member spotlight: katie and caleb huffman

Katie 

 I first fell in love with CrossFit in college. It was a fun way to get exercise, meanwhile making friends and having some fun competition. This was at the time that CrossFit had the bad reputation of people getting hurt. My now husband (Hi Caleb!) convinced me that this was something that was dangerous and I should do something not so risky.  

Fast forward to 2017, moved to Columbus and Caleb had this random idea that we should try a CrossFit gym. I immediately was on board for this, so we casually attended CrossFit classes, and enjoyed our time in the gym. Now it is summer of ’19 and we just had moved to Clintonville, (aka the best place to live in Columbus), and wanted a gym that was close, so we decided to try the one we could easily walk to. I emailed the gym, and anxiously attended a trial class to see what this place was all about. I am pretty sure it was the worst day I could have picked to try- rowing and running sprint intervals, and I thought to myself I AM NOT fit enough to come back to this place. But I mustered up the courage to come back for another class, (I even got Caleb to come) and there the addiction began.  

This is the busiest year I could ever imagine- working full time and going to grad school full time with clinicals in another state, but No. Matter. What. I fandangle time to come to class. CrossFit is what keeps me sane right now, and the fact that I get to enjoy it with Caleb is a bonus!! The community here is unparallel. Every day there are new movements to conquer and someone’s time to chase. There are endless new friends to discuss how horrible the workout was, and endless people cheering you on while finishing a tough workout!  

Caleb

There was a period in my life where I felt like I lived and breathed bodybuilding.  I’d count macros, watch tons of educational YouTube videos, and consistently plan my workouts 5+ days a week.  I was structured, with the sole intention of packing on muscle.  I wanted to get completely yoked.   

 Like most bodybuilders, I found myself hating the entire idea of CrossFit.  The concept of paying 100+ dollars a month, doing things “as fast as possible”, kipping, not allowing adequate muscle recovery, etcetera, just really didn’t sit well with me.  In fact, I remember having an immature argument with Katie (who was doing CrossFit at the time) about how asinine CrossFit was.  I was so pushy, in fact, that she even quit CrossFit, even though she thoroughly enjoyed it.  I really was a horrible boyfriend.  It wasn’t until I moved to Columbus with Katie that I began to entertain the idea of CrossFit.  

The truth is, bodybuilding became mundane.  I constantly found myself being unexcited to go to the gym, which quickly translated to me not going at all.  After much deliberation, Katie and I found a 24/7 CrossFit gym near our home in Gahanna.  After going to a few classes, I quickly realized how much fun it could be to suffer through workouts with other people.  Also, it quickly became evident that I would not be getting bored with CrossFit.  It always seemed to keep me on my toes.  

After about 2 years, Katie and I moved to Clintonville and found CrossFit Clintonville. We were a little intimidated to go to our first few classes but we are oh so thankful that we did.  We immediately felt right at home and started to develop genuine relationships with several others there!  Also, despite my previous beliefs about CrossFit, there is a huge encouragement on quality form and proper movement mechanics.  I’m also a big fan of Brian’s famous “bodybuilding Thursday” classes.  And although I still believe bodybuilding is better for building muscle, I can ensure you that you can build muscle with CrossFit.  (I am perfectly willing to sacrifice having obnoxiously huge biceps in order to be athletic and feel overall healthy)  I also love CrossFit because it significantly improves my athleticism, muscular endurance, cardiac health, and overall well-being.  And most importantly, I love the community.  There is nothing better than a shared human experience.  These are a few of the reasons why I love Crossfit Clintonville! 

 IN SUMMARY:  

1.) Come to CrossFit...even though you might feel uncomfortable, you won’t regret it. 2.) Swallow your pride.  Lift weights that are lighter than your wife.  Work on quality reps while maintaining a high-heart rate.  Scale movements that work FOR YOU. 3.) Be sure to make friends!  Please say hi!  I am typically that obnoxious one yelling some absurdities in the class...