Robert Prentice

- 02/03/2011

CrossFit Threshold! What can I say – it has become a real family affair for us and the benefits are fantastic. An integral part of our daily lives.

It all began back at the start of the Summer break of 2010. I had said to my 14 year old son Byron, that I did not want him sitting around the entire Summer break eating junk food and playing computer games and insisted that he get involved in some kind of physical activity on a regular basis. A friend of Byron’s had been attending classes at CrossFit Threshold along with his mom and dad, so we decided to go along and see what this ‘crossfit stuff’ was all about.

We arrived halfway through a 6:30 class one evening, that was being given by Chris Holt. We watched a group of folks who, to an unenlightened ‘old codger’ like myself, looked like they were all trying to ‘kill’ themselves. I immediately said to my son, ‘this is just what you need to whip you into shape’. (Now you need to understand my concerns here!! Byron was a 14 year old kid, just a hair short of 6 ft. and closing in on 200 lbs. at an alarming rate! He was also not actively involved in regular sport at the time.)

We introduced ourselves to Chris after the class was over and whilst Byron was looking around, I discussed my concerns with regard to my son and tried to explain what I was looking for. I was very impressed with Chris’ receptiveness and professional response to my questions. He explained the principles and process involved in CrossFit and assured me that he could ‘deliver’! ( This was beginning to look like I might just have found a solution – this fellow seemed to know what he was talking about!!)

Needless to say, we persuaded Byron to attend the elements classes and got him started ‘on the road to physical recovery’. Initially we had to ‘push & shove’ to get Byron to attend classes – bit of a mission. It was about this time that the rest of the story began to unfold.

About a month after Byron had started, my wife decided to try this ‘CrossFit’ thing out, primarily as an incentive to keep my son going. The next thing I knew, I had two of my family members ‘on my back’ nagging me to get involved in CrossFit and in a short while was myself a victim of the elements class. (Could not walk for a week!)

To be honest, I really did need to get started in some regular physical activity. (The elements class proved that!) Whilst not excessively overweight by American standards, my level of fitness had declined quite significantly since moving to the USA from South Africa some years back. The South African lifestyle is generally an active outdoor one and living at the coast, we were always on the beaches, involved in all of the water sports – scuba diving, windsurfing, water skiing, surf lifesaving, etc. I competed in 4 day canoe and surf-ski marathons, cycling marathons and other crazy endurance events on a fairly regular basis as well. We never had to concern ourselves with weight or fitness issues.

I was unfortunately involved in a helicopter accident which put me out of action for close on a year. Whilst not suffering any permanent damage, the injuries to my back resulted in me being unable to walk at all for about four months and then another four to five months before I could walk without the aid of walking sticks etc. The accident set me back physically and it was a long slow climb back to being relatively active again, but never to the same level as I had been before the accident. ( Where was CrossFit when I needed it?!)

Long story, but now six months later, there are four of us attending classes at CrossFit Threshold – my wife, my son, my eldest daughter and myself. The benefits have been amazing. I have lost 30 pounds, adhering strictly to the Paleo diet – am almost at the same weight that I was when I was in college; my blood pressure is way down; cholesterol within limits; a lot fitter than I was when I started – still a long way to go before I can challenge the likes of Chris, Tony, Lish, Rey, Adri and the rest of the ‘strongmen & women’ crossfitters. (Hey, there is no harm in setting your goals high is there!?!!) My son has lost weight, is a lot fitter and is gaining strength every week. I am no longer able to keep up with him. He watches what he eats, has gained in self confidence and is generally a lot happier with himself. For political reasons, I am not at liberty to disclose statistics regarding my wife and daughter, for fear of major retribution. Needless to say, they have both lost weight, gained in strength and have benefitted greatly from attending classes at CrossFit Threshold.

In closing, all I can say is that if there is anyone out there who is at all hesitant at ‘taking the plunge’ and getting started – just do it – you will be amazed at the benefits. At 57 years of age, I can definitely vouch for that!

A sincere thank you to Chris, Lish, Tony, Rey and Adri for all of their enthusiasm, professionalism, patience, encouragement, guidance, persistence and everything else that they do that makes CrossFit Threshold the great place that is.