Juan’s Story

My name is Juan Prudencio.   I have always been active and spent many hours in the gym lifting weights; however, over the last two years I lost interest and motivation.  I was not eating healthy and had gained a significant amount of weight.    My wife had joined Crossfit and kept telling me that I should go with her, but I kept resisting.      After a lot of convincing, I decided to try it out for a month – I kept with it and even participated in the gym’s nutrition challenge that summer. I’m now in the best shape of my life.

Crossfit is not just a gym, it’s a program that develops agility, strength, and endurance.   The classes are intense and challenging.   The coaches have helped me improve my form and lifting weights has never been more exciting.   I’ve also changed my diet completely;  I lost 27 pounds by participating in a paleo diet challenge at Crossfit. We dieted in teams and the support from other members made a difference in my motivation. If you’re wanting to change your life, I strongly recommend Crossfit El Paso.

Trisha’s Story

“Let me begin by telling you I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in December 2008. Despite this,  I cannot emphasize enough how fantastic I feel. (Or, should I say FRANtastic, for those of you who CrossFit.) To date, I’ve lost close to 50 pounds and went from a size 12 to a 4. I have so much more energy, rarely have any cognitive difficulties, fatigue, and/or chronic pain.

Here is my story:
In October 2008 I completely lost all my communication skills. When I say “all”, I mean I couldn’t speak, read and write and after a while I just forgot what I was trying to communicate in the first place. I did not know the difference between the alphabet letters and definitely could not put a word or a sentence together. I would constantly bump into things. Finally, one day a very dear friend of mine made a doctor’s appointment for me and after a MRI was performed, the results came back with 5 lesions in my brain. (No wonder why I was having so many difficulties, right?)

Within a matter of 3 days, I was sent to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ where they performed every test you can imagine, including a brain biopsy. Once they figured out it was MS, I was put on Rebif in January 2009 and felt the worst I have ever felt and it was by far the darkest and worst time of my life.

After suffering with chronic pain, depression, and chronic fatigue I decided to stop injecting myself with Rebif and other prescribed medical treatments in September 2009. I began my journey at Crossfit El Paso in October 2009 and immediately noticed a difference in my MS symptoms and especially bonus point- my attitude. Since I stared the Paleo Diet in late January 2010, my brainfog and other symptoms have almost completely dissipated and my strength is better than ever. I only have a slight balance & coordination problem and still occasionally have numbness all over; but I am totally confident I am on the right path. The power of nutrition, health, and exercise in MS and autoimmune diseases are so underrated and overlooked. Again, I cannot stress on how GREAT I feel and how Crossfit El Paso and the recommended Paleo diet have tremendously changed my life for the better!

Samantha’s Story

I was introduced to Crossfit in April of 2010 by a really good friend of mine, and I haven’t looked back since. The coaches and members are amazing and there is constant encouragement from every direction.

I have always been an active person, and I have worked out/participated in sports most of my life, but my regular gym routine was not doing it for me anymore. I needed something to challenge me physically and mentally. I started consistently attending classes 4-6 times a week in January 2011 and I really began to see changes in my overall physical fitness. I began following the Paleo Diet (because of the Paleo challenge the gym had) in June, and I was fairly strict for 10 weeks. At first I was skeptical, but my energy levels sky rocketed, my performance during workouts improved significantly, and I just felt better overall. I did not do the challenge for weight loss, but my body changed significantly over 10 weeks. I lost about 7 lbs, my body fat percentage went from 24% to 15%, and I dropped 2 inches in my hips and 1 inch at my waist.

I have not just seen physical changes though. Crossfit has strengthened me mentally and emotionally. Everyday I walk out of the gym, I walk out with a sense of accomplishment. I walk out knowing I just did something I never thought I could do. I guess you can say I am addicted to Crossfit now.

I was watching a video on Youtube, and I think this sums it up perfectly, “Size, ability, and age…are not important in our world. The size of your heart…is the only measurement we care about.” Everyone here at Crossfit El Paso has a huge heart. We encourage each other during workouts, but also everyday. I have made some really great friends and would not be where I am today without the friendships I have formed and the strength (both physical and mental) I have gained from Crossfit and my Crossfit Family.

Amy’s Story

I can say, that from the very beginning when my boyfriend told me about Crossfit, that my interest level was somewhere around zero point zero. Lift weights? Pullups? Handstand pushups? I think I’ll pass. I’ve been involved in sports since a young age and I loved to run but I didn’t think I could ever be strong. I also worried that doing Crossfit would lend itself to giving me the exact body type that I wasn’t interested in- bulky. My natural body shape is lean and feminine and I thought there was no way that my genetics would lend themselves to reaching the very demanding goals that I associated with Crossfit.

Finally, my coach/boyfriend Marc convinced me to try out The Box. After that day, I was back the next day, and the next day, and so on. I’ll admit it- I was hooked. I couldn’t lift heavy or go hard just yet, but the challenges were scaled to my level and I worked my way up. I loved the challenge of Crossfit and the ability to accomplish my goals. Now, I’m deadlifting just short of 200 pounds and doing Olympic lifts at my body weigh and the best part: zero bulk. In fact, I actually lost body fat and began to see toning in muscles I never knew I had.

My Crossfit story doesn’t begin and end with me, though. I’ve made some of my best friends in the Crossfit classroom. At Crossfit El Paso we keep each other encouraged, motivated and committed. We are accountability partners, friends and family- I don’t know why I ever hesitated!

Davin’s Story

If anyone had asked me about Crossfit one year ago, I would have told them to kick rocks (which I did quite often). I had many fellow soldiers tell me to try it just once but I wouldn’t give them the time of day to explain. See, I was/am an avid weight lifter/trainer- however you would like to say it. I had been in gyms pushing heavy for years. You know the deal: Monday-chest, Tuesday-back, etc. I am an ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer and an ISSA Specialist in Fitness Nutrition (you can’t tell me anything). Well, that was my mentality anyway.

When I moved to El Paso, though, I needed a change. I wasn’t having any GAINS and my workouts were getting stagnant. I had a conversation with one of my buddies who happened to be a “Crossfitter”. He motivated me to find a Crossfit Gym/Box and get started. As hesitant as I was, I began the search. I called this guy David (BIG D) and he politely invited me over for an assessment and an overview.

Let me say when I walked in I felt motivated. The people there were ready to do some work and The Box looked like pure business; not like what so many gyms have become over the years. Anyway, I will say that from the assessment, I was hooked. It was all about intensity all the time. Coming from a background of sets and reps, the idea of rounds and time was intriguing to say the least.

My ideas of fitness have changed considerably in my short time doing Crossfit, from types of splits and programming to intensity of workouts. I know now, that a person needs to concentrate on all areas of fitness and not just the ones he or she is good at. I have been taught this by the excellent coaching I have received. I call it excellent because it has helped me excel in my personal workouts as well as in CrossFit.

It is not like traditional Personal training I have received in the past or given. You know the standing there with a clipboard looking pretty. Coaches in Crossfit are all knowledgeable and are willing to get down and take time with every client in The Box. The Coaches and Crossfit El Paso have helped me start getting my gains back and cutting body weight. I no longer have stagnant workouts. It is like a test every day.

I have been blessed to be a part of Crossfit El Paso, the (B)East Side. I have learn and grown so much from all Coaches and fellow Crossfitters. It is truly like a family.

Theresa’s Story

“This is a first, I am consistently exercising 5 times a week and look forward to the workouts. Crossfit is intensive, challenging, and I’m seeing amazing results. I’ve engaged in strength training before, but without the benefit of learning proper form and technique. The coaches are elite athletes and have worked closely with me to help me achieve my fitness goals. Don’t let a number (age or weight) deter you from giving it a try, I’m 51 and stronger than ever thanks to Crossfit El Paso!”