“It’s amazing watching new people get results and our coaches are great about giving everyone the one-on-one attention they need that will mean they can achieve great things.”
While CrossFit boxes may be similar across the world in terms of the setup, the coaching and the community atmosphere, each has its own flavor. At Adapt CrossFit in Canberra, Australia, there is a genuine passion for helping normal, everyday people achieve more than they thought they could.
Owned by Ben and Rebecca Warren, this is a place where real people work really hard. They believe in people leaving their egos at the door, and it shows.
On 13.3, members took on the combo of wall balls, double-unders and muscle-ups. The more advanced CrossFitters spread themselves out among the heats, jumping in alongside less experienced competitors. There were no egos about going in the ‘best’ heat.
Chris Millroy finished with a score of 243. Last year in 12.4, he didn’t get past the wall balls.
“Those wall balls were all mental. Your brain will try to force you to give up, and you just can’t let it win,” he says.
Millroy has been doing CrossFit for about a year.
“I like the closeness. We’re all tight and you get to know everyone so well,” he says.
“It’s amazing watching new people get results and our coaches are great about giving everyone the one-on-one attention they need that will mean they can achieve great things.”
Millroy says one of the things he loves the most is seeing strong women do well in CrossFit.
“Not just in our box, but around the world, there are girls doing it better than the men in some instances, and it’s amazing to see.”
The box has grown from 50 to 180 members since it opened 18 months ago.
“We became an affiliate in 2009, starting out in a garage and then moving to the back of a church meeting room, and then our own purpose-built premises,” Rebecca says.
Ben, who has a background in the Army and graphic design, is currently sitting in the 325th spot on the Australia Leaderboard after 13.3.
“My aim is just to stay in the top 10-percent in Australia, but it’s about my members, not me. If seeing me in the game inspires them, then that’s good,” Warren says.
“Our members are mostly just everyday people. Yes, we have a few ex-football players, gymnasts and gym junkies, but they are the exception. We take everyday people and make them better, turning the ‘average Joe’ into an athlete and a better human being.”
Single mom, Louisa Hou, has a max deadlift of 125 kg after less than two years of training. She first started at Adapt for one reason: the babysitting.
She’s now one of the box’s standout women, with a passion for Olympic lifting.
“My cousins were coming here and offered to look after my 4-year-old while I trained. So it all started from there,” Hou says.
Hou has been consistently working on her weaknesses.
“I don’t have muscle-ups yet, so I reached 240 on 13.3,” she says. “My goal is to qualify as an individual next year, but the standard gets better each year.”
Sarah Cavanagh has been an Adapt member for 12 months, but traveled around Australia for five of those.
“I dropped into other boxes across Australia and that was an awesome experience,” she says. “Everyone is so welcoming, but each has their characteristics, as well.
“CrossFit Newcastle has that star factor, while CrossFit Brisbane has an absolutely amazing facility, then you have CrossFit Ballina who are all about their community, they even run special classes for disadvantaged kids, and held at least two fundraisers in the short time I was there.”
Scoring 240 on 13.3, after trying three times to get a muscle-up during the last minute of the workout, Cavanagh is realistic, but says she likes to think she could be an athlete.
“Whether or not I make it to that level, being here at this box makes me feel like I can get there,” she says. “My gym makes me feel like an athlete, and it’s the best feeling ever.”
