“Feeling vulnerable is something I have always struggled with ... Every time I have pushed through, I’ve come out a much stronger and more determined person. I anticipate that happening again with the Open.”
Photos courtesy of Rachel Sandle
Everyone’s journey to health and fitness is different.
For Joe Borgisi of Buffalo, N.Y., the road to a healthy lifestyle was steep.
Today, as he sets his sights on competing in his first Open, he is down 187 lb., and is living his new mantra of being “all in.” He has come a long way in just a few short years.
Two years ago, at 32, Borgisi was 5-foot-10 and weighed 520 lb. The husband and father was depressed and had given up on life. When he saw a contest to win a one-week stay at the Biggest Loser Resort in Niagara, N.Y., he reached a turning point. Setting aside his fear of failing, he forced himself to enter the contest, which he ultimately won. He lost 13 lb. during his week at the resort. But more than being thrilled at the weight loss, he suddenly found himself motivated to keep going.
“I found a trainer named Sam Sacco at a local gym,” Borgisi said. “Sam trained me as much as I could afford, which was once a week, and I put in time on my own. From August (2012) until about April (2013), I lost about 60 lb. I was doing OK, but kind of hit a wall when my second child was born in November of 2012.”
“Over the course of about eight months of personal training, he had lost 50 to 60 lb.,” Sacco recalled.
Big numbers, but Sacco, an Army combat veteran, sensed Borgisi had more in him.
“I knew CrossFit would be able to do more for Joe than our one-on-one personal training sessions could,” Sacco said. “I sent him to try out a class at a local affiliate and he really liked it. But I could tell he just wasn’t in it 100 percent.”
Borgisi would soon test his resolve.
In May of 2013, Sacco told Borgisi about WOD for Warriors, held at CrossFit Williamsville. At Sacco’s urging, Borgisi signed up. When he found out the workout was the Hero WOD Murph, he began to have second thoughts.
“Joe decided he didn’t want to do it,” Sacco recalled. “He was afraid it would be too hard for him and he would be embarrassed. I explained to him that this wasn’t about him—it was about something much bigger. It was about sacrificing what you can to honor a fallen hero. Whether you’re first or last would not matter. What matters is that you give everything you can.”
Borgisi was convinced. On Memorial Day in 2013, he took on Murph with Sacco at his side. Through 80 grueling minutes, he not only found the inner strength to finish Murph, but he also found a new sense of purpose in his journey to wellness.
“He rounded the corner on the last stretch of the second mile and he saw an entire crowd of (CrossFit athletes) yelling, cheering and rooting him on,” Sacco said. “I think at that moment, he found where he belonged.”
“Something about that day sparked something in me and I knew that CrossFit was the path I needed to change my life,” Borgisi added. “Since then, I have been all in. I’ve cleaned up my diet and eat mostly paleo. I work out at (Sacco’s affiliate) CrossFit HOD six days per week. I live and breathe CrossFit, so much so that I think I may annoy my wife with the WOD talk!”
Since completing Murph, Borgisi has lost an additional 135 lb. Both he and his wife, Julie, credit his ongoing success to CrossFit and the community of the affiliate.
“Joe had tried the weight-loss journey before, only to have his demons resurface,” Julie said. “The negative thoughts telling him that he couldn’t do it, that he was in over his head, etc. All these things overpowered his desire to become a healthier and happier man, husband and father. My cheering him on from the sidelines wasn’t enough. The support of his family and friends wasn’t enough. He needed a community. The CrossFit HOD community has embraced him and pushed him to success, and for that, I couldn’t be more grateful. I’m excited to see what the future has in store, not only for him, but for our family, as well.”
Borgisi now has his sights set on the 2014 Open. In spite of being nervous about what might come up over the five-week worldwide competition, he is determined to give it his all.
“I am still unable to do a lot of movements (as prescribed) so I was, and still am, skeptical about how much I’ll be able to complete,” Borgisi said. “It feels like I’m putting myself out there and there’s the potential to feel like I’m not good enough or not a real (CrossFit athlete). Feeling vulnerable is something I have always struggled with. However, throughout my journey so far, I’ve had to fight through times when I wanted to give up or run and hide. Every time I have pushed through, I’ve come out a much stronger and more determined person. I anticipate that happening again with the Open.”
Borgisi encourages those who are new to CrossFit and nervous about competing in the Open to just do it.
“Do it! Don’t overthink it,” he said. “Just do it and do the best you can. CrossFit is about community and growing as an individual as well as a collective group. What better way to do that than the Open? As scary as it is to face your fears, there’s no better feeling than the one you get after you crush that fear and prove to yourself that you’re strong enough to move past whatever it is that’s stopping you. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.”
