Testimonials

A friend recommended CrossFit workouts with Dave Werner to build strength after an insult to an old back injury. The day after my introductory workout, I was tired and anticipating some stiff, sore muscles, but the painful and persistent knot in my neck had suddenly disappeared. Later that week, both my chiropractor and my massage therapist remarked at the improvement in my neck and back. To quote my chiropractor, "Whatever change you made, keep doing it!" After several months of working out with Dave and strength training, my back and neck feel better overall, and respond to stress far better, than I have felt in many years. In addition, the gym community is wonderful. Every day I look forward to seeing what the workout is and who is there to share in the experience. Each session brings new challenges, new fun, and new opportunities to hang out with some truly great people.

Allison Barns
April 2007

I had a climbing exercise some Saturdays ago as part of an ongoing class. Most of it was skills testing. One part involved using prusik loops to go up a 25-foot rope. This was done twice, once with and once without a pack. The last time I did this activity was in 2003. It was very tiring and awkward then. My performance Saturday amazed me. Not only did I flash up the rope both times – one instructor yelled that my rope was smoking – but I literally did not break a sweat or breathe hard. Each trip took mere minutes.

By comparison, a couple of people were on the rope for over 20 minutes and never reached the top. No one came close to my time, although it was not a timed event.

Almost everyone came down hot and bothered, talking about how the activity is "quite an exercise," "gonna sleep good tonight," etc. I am sorry, but I could not give them any positive reinforcement for their sympathy-seeking. The effort was a tiny fraction of the output we deliver at CrossFit North.

So far all the climbing activities I have practiced are ones already known to me, and I am knocking them down faster, cleaner, neater, and harder than I did in years past when I was younger. I am really looking forward to this summer's climbing season. I am going to have a lot of fun. I know my good performance is directly attributable to CrossFit Seattle. I am a true believer in General Physical Preparedness now. You sell bad-tasting medicine at CrossFit but it is good strong medicine that works and I am glad to take it.

Mike Neill
March 2007

When I came to CrossFit in January 2005, I was 35 years old and I'd had constant and debilitating pain in my upper back, neck, and shoulders for nearly eight years. The pain was due to bad posture and too much time working in front of a computer, but it got so bad that even when I wasn't working, it hurt all the time. I was diagnosed with two herniated thoracic discs. I was terrified of living out the rest of my life with this pain.

All this was despite the fact that I was active and aerobically fit. I ran 15 to 20 miles a week and even competed in road races and triathlons. Most people couldn't believe it when I told them that I suffered from chronic back pain.

That first time I came to CrossFit, Nick spent an hour working with me to assess my strengths and weaknesses. That day he told me (not once but three times!) that I was really weak, and I needed strength training. I couldn't deny that he was right. I started attending CrossFit classes at least three times a week. Nick and Dave worked on my technique and gave me additional exercises to do, along with a constant stream of encouragement. Nick also referred me to an excellent physical therapist who works with athletes. At first there were a lot of things I couldn't do, but week by week I improved. My shoulders, which had been "frozen" to my back, began to move again. My previously rigid spine developed some flexibility. After a few months I could feel muscles in my back that hadn't been there before. I was amazed by the things I could do. I even improved my triathlon performance over the previous year, without any extra training. Never in my life have I been anywhere near this strong.

Tamra Myers
January 2006

When I started at CrossFit in October 2004, I had had a double hernia surgery six months earlier and had been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Most of the members of my family have suffered from similar health problems, and many have died young, a path I have chosen not to follow.

I have always suffered from basic structural problems due to a bad tilt in my hips, which has made exercise and sports difficult. I doubt I had ever squatted properly before in my life. I have the dubious honor of possibly being in the worst shape of anyone Dave had seen walk through his doors at that time. Dave told me when I started that it would take at least two years to fully address my issues (and now, two-thirds through that time, I would say he was not off base).

For me, getting in shape has been a frustrating, exhausting experience, and at times it seemed like I would never be able to master the CrossFit workouts. Yet, Dave and my fellow CrossFitters have been supportive and helpful throughout, helping me grow beyond the desire to quit. My health has improved, and I am getting stronger. Dave has been supportive not only with workouts, but also with diet tips and pacing my workouts so as to not completely wipe me out. He has also been a good friend and very supportive in helping drive me to progress. I am looking forward to the end of the two years this summer to see just where I am and where I will go from there.

Norman Hill
January 2006

I had never heard of a CrossFit workout until a couple months ago. I have always lifted weights to complement my other athletic interests, but I have never experienced the gains I have made from CrossFit workouts. I had always been able to do a couple pullups, but now I have done 12 and am hoping to do more. Learning how to complete intense, shorter workouts and understanding how to incorporate Olympic style lifts, has made all the difference. CrossFit has given me all the training, attention, and structure I have needed to feel confident, learn new skills, and to make the gains I had been looking for.

Kristen Schriver
February 2004

It is no secret that special operations wreck men's bodies before their time. Meet Nick Nibler and Dave Werner, two hard men with high mileage who decided to reclaim their youthful strength and flexibility. They did it with smart training. Today they can do things most twenty-year-olds are not up to – and they will show you how you can do it too.

Pavel Tsatsouline
Author of The Russian Kettlebell Challenge and Enter the Kettlebell
March 2003