30 Day Challenge Success Stories

Frank Landavazo

2009-12-16T15:04:00.000-08:00

I can still remember the day Frank (pictured left) came to the gym for his first Elements session. He was anxious to begin, but warned me that it had been a while since he last worked out.

High Knees, Fast Feet, Jumping Jacks...and we already had to take our first breather. We attempted several more times to get through the rest of the warm up, but too much time had passed and Frank was spent.

Deciding his only option was personal training we set up a Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday workout schedule. His first visit we did a full body, and nutritional assessment and decided to measure all numbers again 30 days later. He would have to food log seven days a week, and we were only working out 3 out of those 7.

With a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, Frank set out on a 30 day journey full of hard decisions. and gory battles with WOD's. He slowly built up his capacity to blow through the warm up with no break, then right into the workout with no rest. He attacked all weaknesses and made sure nothing got in the way of his goals. It wasn't too long before his co-workers began noticing the changes Frank was going through. Whether it was skipping out on the "All -You -Can -Eat" Indian food buffets, or shedding light upon those who were curious about his new lifestyle Frank has now become Crossfit. He embodies the drive it home, no excuse person who makes it happen for himself. Always ready for more, and pushing himself to expose all weaknesses.

The "After" photo.Which is really the before photo for his new beginning. Congratulations Frank! He lost 20lbs, 8% body fat, countless inches around his body, and best of all he made a lifestyle change during this 30 Day Challenge. Do you have what it takes to change your lifelong habits in 30.

Lory Conte

2009-12-16T15:00:00.000-08:00

"Before taking on the 30 Day Challenge I was active in a 7:00pm Crossfit class but I was still doing push ups on my knees and couldn't crank out a pull up. I had started fiddling around with nutrition after reading Melissa Urban's blog (http://www.urbangetsdiesel.com/) but needed extra help on what was specific to how many blocks I should consume, P/F/C measurements and all of that science-y stuff.

I really really wanted to do a pull up without a band! For about a month before the Challenge the women in my class and I would stay after to work on pull ups but I couldn't get my chin over the bar. I think I relied too much on the band for help and needed more practice on the swing.

Linds found John's blog post about the 30 Day Challenge and knew that she, Jess Kasper and I needed an extra push before the San Antonio Rock n Roll half marathon. We had recently been talking about too many nights of margs, chips and salsa and thought this would be a great opportunity to get back on track and dial into our nutrition. My idea had been to make a goal for us to run the half shirtless but once we figured out that it was probably going to be 40 degrees the morning of the race we thought John's Challenge would be a better solution.

I can do a pull up!!! Even though my max reps is about 3, I'm pretty pumped that I can do even one without a band! Before the Challenge I had tried to do some WODs prescribed but hadn't really succeeded. Throughout the 30 Days John didn't give us an option in what weight to use and now I'm used to grabbing the 30# DBs when before I think I was using the 20s. I'm now prepared to say more of "I can do that" rather than thinking of what substitutions I need to make.

I'd rec recommend the 30 Day Challenge whether it be on your own or with one of the CFC coaches. Thankfully, Jess, Linds and I formed a little support group to get through the days of cravings, bad food temptations and tough workouts but our CFC community has hundreds of different ways of motivation, support and encouragement. I was able to text John whenever I had a question about a post workout meal or even when I was tempted by candy at the office. Anyone who is looking for an extra push or something different should start the 30 Day Challenge today!"

Results:
Lost 2lbs, 3.6% body fat, and 6.75 inches 30 Days.

She added in 2 extra workouts a week with me in addition to training with Coach Crystal.

And she smoked her benchmark workout completing 30 un- assisted pull ups to finish the workout with a minute and a half to spare before the cutoff!

Jessica Kasper

2009-12-16T14:56:00.000-08:00

"Before taking on the 30 Day Challenge, I knew I wasn’t challenging myself enough. I knew every CrossFit workout was still really hard, but I wasn’t seeing much improvement anymore. I stayed in my comfort zone and picked weights that I knew I could do-that didn’t scare me too much. I always did pushups on my knees and was scared to try the heavy stuff. So, Lory, Lindsay and I from Crystal’s 7:00pm class convinced each other to sign up for John’s 30 Day Challenge. I was scared and knew it would be tough, but I also knew that it would be much more fun if all of us did it together.
We formed our own support group and discussed our nutrition ‘wins’ and ‘fails’, and vented about how crazy tough the workouts were. The past 30 days has forced me to reconsider my mental boundaries. I have done so many things that I did not think possible (in each and every workout). John pushed us right out of our comfort zones immediately (we didn’t have a choice), and he never looked back. The workouts were challenging physically (which I was prepared for) but they were just as challenging mentally. This helped me to create new positive internal dialogue during my workouts, and I gained confidence looking back at my achievements. I learned more about eating clean Zone/Paleo nutrition, and I have grown accustomed to this new healthy way to eat. I learned that Halloween, weddings, and other social nights with friends can still be fun even without a single alcoholic drink! I now know how to take my workouts to the next level, and feel better and stronger than I have in years! I lost more pounds, inches, and body fat than I thought possible in 30 days. When I started CrossFit in January 2009, I was 29.5% body fat, 30 days ago I was down to 24.2%, and today I’m 17.7%!! If you’re stuck in a rut with your normal routine, want to finally see some major results, or just need a little extra push to help kick start some new healthy habits, the 30 day challenge is for you. But come ready-it’s no joke!"

Results:
Lost 7.6lbs, 7.5inches, and 6.5% body fat in 30 days.

She added 2 extra workouts a week with me in addition to training with Coach Crystal.

And among the many things Jessica can do well, she is definitely cranking out those pullups!

Lindsay Spurck

2009-12-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

"Before this challenge I was "content" with my fitness level and regime. I was doing Cross Fit twice a week, running four times a week, eating a diet of primarily healthy foods, but I wasn't seeing the results I wanted to.

As a competitive person by nature, I was drawn to Cross Fit because of the ability to compete at each work out. However, I found I wasn't challenging myself as much as I could because of mental barriers I had created. Though I started back in May there were still movements and techniques that were very foreign to me, and I would opt for modified versions to prevent failing at the Rx work out. For example, I would opt to do pull ups with a band because I knew I could get over the bar that way, rather than trying to do them with the kip because I wasn't exactly sure how to do it. This challenge gave me the one on one training and attention I needed to really perfect my form and give me the confidence I needed to excel.

I have seen great results with this challenge, not only in my measurements and the way my clothes are fitting, but primarily in my performance at the gym. I'm doing push ups on toes, chest to ground every time (well, except for maybe Angie) and getting my chin up over the bar on pull ups sans band.

If you're looking to "up your Cross Fit game", I would definitely recommend taking on a 30 day challenge. You'll be pleasantly surprised with how a month of hard work can affect your outlook, your performance, and your figure :)"

Lindsay lost 7.3% body fat, and 4.75 inches from her body in 30 Days.