Brenda Glidden... in her own words

70lbs heavier and size 16

37 lbs lighter and a size 10

It has been about 2 months since I started training at Crossfit Relentless in West Hartford. In years past, I swam competitively at the USA, Junior National, Division I and Masters levels. During most of my childhood and young adult life, I identified myself as being an athlete. However, as time passed, Graduate school, family and working as a 2nd Grade teacher caused me to lose that aspect of myself. My weight and motivation have yo-yoed as well.

I have worked out at many gyms in the area and attended many classes such as Spinning, Boot Camp, Body Pump... none of these classes sparked my athletic interest nor did I come close to achieving the level of fitness I had enjoyed in my youth. Frankly, I was resigned to being heavy, bored and uninspired.

After joining Crossfit Relentless, I feel like I have taken my inner athlete back! Merle has supported and encouraged me to push myself and rethink what I thought was adequate fitness for a 37 year old woman. The workouts are dynamic, challenging and always different; the fast pace and variety keeps me inspired and motivated.

I am down 37 pounds in approximately 2 months! My strength, stamina, cardiovascular health, and and overall energy level have increased tremendously.

I love being a part of a team of diverse people who cheer for each other's accomplishments -- whether they are the most elite athlete at the gym or someone who is experiencing their first Crossfit workout. Working out with all the great people in our group classes is making the journey fun! Crossfit Relentless is a place where everyone is treated like an athlete and trained like an athlete at their individual starting point.

The individualized instruction and continual guidance from the coaches make me feel like a valued member of the team. I couldn't have accomplished what I have without Merle, Tony, Glenn, and Joe -- being able to rely on the expertise of the Crossfit trainers is an invaluable part of the Crossfit Relentless experience. The trainers don't just guide me through my daily workouts, they provide me inspiration and motivation to continually improve and push myself to levels of athleticism that I wouldn't have been able to even imagine on my own.

I can't thank Merle and the CrossFit Relentless team enough for welcoming me aboard and helping spark that fire I once had for fitness, and for helping me achieve goals I thought were no longer possible. I can't wait to see where my fitness will be in a year from now!

Update...it is now June 2010 and Brenda has lost about 70lbs and is now a size 4!