Tell us a bit about yourself and how long you’ve been at Calibrated.

I’m 13 years old.  I’m in 8th grade at Nagel Middle School.  I have a 15 year old brother Charlie and a 9 year old brother, Tucker.  I play lacrosse for the Blue Jays and played football first through seventh grade.  I have been at Calibrated since June, 2016.

 

What made you want to start training at Calibrated?

My mom.  I decided I didn’t want to play football in 8th grade and my mom got really nervous about the idea of me coming home from school everyday with nothing to do.  She worried about me not having anything physical in my day if I didn’t play football, or any fall sport. We stopped by Calibrated one day in June.

 

What’s your favorite part of the gym?

Everything.  It is my favorite place to be.  I like how friendly everyone is and how encouraging they are.  I like that I don’t have to compete with anyone but myself and just work on improving.

 

How do you motivate yourself to come to the gym, even if you’re tired, sore, busy, etc.?

I’m always motivated to go to the gym.  I have never asked not to go.  I get upset if there is a reason I can’t go.  I am never too sore, too tired, or too busy, it is where I want to be.

 

What are your favorite movements?

I like cleans and pull ups.

 

What are your goals for your training – short term and/or long term?

My short/long term goals are just to keep improving.  I can’t wait until I am 14 and I can officially register for the Open next year.  A couple of my goals right now are mastering double unders, handstand push ups and I really want to get a muscle up.

 

What are you most proud of achieving since starting at Calibrated?

I’m proud at how much I have changed physically but also mentally.  I started with not being able to do one pull up and now I can get ten.  I didn’t even know what a handstand push up was and now I can do a couple.  My fitness level has improved so much.  I have even changed my diet.  My vegetable consumption isn’t great but I have changed my eating habits pretty significantly.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how long you’ve been at Calibrated.

My name is Terra and I’m a stay-at-home Mom to two beautiful girls and a very active puppy. My husband, Michael, and I just celebrated our 10 year anniversary last summer. Woohoo! I’m 39 years old, going on about 14. At least, that’s what I feel like…maturity and energy wise. Haha! I started at Calibrated almost exactly two years ago. I knew after my first on-ramp session that I would be doing this for the rest of my life. Or until my body won’t let me anymore…I won’t go down without a fight. I have always been average at absolutely every active thing I’ve been involved in. And, in CrossFit, I’m still pretty average. But, the difference between all those other activities and CrossFit is that I’m super pumped about being average! I feel accomplished after every workout because I’m pushing myself every time and doing the best that I can do.

 

What made you want to start training at Calibrated?

I had been “working out” on the elliptical for about 13 years and I just knew that it was time for a change. I kept hearing how important it is for people, and especially women, to do strength training. I knew, though, that I couldn’t just pick up a barbell and start lifting without knowing the proper form. I needed training. My daughter, Bridget, was taking Irish dancing classes in the same building on Saturdays and I would see Calibrated’s Saturday class doing some crazy things, sweating profusely, and cheering each other on. After seeing that a few times, I knew I just had to be a part of it.

 

What’s your favorite part of the gym?

My favorite part of the gym is the people…The coaches and all my gym mates!

The coaches are amazing! They are all so supportive and they all have taught me so much. They are always pushing me to getter better and stronger, but have always kept my safety in mind too. Plus, they are all such wonderful people. I love coming in and getting to know them more each week.

I come every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. And, sometimes, I get to come on Saturdays. So, I have met a good deal of the people that come to Calibrated. I can’t believe how many good, kind-hearted people come to the same gym! I get so excited to come to Calibrated because I get to workout with these wonderful people. They have inspired me to work harder. They have taught me to be more confident. The friendships that I have gained from my past two years at Calibrated mean so much to me.

The coaches and the members at Calibrated are the reason why I have become a permanent fixture at the gym. I feel so blessed to be a part of it.

 

How do you motivate yourself to come to the gym, even if you’re tired, sore, busy, etc.?

The first thing I told myself before I even started at Calibrated was that it was non-negotiable. So, all my appointments would have to be scheduled around my workouts. That way, I couldn’t ever use the excuse that I’m too busy.

When I’m tired and I would just rather sit and drink my coffee, I just remind myself that after each workout I’ve never said to myself “I wish I had stayed home and not worked out”. I am always so happy after the workouts…happy I did the workout, happy because of all those wonderful endorphins, happy I am one day stronger.

If I’m sore, I am even more motivated to come in. After working out at Calibrated those first few weeks I realized that training helped relieve the soreness. Otherwise, I was sitting around for a few days waiting for the soreness to go away.

 

What are your favorite movements?

The deadlift is one of my favorite movements. It’s the one barbell movement where I’ve seen consistent results. I recently had a 2 rep max of 145lbs. I was super excited. Arjuna gave the class some tips on deadlift technique and my max went up by 20lbs.

Cleans are really fun, but I’m still working on getting under the bar faster, so my max hasn’t moved much.

I like most of the gymnastics movements. I just strung together 3 toes to bar for the first time last week. That was very exciting!!

 

What are your goals for your training -short term/long term?

A few goals of mine are: to figure out the freaking snatch already, to escape the whippings of the double-unders, and to give as much back to Calibrated and its members as it has given to me.

What are you most proud of achieving since starting at Calibrated?

I am most proud of getting my family excited about fitness. In the past year, my husband and my mother have started strength training. They are both so excited to go workout now, whereas before they were very sporadic in their gym visits. And my girls are already starting to ask when they can start CrossFit. I’m so very excited!

Coach’s note: We are so proud of Larry’s progress and have found his hard work and motivated spirit to be such a positive influence on everyone around him. Keep it up Larry – we are supporting you!

My Calibrated Journey

By Larry Stalica

It has been hard to take that I will be approaching my 40^th birthday next June.  I have always been athletic but carried around a few extra pounds.  I was fortunate to grow up in Brocton NY, the home town of the 1980 winner of the worlds strongest man and power lifting legend Don Reinhoudt.  I lifted my first weights in the small garage gym that Don and several professional athletes trained in.  Don was very generous with his time and got me hooked on power lifting, I was a stand out high school football player and collegiate athlete.   Working out was always a big part of my life.  After college I continued to powerlift and compete in several AAUP sanctioned events, winning several in my age group.   It seems like it was so long ago as I struggle to even remember the weights I was capable of.  I do remember my last competition putting up a total of 1700 lbs for the win.  I still have the dusty trophy stored away in the basement.   After I completed my undergrad and masters training I worked as a Healthcare Executive with a passion for Artificial Heart and Transplant therapies.  My weight and fitness slowly started to get away from me.  In 2011, I began to take my fitness a bit more serious again.  I had worked with a personal trainer and was beginning to see some significant changes in my conditioning and appearance.   I had slimmed down to 250 pounds and was biking 100 miles a week on top of 5 daily workouts.  I was feeling great and had seen significant results!  Not long after my 35^th birthday things fell apart for me physically.  I had been slowly losing mobility in my left hip after years of abuse.  I will never forget the day after a long bike ride along Wrightsville Beach in Wilmington NC my left hip suddenly locked up.  I saw an orthopedic surgeon immediately and was told I needed a total left hip replacement!  This procedure was done through a minimum invasive approach, and I was back playing tennis and competed in my first triathalon in no time.   I was as good as new for about six months until one day walking up some steps at work I felt a sharp pain in my left hip.  I immediately went to the surgeon and was told that my implant had moved and needed to be replaced ASAP.  I reluctantly agreed and proceeded.  Following the second replacement I was unable to recover.  I walked with a cane or crutches for months.  I began to gain significant amounts of weight as I was unable to participate in any activities.  I knew it would be a mistake to allow the same surgeon to continue my care.  I came to Cincinnati and was told that the second replacement had not healed and was in need of having it replaced again.  The third replacement did not go smooth at all.  It was an 8 hour procedure and my femur shattered as the new implant was placed.  My femur was banded back together and I was non weight bearing for three months.  I spent this entire time in a hospital bed and was bound to a wheel chair.  My recovery was slow and painful.  I was able to get back to work in about 8 months.  I spent several months in an aqua therapy pool learning to walk again.  I finally gave up on physical therapy when they told me this was about as good as it would get.  I spent the next year busy at work putting together the team at the University of Cincinnati to start the Heart Transplant program.   I am embarrassed to say that I ballooned up to 425 pounds.  It was then I decided that enough was enough and it was embarrassing that the leader of the Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute looked like a heart attack himself.   It was then I decided I would be fit by 40.

I started watching what I was eating and walking after the first of this year.  I came across Calibrated by accident as I live in Anderson and spend most of the summer on my boat the “Recovery Room” that is docked at Four Seasons marina.  I saw some of you running out the door one Saturday and I emailed Arjuna that very day.   I have always been a high energy guy and new I needed to become part of something bigger than myself to stay at it.  I started with Arjuna on the 4^th of April.  I couldn’t even muster enough strength to do a push up.  I will never forget the first five minutes I spent on the assault bike.  I’m amazed that I came back for a second work out.   I knew from day one that Arjuna and I would be a good fit.  I have worked out 5 days a week since that day without missing a single workout.

Since I began at Calibrated, I have lost 109 pounds to date.  I have watched my body transform on a daily basis.  I have seen people I haven’t seen in months and they hardly recognize me!  Every thing I do is easier.  Whether it is washing the boat, climbing on the roof or carrying supplies to the boat.  I haven’t water skied in 15 years and a couple weeks ago I put on the skis, grabbed the rope, and skied longer and harder than I ever have.  That was the defining moment for me.  I knew that my body was still capable of getting into excellent shape.   I ran a 5K in a workout a few weeks ago!  All I could think about was that a short time ago, I was unable to walk at all.  I have noticed that my condition has improved each and every day.  I am completing workouts faster than I ever could have imagined.

My goals keep getting ramped up as my fitness improves.  I am hopeful to be able to complete all the gymnastic skills that are used in the workouts but the end of my first year in CrossFit.  I would also like to compete in a competition when Arjuna thinks I am ready.

The thing that has kept me so consistent with my workouts has been the continual progress I have seen.  I have made the commitment to be extremely fit by my 40^th birthday and I will do what it takes to achieve that goal.   I would also like to complete in an RX masters competition next year.

Since I have been training at Calibrated I have noticed improvements in every aspect of my life.  My cholesterol is now normal.  I no longer take blood pressure medicine.  I sleep better.  I have always had too much energy but now the joke is that I have become too intense and have gratuitous amounts of energy.  I have pep in every step.  Getting my health and fitness in order has made me better in every aspect of my life.

The thing that has surprised me the most since I have been training is that I have fallen in love with the Olympic lifts.  I was always a diehard bench, squat, deadlift guy!  It has been frustrating that my loads have not increased as much as I would have liked them too.  I have battled significant mobility issues and Arjuna has been masterful at holding me back to prevent injury.  I also have to say that I have fallen in love with the burpee.  The first Saturday workout I did at Calibrated had them and I was utterly embarrassed by how pathetic and out of shape I was.  When I do them now, they still suck but I feel like a different person.  My favorite workouts at the gym usually include the rower, the burpee and a barbell movement.

I have been asked by a lot of people who have watched my transformation for advice on how to see it through.  I often reply and tell them that I have no idea because I’m not done yet.  But I will say that I have been motivated by becoming the best me I can be.  I try to take things one day at a time and focus on each movement and set.  If you can’t find a way to make fitness a healthy habit and part of who you are, it will never last.  It has been easy for me to stay focused because I know what it feels like to be unable to walk.  I often am full with emotion as I run these days, I was told it would never happen again!  Well all I have to say to the surgeon is suck it!  I ran five 1,000 meter intervals today.  But on a serious note, being fit makes you better at everything you do.

I would also like to thank the Calibrated family for being so welcoming to me.  I have enjoyed getting to know many of you!   Brittany has also helped me more than she knows by putting together the nutritional framework that has made my weight loss successful. I would also like to thank Arjuna for all the time he has invested in me.  The first day we worked out together I told him my biggest expectation of him was to make sure I didn’t hurt myself.   I also told him that I would promise to be the biggest transformation he has ever seen.  He may have looked at me like I was crazy but I believe I am holding up my end of the bargain.  I have yet to determine where my goal weight will be.  I am excited to see what it feels like to train without a calorie deficit!  I have some lofty goals for myself and my performance, I would love to share them but you all would think I am crazy.  I will just have to show you all!

If Larry were to name a workout after himself, it would be:

“L-Train”

21-15-9

• Heavy Deadlifts
• Burpees
• Medball Ground to Shoulder
• Kettlebell Goblet Squat
• Sit-ups

+ 200ft sled push cashout

 

via @brittanysmith_calibrated Proudest moment @calibratedcrossfit is this story by @captain7413 – keep working hard, we are right there with you! “I will never forget the day after a long bike ride…my left hip suddenly locked up. I…was told I needed a total left hip replacement! (Larry went on to get this hip replaced for a total of 3 separate times, due to complications) My recovery was slow and painful. I finally gave up on physical therapy when they told me this was about as good as it would get. I am embarrassed to say that I ballooned up to 425 pounds. It was then I decided I would be fit by 40. Since I began at Calibrated (CrossFit) I have lost 109 pounds to date. I have watched my body transform on a daily basis. I have seen people I haven’t seen in months and they hardly recognize me! Every thing I do is easier. I haven’t water skied in 15 years and a couple weeks ago I put on the skis grabbed the rope and skied longer and harder than I ever have. That was the defining moment for me. Since I have been training at Calibrated I have noticed improvements in every aspect of my life. My cholesterol is now normal. I no longer take blood pressure medicine. I sleep better. I have pep in every step. Getting my health and fitness in order has made me better in every aspect of my life. I also have to say that I have fallen in love with the burpee. The first workout I did at Calibrated had them and I was utterly embarrassed by how pathetic and out of shape I was. When I do them I know they still suck but I feel like a different person.” Full story coming soon on our website @calibratedcrossfit @crossfit #crossfit #crossfitworks #thisshitisreal #burpees

A photo posted by CrossFit (@crossfit) on Sep 27, 2016 at 10:07pm PDT