"We've only been members a few short weeks and I think I have spoken to more people than in the 10 years we were members of the globo gym."
Training shoes and a jump rope aren’t typical birthday gifts for a woman about to turn 70. But for Jean Taylor, who is focused on improving her fitness and mastering double-unders, they are perfect.
Taylor’s husband, Alan, also 70, was more than happy to oblige as he, too, was keen on getting stronger, fitter and faster in an effort to keep up with the “youngsters” at Reebok CrossFit 3D in Manchester, England.
One of the couple’s incentives for keeping fit: their love of scuba diving, a hobby the pair took up in 2001 after retirement.
“I needed to improve my aerobic fitness,” Jean explains. “I was struggling with long surface swims when diving and at one time I had arrived back at the boat so breathless, the captain had to give me oxygen. So I was determined to improve on that.”
The couple tried a globo gym, but grew dissatisfied.
“I had always kept myself as fit as I could, doing lots of running and cycling in the past,” Alan says. “I found out about CrossFit from the Internet and started to do the WOD at the gym, which annoyed the management to the extent that they removed the free weights from the part of the gym I used. At which point we canceled our membership and enrolled in the CrossFit taster class.”
A so-called “taster” class is a free one-hour session offered to newcomers so they can decide if they’d like to commit to on-ramp classes.
The Taylors took tentative steps through CrossFit 3D’s doors in June. Jean’s initial reaction was not exactly favorable, Alan recalls.
“Her first words to me were, ‘Oh I don’t like this,’” Alan says. “And she nearly walked out again.”
But with some persuasion from Alan, the two returned for the on-ramp course and signed up for two classes a week. The Taylors have come a long way since then, recently increasing their membership to unlimited attendance.
“We’ve only been members a few short weeks and I think I have spoken to more people than in the 10 years we were members of the globo gym. There is so much that I love about it; everyone encouraging me and saying ‘well done’ when I’ve only been lifting a fraction of what they do in terms of weights and reps,” Jean says.
“But most of all I love the feeling of belonging and being equal. I don’t think there are any other gyms in the world … where ‘mature’ ladies can work out at the side of younger people and not be looked on as a little strange.”
Alan expressed similar enthusiasm.
“I love the atmosphere and friendliness at the box,” he says. “Everybody is so encouraging and no one thinks any less of you because you are lifting a tenth of what they are. You are recognized, rewarded and encouraged for doing your best.”
Plus, Jean adds, CrossFit falls right in line with keeping up the couple’s appearances.
“Our family and friends are used to us doing what they see as slightly mad things and I think they just say to themselves, ‘Oh, Alan and Jean are at it again!’ and leave us to it,” she says. “But whatever they think, I want to be fit for anything life throws at me, so I don’t mind them thinking I’m slightly mad.”
