Success Stories

Invictus Athlete Profile – Lisa Burns Written by Nichole DeHart I have been working with Lisa since she joined Invictus. She is not only the mother of two and an incredible athlete, but also a wonderful motivator. Not a session goes by without Lisa saying hello to everyone in the gym, cheering on other athletes and sharing her latest paleo-friendly recipe. I have never seen Lisa give me anything less than 100% every session. Her success speaks volumes, and it’s directly attributable to her dedication inside and outside the gym. She recently accomplished some big goals, like her first pull-up...

If you haven’t met Kim McLaughlin yet, I suggest you do so right away.  She is not only one of the toughest girls you will meet but she is incredibly friendly, devoted and a darn good athlete. In fact, Kim walked away with first place in the inaugural Look Good Feel Good Play Good Challenge – placing no lower than third place in any of the three scoring categories.  Kim was kind enough to sit down and talk with me and share some tips for those of you who are current challenge competitors. Nichole: So Kim, how long have you...

Dan Tandon has been a member of Invictus for nearly 2 years and a great contributor to the community. Below, Dan Tells us about what motivates him, how he has changed his life through CrossFit and what it means for his family. This story is brought to you by the guys over at Crossfit Story....

A Scary Incident and a New Perspective on Fitness Invictus Member Ali’s Story – Introduced by C.J. Martin I returned from my vacation in Maui to mostly great news, but I was shocked to hear that one of our favorite members was in a horrible accident. I shot her an email to check in on her and was amazed by her response. I wasn’t amazed by her disposition – which is consistently optimistic and upbeat – but rather her perspective as to what her fitness means to her in light of this recent incident (and some REALLY cool news). I...

Once upon a time, a client/friend of mine asked me to contact her friend, Bo Smith, about CrossFit.  Bo needed to get in shape, but thought CrossFit wasn’t for him.  It took a few calls, but in August 2009 Bo was finally ready to jump in.  He didn’t know what he was getting himself into, but it set him on a journey to a transformed life, where health became a priority for him and those around him. Bo and his wife were expecting their first child when we began training. This was key motivation for him to kick it in...

Krazy K turns 51-years-young today!  But the amazing thing about her birthday is that she looks and feels YOUNGER today than she has in years. Krazy K has been a life long carb-addict.  She would almost always choose bread over meat.  For years I attempted to educate and convince her to modify her diet, but being her son didn’t help in that fight.  The catalyst for change finally came late in 2009.  She was inspired by Robb Wolf and Nicki Violetti.  Robb and Nicki are friends, but what inspired her was their conviction and dedication to providing the absolute best...

What did you think was possible in 7.5 weeks?  Did you think you could lose 30 lbs?  Did you think you could add 30 lbs. to your max effort clean?  Well, several did. The Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge was more successful than I could have ever dreamed.  The results, across the board, were phenomenal!  On average, our participants improved by 36 points on their Play Good Challenge workout – a combination of improvement in max effort clean and reps performed in the conditioning workout.  That alone would make me a very happy man; the changes seen in...

As the Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge comes to a close I found myself contemplating the true meaning of a statement I made to one of the fabulous ladies in the 9:30 group. She asked how the contest was going and I replied, “Good, I just can‘t wait until it is over.” It was the “I can’t wait until it’s over” part that had me thinking (talking to myself actually, but for those of you who know me this shouldn’t come as a surprise). What did I mean when I said that? Am I going to start buying...

Another Reason I Love What I Do Written by C.J. Martin As I have said many times on this blog, working with the amazing individuals that walk through our doors is a dream come true.  Walking into the gym each day and interacting with the members of our community is as rewarding as any career I could have imagined.  Notes of appreciation like the one below from Isabel are the cherry on top.  I owe so much to the coaches and the members of the Invictus community for making Invictus a place where everyone should feel comfortable and capable of...

Mike V. – Another Success Story Written by C.J. Martin Mike V. didn’t wait for the Look Good, Feel Good, Play Good Challenge.  If he did, he would have to be considered a heavy favorite.  Mike came to Invictus with a bit of weight to lose.  He wasn’t overweight, but he knew he was carrying more body fat than was optimal for his health and performance.  But Mike’s resolve to change his body composition and performance has been incredible – and not surprisingly, so too have his results. On our suggestion, Mike submitted himself to hydrostatic body fat testing at...