ANNETTE
Scott and Karen - I feel that I need to express my thanks to both of you! Upon first joining CrossFit Incognito in April of this year, I had zero confidence in myself, not very flexible, and was barely able to complete a workout without feeling completely exhausted. Everything in the beginning was very challenging for me! I couldn't do an unassisted pull-up, wall handstand, or even a squat with proper form. Through excellent coaching and hard work everything began to fall into place. I feel so much better about myself and am in the best shape of my life. My blood pressure was 160/90 and now a few months later it is 101/60! Everyday now I am feeling stronger and willing to accept the new challenges that CF has to offer!!
My CF Incognito teammates are also pretty amazing too! Nothing but encouragement and positive words are ever exchanged here. I am so glad that I decided to join because it is a decision that I will never regret!! Thanks again Karen, Scott and all of my teammates I couldn't have done it without everyone.
lori
One year ago on February 18, 2013, I walked into Relentless Athletic and changed my life. I knew I was ready to make some changes in regard to my health and fitness and was trying out yet another place to see if I might fit in. What I found was a group of people half my age (most of them) that welcomed me as I had never felt welcomed before. My coach, Scott, and all the members encouraged me and helped me scale and modify to be able to complete workouts. I'll never forget the day that Scott called me an "athlete" - who knew I had it in me? Evidently he and my other teammates did Our other coach, Karen, joined our gym about halfway through my first year and has been a great addition to our community! I've been blessed to have Scott and Karen working with me as I continue on my journey to good health. I've also been so lucky to have such a wonderful group of people to workout with everyday - without my team mates sweating it out beside me I'm not sure I'd make it through some days - you couldn't ask for better than those that show up and work so hard!! I've been able to set some PRs; 265 deadlift, 9 double-unders in a row, 185lb back squat, and lots of other great things!! So excited to see what next year brings... and oh yeah, I'm going to be 50 in August and I AM a Relentless Athlete!!!
Lori's second testimonial ; )
I started with Relentless Athletics in February of 2013; in 2014, the gym became Crossfit Incognito and moved to its’ current location in the Chillicothe Fitness and Racquetball Club. I’ve provided updates on my success and feel good about how far I’ve come although my journey is a continuous one as I strive to be the healthiest me I can be. On July 5, 2014, my husband and I were involved in a motorcycle accident. We came out of the accident with both of us having a broken left ankle and a number of scrapes and burns. My husband’s break/dislocation ended up requiring surgery and a number of plates and pins. Mine was a non-displaced fracture and due to road rash on my leg was lucky to be put right into a boot without having to wear a hard cast. I ended up having to be non-weight bearing for three months and required to utilize crutches or a scooter to get around. I didn’t make it to the gym the first two weeks after the accident and then decided the time was here to get back to it. The first day back I was welcomed with smiles, hugs and genuine concern from my gym mates. I ended up doing a workout that was different from the rest of the gym and it just didn’t feel right. After that first day, my coaches, Karen and Scott, worked with me to modify and scale the workouts so I could be part of the group working out and not feel as if I were different. Some days were more challenging than others but I muddled through and finally I was able to leave the boot behind. The first day I was full weight bearing with no boot I set a personal record for a deadlift of 300# - an increase of 25# that was set prior to the accident. I know that without having been doing Crossfit prior to the accident there was no way I could have recovered and cared for my husband, our house, our animals, and myself in the way that I did. It provided me with the strength and mindset to persevere and just do whatever was needed. That is what we train for everyday – functional fitness – you never know when that functional fitness ability is going to be impacted and I’m just so glad every day that I had already been working on my healthiest me. Whenever I invite people to join me at the gym usually the first thing I hear is, “oh, I have to get in shape first before I can try that” – this is the farthest thing from the truth there is. Crossfit Incognito is the place to start where you are and build from there. It’s all about being the healthiest “you” that you can be – it doesn’t matter what anyone else’s abilities are. Please take the time to invest in yourself and come join us for a class, first three are no charge so you can participate and see what we do! Try it – I’m sure you’ll get as hooked on it as I am. Hope to see you soon!
Jill
Scott and Karen,Thank you both so much for everything that you have done for me in the little amount of time we've known each other. You guys are unbelievable, I have never felt more welcome by anyone like I have at CrossFit Incognito. The people, the surroundings, and everything in between are amazing. You guys have helped out tremendously with my form and my overall athletic abilities, causing me to gain a lot more confidence in myself. I've gained a new family here and I couldn't ask for better coaches or athletes to surround myself around. Thank you everyone at Incognito for encouraging, pushing, motivating, and inspiring me to be the best that I can be in and outside of the box! :)
Aaron
3 months ago when I found CrossFit Incognito I was in the darkest place I had ever been. I began doing CrossFit in January of 2013 at a non-affiliate and have been absolutely in love with it from day one. In March of 2014 I suffered a back injury that would put me out of commission for the majority of the next 4 months. Every physician treating this injury told me it was time to give up CrossFit and start a “safer” routine at the gym. After hearing this over and over, I was close to giving it up for good. The thought of never doing CrossFit ever again and constant pain led to depression. On a positive note, I was blessed to have the support of my coach and peers from my local box. One of those friends, Annette, had been going to CrossFit Incognito for about 4 months and continued to sing the praises of coaches and the athletes that trained there. Annette shared my story with her coaches and they urged her to invite me to a class so we could talk about rehabbing my back. At this point I was willing to try anything. I remember dropping in on my first WOD at Incognito and I was welcomed with open arms from not only Scott and Karen, but the members as well. After the WOD, Scott talked to me for half an hour about things that I could do to strengthen my back. He shared his own story of back problems and how he worked to recover from those issues. At this point, I had known Scott and Karen for close to an hour and hadn’t paid them a cent, but yet they were willing to take the time to help me. I soon learned that this what you get every time you step into CrossFit Incognito. The atmosphere is welcoming, encouraging and a ton of fun.
Jarrod
I can't say enough about my experience with Crossfit Incognito.
I used to be able to say I worked out and ate well and enjoyed it and all that fun stuff. Looking back, I was just plain wrong about all of that. I didn't work out hard enough. It wasn't structured or based in science or even all that fun. I didn't know enough about food to even know what eating well meant. In retrospect, I can tell that I was avoiding difficult workouts because I didn't want to fail, and I didn't want others to see me fail.
Wow, even writing that makes me realize how far I've come. Because now I fail every day. And everyone sees it. And I love it.
I have to admit, the idea of Crossfit was really scary to me. What if I can't do this? What if I can't do that? What if I puke? WHAT IF I DIE?? I like to think everyone has these thoughts. If I had known how satisfying it is to work out with great people like this - to do really, really hard shit every day while being supported and cheering your teammates on - I would have started a long, long time ago. But here I am, right now, almost a year in, doing it and getting better every day. We all have to start somewhere.
Now I eat well, I sleep well, and I feel great. My life is changed. It doesn't happen fast, but it really is a lifestyle. And all of a sudden, people start saying weird things to you that you never heard before, like "oh my God look at your arms," or writing "#datass" on your Instagram posts.
And a little on the coaches: Aside from all of the great support and guidance we get from Scott and Karen, they really do remind me of that old football maxim - that a team will take on the personality of its coach. Scott and Karen foster an atmosphere of endless support and love. Everyone at our box is so friendly and fun, and we challenge ourselves to be great just like our coaches do. We share healthy recipes and joke about life and feel just as proud of each others' accomplishments as we do of our own. It is a great feeling.
My only apprehension in writing this testimonial was the timing of the whole thing. Since I see improvement every day, why not write it in a month when I can handstand walk 10 feet? Why not three months when I can deadlift 350 pounds, or in a year when I can box jump my house? But that's the point. There will always be milestones and achievements. They keep coming. Believe me, they keep coming. And it is so satisfying.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a WOD to get to.
Brandi
Before joining CrossFit Incognito, I already held a membership with a box near Cincinnati. While CrossFit Incognito is a smaller box, I have gained much more going there only once a week versus going to the box in Cincinnati three to four times a week. I can always count on one-on-one attention from Karen and Scott to correct my form and motivate me to keep going when I feel like I want to give up. All of the members are so supportive and welcoming and I have loved bonding with them. Each week I look forward to kicking ass with the Incognito Army and I always wish I could stay longer than an hour. The workouts, the coaches, and the people keep me coming back for more.