For this week’s Athlete Spotlight, I spoke to Ian Grigsby. Ian has been a member of JR CrossFit since August, and has already seen improvements in his consistency, endurance, his mental toughness, and more. Here’s what he had to say.
What was your workout routine before joining JR CrossFit?
Before JR, I was struggling with consistency. I usually climbed and weight trained once/twice per week, and ran with my dog roughly 3 times per week (more like my dog took me for a run!). This inconsistency led to me not really achieving any of the goals that I was working towards. Doing it on your own without a community for support is tough!
What was the hardest part of starting CrossFit and staying motivated?
BURPEES!!! In all seriousness, most of the movements kicked my butt to start with, and a substantial chunk still do. Take that and combine it with workouts that could have hundreds of reps, and I was in for a long day when I started out! This reality can be either highly motivating (“I have so many things I could get better at!”) or highly demotivating (“Why would I do stuff that doesn’t make me feel good in the moment?”), and the community around me was the reason I latched on to the former.
All of that being said, the hardest part for me was just getting my foot in the door for the first time. I had been debating whether or not to join a box for three years before scheduling that first meeting. The second I showed up at JR, about three or four people were saying hello, asking where I was from, etc. It immediately felt like I was a part of a family (or should I say…a pride?!), something I haven’t had since college athletics. The community has been what keeps me motivated through the workouts.
What kind of progress have you seen compared to when you started?
I have definitely seen an increase in my mental toughness! The attitude of knowing that I can overcome a WOD that I wasn’t sure I could do at the start has bled over into many other areas of my life. As far as physical progress, I feel like my endurance in longer workouts has shot through the roof! I still have a long way to go in this department, but I’ve definitely noticed improvements!
Why did you pick JR CrossFit?
The community was ultimately the thing that made picking JR CrossFit one of the easiest decisions I’ve made in my life. However, my talk with Coach Juliana in our initial meet up was what made me pick JR. Coach Jai took a good chunk of time out of her day to answer all of my questions. Her passion for helping people better themselves showed throughout the conversation. The moment that I knew I would be a JR member was when she advised me to start with the three times per week plan, even though I was considering the full plan- and she was completely right! This showed me that she cared more about my well-being than the extra money, which was a breath of fresh air in the fitness world.
What’s your favorite thing about it?
By far the people. Period. Have I made it clear that it’s NOT burpees?
What advice would you give to someone considering joining JR CrossFit?
Sounds cheesy, but just give it a go. Before JR CrossFit, I was looking at a lot of different things to try to fill in the piece that I was missing from having a community that genuinely cares for me, some things healthy, and others not. The community at JR CrossFit has made me a better person.
The last thing you should be nervous about is current level of fitness, and the last thing you should bring to class is an ego. Everybody in the gym will have stuff that they are not great at/working on. Our community has athletes of every single variety, all supporting each other and cheering each other on. The coaches are great at scaling the movements to what is perfect for you. We would love to have you with us!
By Chance Miller