Manayunk Athletics / CrossFit Manayunk

Reviews 3

UL

Ulysses Williams

Value, community, and personal growth. These words describe my experience at CFMY. Although my wife and I had to leave, I still participate, vicariously, through violating several copyrights laws by appropriating/ stealing their workouts and doing them elsewhere. Discussing the workouts is the proper place to begin my disquisition of CFMY. We all want value. We want to get our moneys worth, or more colloquially, the most bang for our buck. CFMY is a maverick in the cross fit community because of its approach to giving its clients value. Most boxes easily spend 20-30 mins of your allotted 60 mins stretching/ "warming up"/ and talking or explaining. This leaves 30 mins for a combination of lifting (which takes 20 mins to become effective), and possibly a short met-con. If we do some minor math, on average, it costs $160-200 a month for unlimited cross fit. A class is 60 mins, and most boxes spend half of that time, or $80-100 of your money, doing stuff you can do at home. I can already hear the chorus decrying my comment by insisting how important mobility and stretching are. They are quite right, however one can, and should, do that on their own time because time is money. At CFMY, you workout as close to 60 mins as possible because you "warm up" on your own time before class and are welcome to cool down after class. Although I miss the community here as I was forced to move away, I STILL do the workouts! The programming here has no equal in any box I have been to. It is challenging and helps you grow as a person. It may sound corny, but these workouts FORCE you, on a daily basis, to confront self-doubt, fear, and pain. With the help of the coaches and the community, over time you learn to push through the distress. You begin to learn the difference between physical pain and mental anguish. There is something wonderful about this community because at least 3 new boxes owe their genesis to CFMY. This box has also has minted an impressive number of coaches that have embraced and promulgate the "CFMY way." In this "can do" culture and community of students, military officers, police officers, teachers, lawyers, engineers, physicians, artists and mathematicians, you learn to stop looking at the challenge in its entirety. Even the most daunting task becomes distilled to a series of steps that require you to put your head down and dig in. I believe the workouts are difficult and challenging, but they are instrumental in helping to build confidence is other aspects of your life. A daily routine of setting difficult goals, then exceeding these goals, breeds a confidence that necessarily infects other areas of your life. The skills and mental fortitude you develop within these walls, in this community, will permeate all aspects of your life. You will feel happier, more energetic, your clothes will look better, you will have better sex, more sex, be more confident. Most importantly, you will develop an unshakable belief in your own prowess. David, Ana, & Paul do a fantastic job in helping you achieve whatever goal you set for yourself. In sum, I can say, without any reservation, that Crossfit Manayunk is a box that reflects positively on the Crossfit community as a whole.

LA

Lauren Weiss

I have been a member of Crossfit Manayunk since July of 2011 and I have been reaping the benefits of it ever since. As a Lupus patient there are some people who think Im crazy for doing crossfit, my own mom was one of them. I can happily say that today my doctor shared with me the best lab results that Ive had since my diagnosis 7 years ago. I have been refusing all high toxic medication treatments and have successfully used my diet and exercise to stabilize my disease. It was such a great feeling to tell my Dr that I havent been taking all of my meds and Im doing better than ever before. It was even more comforting to have him agree that sometimes all it takes it a healthy lifestyle to get "better". I encourage everyone who has any negative perceptions of crossfit to put yourself to the test and see the amazing effects it can have on your body both physically and mentally. Yes I may still have to take medication every day but its nothing compared to what other Lupus patients are going through. As an EMT Ive seen Lupus patients who can barely get out of bed each day and thanks to CFMY I am blessed to say that I am in the best shape of my life. So for anyone who thinks that lifting is bad for you or that crossfit is too intense, I am living proof that this crazy thing called crossfit can do some pretty amazing things for your body. Yes, our workouts are hard and there are days when I feel like I can barely walk. But I always go back. My body continues to adjust and become stronger each day. There are always good days and bad days but there are people there to help push you through. Although I may never be as good at crossfit as Id like to be, Im stronger than I ever thought Id be and continuing to improve. The best part about crossfit is that it will never be easy. Although certain things may get easier over time there are always things to improve on and thats what keeps me motivated. I have no doubt that crossfit will continue to improve my Lupus symptoms and overall quality of life. No matter how crappy I may feel I can always count on a wod to give me the energy and stress relief that I crave every day. Despite what some may believe, exercise is highly encouraged for symptoms of arthritis and muscle fatigue. Ive been extremely active my entire life but it was not until this year that I believe I have reached a new level of being fit. My recent lab results are just additional proof. I highly encourage anyone is who on the fence about joining crossfit to do yourself a favor and let crossfit work its wonders on you. As long as you put in the time and effort you will not be disappointed. ANYONE can do crossfit. I am proud to say that my once apprehensive mom just competed in her first crossfit competition. You are never too old, never too weak, never too inexperienced and never too unhealthy to do crossfit. Dave and the rest of the coaches will be there to help you every step of the way to help you achieve your fitness goals. Thanks to Ana and Dave for all you do and to the rest of CFMY for your endless love and support.

LE

Leslie Weller

I have tried many gyms, yoga studios and spinning classes and whatnot over the years but nothing has been as effective, as challenging or as fun as Crossfit Manayunk! From the moment I stepped through the doors, I liked the fact that everyone works out at a high intensity but at their own level. Movements and weights are all scalable to you and your needs. Theres no judgement or patronizing trainers here... working out at CFMY is very much like training with a team, complete with personal attention, goal setting and encouragement from coaches and fellow athletes. As someone who always had a coach and teammates growing up, I have struggled in other gyms and settings with motivating myself, setting goals, and staying on track. I would get bored with “cardio”, zumba, spinning, kickboxing, and yoga classes. Playing soccer for 30-45minutes a week in a recreational league is a lot fun, but it’s not going to make me stronger, faster or fit! At CFMY, I have found amazing head coaches in David Lee and Paul Archambault, as well as this entire “fitness family” of coaches and friends who continue to push and guide me in reaching my goals. The WOD’s (workout of the day) are different everyday so I’m never bored. I am stronger, faster and more fit and it just takes showing up and doing the work as the plan is completely laid out! Every day, I look forward to getting to CFMY whereas I don’t think I ever actually WANTED to go to kickboxing/zumba/spin… A lot of people have expressed concerns to me about the cost but the truth is… it’s much cheaper than personal training which is what it basically is. Its not the same as just “belonging” to another gym. Did I mention that I LOVE going to CFMY. I have NEVER felt that way about any other gym I have belonged to and globo gyms aren’t always cheap anyway! So the truth is that it is absolutely worth it to belong to a place where I know I will show up, have some fun, and do the work! I have been a member since Sept 2011 and am still surprising myself on a pretty consistent basis. In the beginning, I could barely get through 10 push-ups, definitely could not do any pull ups, and had surprising anxiety about being upside down in a handstand. Now I’m conquering those random fears of inversion and, consistently (and safely) putting up weights I never would even consider trying in regular gym, doing pull-ups (one at a time but hey), and I finally climbed a rope. I have NEVER climbed a rope... in my life... before CFMY! You will work hard here! But you will see results and progress... You will challenge yourself and surprise yourself. And you will probably have a lot of fun doing it!!!

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