This gym Testament is brought to us by force that is Livewire. Read on!

What brought you to CrossFit Empower?

My partner Spice brought me to CrossFit Empower. We were flailing in the wind watching our bodies get more out of shape and had both been in excellent condition in the past.  I had been a pro soccer player in Scotland.  I also had long chats with neighbours who are also members about the benefits of coming to the gym.  They had nothing but good things to say about it and were in great shape themselves.  The proof was in the pudding. We needed something to rev up our lives and CrossFit Empower looked like it could fit the bill.  There was no way I going to be an over-weight 50-year-old!

What was your first impression?  How has it changed?

My first impression of CrossFit was the usual thought that it was for big beefcakes lifting enormous weight in an ego driven race.   Smash (my neighbour and long-time Empower member) said to me early on that to do CrossFit and workout at this gym “(you need to) lose the ego.” Lucky for me, I don’t have one, despite Spice’s claims! An ego-free gym really appealed to me and that is the way it is here.

Coming to Empower has became the barometer for our lives.  Our goal is to just get there and put in the work and we’ve been successful at in.  I come in and the instructors and other members pull you along.  This extra push counts for a lot.

What was your first bright spot (win/positive experience)?

My first bright spot was when The WOD Father and The Touch (owners/coaches) showed me how to properly perform the fundamental exercises.  It turns out that for years I was doing many things wrong and their small adjustments to my technique have paid amazing dividends.

What are you working on now?

I am focused on my range of motion in the Overhead Squat and stringing together Double Unders, of which I am not a fan.  I am also careful to keep my back from healthy.

What is your favourite Empower memory so far?

This is an easy question.  It is my last lap of a Farmer’s Carry outside gym.  I finished and decided to drop the 50LB dumbbells on the sidewalk in full view of the WOD Father. He was not happy, especially when one of the dumbbells rolled under a bus! WOD father was yelling at Bus Driver to stop and it became a rush to save the bell.   My other favourite memory would be beating Smash at anything!

Thanks Livewire for sharing and keeping it real!  Don’t go changing.