Jonathan Martin ...in his own words.

Another Painstorm Monday has passed, and again I ask myself, how did I get myself into this? Did I watch ?Fight Club? one too many times?

Joining Crossfit Relentless was not a planned event in my case. Fitness was my avocation 20 years ago, my passion 15 years ago, and more recently an afterthought whenever I could fit it in.  Although my fitness level remained well above average, I lacked the upper end horsepower that motivated me in high school, college, and beyond.  My current life has little room for extra investments of time. A demanding and unpredictable work schedule, two young children at home, and a wife with a professional schedule of her own has left me precious little time to focus on physical fitness. I had resorted to night and weekend runs, and more recently bicycle commuting to maintain my sanity. A close-call on a snowy late-fall night sent me searching again. Prior gym memberships had been wasteful in my experience. The workouts were either one-dimensional constructions of my own, or mind-numbing constructs of trainers who provided me with limited variety, and little in the way of desirable short or long-term results.

I realized pretty quickly that Crossfit was different. The workouts are a masochists dream of pain requiring the mastery of technical skills and relying on the power of the watch and the innate competitive spirit it engenders. I'm constantly challenged to improve my technique performing exercises I'd never seen prior to joining Crossfit. I'm pushed on a daily basis to match the times of my brothers and sisters in pain. In the 3 months since I?ve joined the gym, I've seen the results of the program on benchmark workouts (named WODs) that are a common language of Crossfiters worldwide. I'm hooked!

Most importantly, I've expanded my mental concept of what I am physically capable of doing. I complete workouts I would have dismissed out of hand as impossible 3 months ago. I smile at the post-workout muscular fatigue and discomfort, seeking out stairs at work  to accentuate the burn I'd been missing for so many years. I welcome the 5AM alarm to ensure I make my 6AM WOD. I've done so with compact, efficient, one-hour workouts without injury to my aging frame.

This last point is a tribute to the coaching staff at Relentless. Merle, Glenn, and the rest of the staff do an incredible job walking the fine line between safety and intensity that the workouts require.  The constant oversight that is provided to you as an athlete in this gym is a key component of membership. Their commitment to improving fitness for members is infectious, resulting in constant feedback and support from both the coaching staff and fellow athletes during workouts. It is a great place to work out. And it's not fight club. At least I'm pretty sure it's not.

Jonathan Martin