I had tried CrossFit in the past, but had been away from it for several months. This spring I had been thinking of joining again, and my roommate saw a post online about a new CrossFit gym in Lawrencville which hadn’t even opened yet. The timing was perfect! I joined with the first wave of members in May. (Editor’s Note: Camille was Arsenal member #2, thanks for sticking around!!!)
I was a bit nervous to restart CrossFit since I had been away for so long and remembered the workouts being intense. Fortunately, Brooks was very patient and the rest of the crew was very welcoming. During our first classes, there were only two or three members at the 6am class, but everyone was friendly from the get go, and most looked as nervous to start as I was. Quickly I realized there was nothing intimidating about the environment and that let me relax and enjoy the classes.
As Summer continued the group at Arsenal continued to grow little by little, and everyone is friendly and just there to workout and have fun. I’ve gotten more comfortable with the workouts and look forward to the 6am class every day. It has been great to see the Saturday team workouts grow from 3 or 4 members to 12 or more.
I love so many things about CrossFit. The best part for me is the community – knowing that the group will be there to cheer me on, or to persevere through tough workouts with me. I am excited to have gotten stronger over the past couple of months. My goal for 2015 is to finally get a strict pull up! While I’m at it, I’m aiming for 5 strict pull ups by the end of the year.
I’ve had some great times at Arsenal, but my favorite memory was the last Labor Day WOD, where so many of us got together to workout for mental health awareness after a member of another gym lost her life to suicide.