned into muscles and limbs that simply didn’t want to move anymore, but despite the pain I was determined that I was going to go back and try some more.

Each time I visited, Ruth was amazing in how she managed to inspire me to push harder and keep going when all my body wanted to do was stop and rest.  Over the next 2 to 3 weeks, I was began to see that I was already improving in what I could achieve and as a result I became even more determined to push harder. After I completed the one on one sessions, I again undertook the Christine workout and was shocked that after only 3 weeks I had gone from not being able to complete it to doing all 3 rounds in just over 16 minutes.

The community feeling that Jason & Ruth have fostered is very motivational in its own right and when coupled with the great instruction provided by Jason & Ruth along with Debbie, Andy and Adam, it makes for a great place to really develop your fitness in an environment unlike any other gym.   After 3 months of attending the classes, my blood pressure which was normally high as a result of  work stress and general lack of exercise had dropped over 20 points and my body was noticeably changing for the better. 

As I have continued to work as hard as I can with Jason & Ruth on improving my fitness, they have constantly pushed and encouraged me to do more.   I have also worked closely with Ruth on changing my diet to strip off more of the fat from my body and to help improve my overall health.  Once again, Ruth’s knowledge and support were truly exceptional and kept me focussed through these lifestyle changes.  5 months after first walking into Crossfit, my blood pressure is now perfect for the first time in years and without needing medication.  I have lost over 6” off my waist and over 12” overall as well as 20lb in weight.  Without a doubt, I am now in the best physical condition that I have been in during the past 20+ years although I know I still have a lot more to achieve.

As a direct result of the environment that Jason and Ruth have created,  I see my fitness levels improve each week and find that I am more motivated to push for a bigger improvements.  Having been a customer at a couple of the other gyms, I can say hand on heart that if you are really looking to improve your life, health and fitness then there is nothing that compares to what Jason & Ruth offer or to the support and motivation that they provide at every session. 

 

Thank you Jason & Ruth, Debbie, Andy and Adam for all you have done in helping me.   

 

I have attached a before Crossfit and a current picture (I wont call it after as its still only part way to where I want to be).

 

Best Regards

Pete

Before

After

TESIMONIAL FROM RICK

 

I have known Jason for a few years as I have been a client of his massage therapy clinic. When he described his new venture as CrossFit my wife and I decided to give it a try. After all, it couldn't be too difficult for me since I had been running 3-5 times per week and using an all-in-one weight machine. With confidence and ego in hand I participated in the first class in May 2008. I quickly realized that I wasn't in such good shape after all. WOW! I had to learn to walk again after that class. However, I persevered because here was something that definately improved my conditioning, was fun and varied, and well supervised by Jason and his better half; Ruth. I went through the Isagenix cleanse and nutition program in order to drop the needed pounds and improve my overall health and eating habits ( way too much sugars).

 

Through two fractures and numerous banged up legs, I continue to enjoy the CrossFit experience. As my before and after pictures will attest, I'm in better shape at 47 than I was in high school!

 

Thankyou Jason and Ruth for continuing to motivate us in order to improve our health, even if those sadistic grins by Jason make us cringe!

 

Rick in June 2008

 

RICK IN DECEMBER 2008 ( six pack and all!!!!)

 

 

 

TESTIMONITAL FROM JANET

 

My journey with crossfit began in July 2008 when a friend, who had recently met Ruth, heard about her and Jason’s new venture and convinced me to go with her to try it out.  It sounded great and exactly what I needed to kick start my desire to get back into shape (it had been a long while!).  I had no idea what I was getting into.  We started out with the eight introductory classes with Ruth taking us through each workout and educating us on proper form (which I was brutal at) with a 1:2 ratio.  She was fantastic!  Very patient and encouraging.  Ruth made me want to push myself and actually made us believe we could do it.  I won’t lie…it was not fun at first…it was hard and I had not pushed myself like that ever before.  However, as the classes went on the recovery time became less and I actually started to look forward to them.  Then Ruth introduced me to the Isagenix cleanse and “The Zone.”  With this I really started to see results and for me this is when it all started to click.  I am a person who needs to see results to continue to be motivated and it was not long before I did and was hooked.  The nutritional program makes sense and is easy to fit into your life once you stick with it for a while.  I can not say that I stick with it 100% of the time but that is the beauty of it. When you do have an off day it is very easy to get back on track.  It is not difficult or fancy…it just makes sense. 

 

From there I moved into the “grown up” classes.  I was quite nervous of being out of my comfort zone but the people in the classes were great and everyone was really welcoming and supportive.  Ruth and Jason and the entire crossfit clientele are so different than any gym or classes I have participated in before because they truly care.  The encouragement you find at a crossfit class is truly amazing.  There is no judgment or egos and everyone is truly there to better themselves and help others along the way.  This supportive environment is one of the many things that keeps me coming back!  I tell everyone that crossfit works for me because it pushes me continuously, fits into a busy lifestyle with its intense, compact  varied workouts and produces amazing results.  It is like having a personal trainer in a supportive team environment.

 

Now six months later I have dropped 20% in body fat and close to 30 pounds.  Best of all I feel better both physically and mentally and have maintained a healthier lifestyle all around for me and my family.  I could not have done it without the help of Ruth and Jason and their commitment, professionalism, and desire to help others.  I know this journey will not end because with crossfit you continuously push yourself to new limits and continue to build strength and endurance.  Six months ago in those first classes I would never have thought that I would be where I am today.  I look forward to continuing this journey and seeing how far I can truly push myself.  Thanks again to everyone at crossfit for helping me every step of the way!

 

Janet- July, 2008

 

 

Janet -December 2008

 

 

Testimonial from Carolyn

 

How did I end up at Crossfit and why it works

 

I have always been somewhat active but it was more on a sporadic basis as work and life sometimes got in the way and I found that the first thing I would sacrifice is exercising. As 2007 came to a close and I looked at what resolutions I would have for 2008, one of them was to be more diligent about exercising with the goal of losing body fat and weight.  So, I joined one of the "traditional" gyms and went so far as to engage a personal trainer twice per week. So, I went diligently and there were some weeks where I was there every day.  Did I lose weight and body fat -- yes.  But, how much over the 5 months that I was there prior to joining Crossfit.  A whole 3% of body fat but to reach the goal I had in mind I still had 8% of body fat to go.

 

One of my colleagues told me about Crossfit over the summer and I thought -- nothing ventured nothing gained.  I would meet with Ruth and see what the "nutritional support" was all about and I would also look at the basics class.  I was impressed with Ruth the first time I met her.  She has such a passion and belief for what she does that it was refreshing to see.

 

My first basic class was an eye opener.  In the car I was driving over to the class, I was thinking to myself that I've been going to the gym religiously for the last 6 months -- I'm really going to wow them with how I do.  Well, it was tough.  Christine which is the benchmark basic workout completely wiped me out and I thought to myself, what have I gotten myself into.  Maybe the saying on the white board is true "Pain is weakness leaving the body".  There were some days when I had a whole lot of weakness leaving my body.  But I persevered through the 8 classes of the basics program -- even though I thought that the atomic situps would do me in but Ruth knew that there would be a day that I could do them without her helping me up.

 

After the basics, I was hooked.  But what about now moving into the "big kids" class.  The full out Crossfit.  Could I do it?  Would people judge me because I wasn't as fast or as strong -- we all know what it's like at the "traditional gyms".

 

Well, I had absolutely nothing to be concerned about.  Over their door, there is a saying "Leave your ego at the door".  Nothing could be more true.  It is so apparent that Ruth and Jason really do care about the success of each of their participants and although sometimes I will look at Jason when he tells me a weight to put on the bar like "are you serious" I've been able to lift weights I never thought I would.  How do you go from deadlifting 60 lbs in your first basics class to 185 lbs in a little over 3 months?  Their sincere desire to see each of us reach our goals and beyond pushes each of us to try.  What other gym would you go to where other members are encouraging to you "only 5 left to go, you can do them".  I've been a member of many gyms and I've never seen it.  There is such a strong sense of camradeship.  We each want to see the other individuals in the session do well.  Do I sometimes look at others and think to myself - wow, I wish I could do that.  Absolutely.  But shouldn't we all have goals to aspire to.

 

But at the end of the day, the results should speak for themselves.  My goal was to lose 8% of body fat.  I would then be at my lowest body fat amount (at least since I've had it measured).  How long would this take -- well, if I was still at my "traditional gym" it would be at least another 12 months.  Well, in about 4 months, I lost 15% body fat -- double what I thought I would do.  Never would I have thought I could do that.  When I first joined, I couldn't run the 200 metre without stopping -- when the workout of the day was Murph  , I ran the 1.2 km portion 3 x without stopping.  In terms of strength, there is no comparison.  A deadlift change from 60 lbs to 185 lbs.  Jumping pullups to assisted pullups to now being able to do pullups unassisted.  The elusive atomic sit up -- yes, I can now do them on my own.  And the list goes on.  There is not one area where I haven't seen an improvement.  All of this is happening in a class of less than one hour in length.

 

I can't ever see myself stopping Crossfit.  Each workout of the day is unique so it is never boring or easy...to say the least.  But beyond that, it is the people.  It is Ruth and Jason that are so passionate about seeing us all do well.  It is so very rare to see these days and certainly provides me with the inspiration to push through.  It is also the other individuals in the sessions that provide so much support and encouragement.

 

Thank you to everyone!!!  I will have to come up with some new goals but I know that whatever they are, my friends at Crossfit will help me to achieve them.

 

 

 

 

Carolyn

 

July 2008

 

December 2008

TESTIMONIAL FROM JOHN

Jason I wanted to thank you yet again for your support and coaching. I still can not believe the results from last night's session!

4 months ago I realized that 40 was coming up quick and having just participated in a 1 hour boot camp event at one of our team events I realized just how out of shape I was. It was time to stop procrastinating and do something.

Cross fit appealed to me a great deal as my goals are to get fit not necessarily build a ton of muscle or mass. Having never belonged to a gym I found your establishment and workout program to be a great fit and so here we are...

On July 3rd I started my 8 week program . Jason put me through the warm up which, to me felt like one heck of a workout. I couldn't even finish the 3rd round of push ups I had to finsih them on my knees (not proud) but hey that's why I joined. We then moved on to something called Christine, you see many of the workouts are named after woman, very fitting as they are a real (*&^% ). I finished Christine with a time of 22:22 , I was very happy just to have finished and still be walking. Jason informed me the goal is Christine in 15 and so began my journey to better health.

Jason took me through two 1 hour sessions a week for 4 weeks, I learned the dead lift, squats, and something called a Thrusters which, put me flat on my butt, well those weren't quite as exhausting as the atomic situps!! Each workout begins with the warm up and then Jason taught me new exercises and most importantly proper technique and form so as to ensure I was getting the most from the routine and remain injury free!

I must admit I was intimidated at first  but the coaching style was great, relaxed and supportive. He always pushed me to get on more rep in and encouraged me to stick with it. I decided to cut back on the cold beer during the 30 days and adjust my diet to more of the Zone diet. I shopped the outside of the grocery store as they say.

The Results: On July 31st at 4pm I began session 8, I completed my warm up and went to work on Christine; Jason would not tell me my previous time he told me to just focus on the routine and just  pace myself. I finished the first 500 Metre row and went on to my 12 dead lifts and 21 box jumps. Round 1 felt good and I just kept moving finishing the second 500 Metre row and took a quick 15 second breather before I picked up the bar for next round of dead lifts and box jumps I had to keep marching through these but the main point here is I kept going and breathing. I had a real hard time with the 3rd 500 Metre row stopping a at 300 Mt to breathe and again at 400 M but Jason just kept calling them out and I finished it! man if felt good.

The time .... 13:12 Can you believe that ! what an improvement talk about a sense of accomplishment I'm pumped Thank You Jason thank you Crossfit Burlington!

In 4 weeks I've lost 4 pounds, however my body shape has changed a great deal and my wife enjoys the fact that I have a few new muscles under development... I feel good and am excited to incorporate Crossfit into our busy lifestyle.

Sincerely,

John O'Donnell
Key Account Manager OEM
Shell Lubricants Canada  (promoting work life balance)