The main CrossFit room will be closed on July 26th & 28th (Sat & Mon) for scheduled maintenance!! The small room will still be open for a Blaze Fitness Fusion class on Monday only at 6pm with Coach Yiota!! This is a ladies only class.
ALL female CrossFit Blaze members are welcome to join us for the class and believe us when we say you will still get a butt kicking workout!
Both rooms will re-open on Tues at 6am clean, fresh and with a new coat of paint.
Sorry for any inconvenience caused.
Cover Coach
Check out Coach Kyle in the newest edition of Fit Nation Magazine!! Pick up your copy at the box!
Schedule change!!
Our noon classes on Saturdays are on hiatus until the fall!!
Summer Saturday Schedule will be as follows:
8am. – WOD
9am. – Yoga
10am – WOD
11am – Open Gym
Thank you.
Schedule change!!
Our facility will be OPEN during limited class times on July 4th!!
9am. – WOD
10am – WOD
11am – Open Gym
All other regularly scheduled classes will be canceled for the day.
Ana Bennett’s Weight Loss and Health Journey
I have started and stopped my weight loss and health journey dozens of times…I have truly lost count. The pictures on the left are from the summer of 2010 (approx 6-8 months after Ryan and I were married). The pictures were taken well before I started cross fitting, but up until then, I was still riding the weight/diet roller coaster.
Until I hit my mid to late twenties, I never had to exercise, or watch what I ate…I was active as a child and through my teen years with cheerleading, dance, and gymnastics. When my clothes sizes started getting larger, I hit a wall, and had no idea where to start with diet or exercise. I’d never had to worry, so the most logical explanation to me was to stop eating so much, and try some exercise. The only problem with that: I don’t like to run, I’d never lifted a weight in my life, and I had no actual concept of what being “healthy” was all about.
In August of 2012 I started CrossFit; and boy, did I get a shock! I had no clue what I was in for! I had done spin classes, tried a Couch to 5k program, and everything in between…at that point, spinning was the only thing that had yielded results, and interested me in the least. My first few months at CrossFit were rough. In case you didn’t know, it’s extra super hot here in SWFl in August and September, and I’d never done any type of workout with that type of intensity…in or out of the heat and humidity in Naples.
Well, soon, nothing mattered, not even the heat! I became intent on getting better, faster, and stronger. And when I say all of that, I mean better than what I was the day before. If I squatted 85 pounds one week, the next week I wanted to hit 95 pounds! I didn’t really care about beating the other people in the gym, only myself.
After about a year, I still hadn’t gotten my diet under control, and I ended up hurting my neck and shoulder. It could have been a combination of things: I was tired that day, under nourished for that type of workout, too many people were there that day, etc etc etc. I also am a hairstylist, and I could have done something at work too. Whatever the reason, I ended up taking a year off to work, get healed, and try some other forms of exercise.
It didn’t do any good. I’d fallen in love with CrossFit, and knew I needed to get back into a box! I’d gained weight again, and couldn’t get back on track. In October of 2013, I walked into CrossFit Blaze for the first time. Someone had recommended that I try a new box, the box they went to, and so I decided to check out Blaze. I’d found at the previous gym that I really loved the Olympic Lifting aspect of CrossFit, and Blaze puts a very strong emphasis on the lifts. With the correct coaching, and in a smaller, family type atmosphere, I thrived. My form for the movements and lifts got better, I got stronger, and I got faster! I also started losing weight, and I could see that my body was changing.
In January of 2014, Blaze held a Paleo Challenge. In those four weeks, I strived to eat strict Paleo….and afterwards, with my weight and body fat measurements, I won the challenge! I worked really hard, and found new recipes and ways of eating that worked for me within the Paleo Diet. It was then that something clicked. I was eating! Good, filling, whole foods that made me feel good. I’ve been eating Paleo about 80% of the time for 6 months. It works! I’m not starving myself, and hoping for weight loss.
I truthfully and honestly haven’t weighed myself since the weight loss challenge was over in January. For me, standing on the scale started to affect the way I was feeling about my entire being, not just my body. I was getting anxious and stressed about the number that I saw, and I made the decision to give up the scale.
So, no I can’t tell you how much weight I’ve lost. What I can tell you is that I was wearing between a 10-12 in pants, dresses, skirts, etc. I am now wearing a size 4. I can also tell you that I feel healthier, stronger, and happier than I ever have in my adult life. The final and last piece to this amazing journey so far (of course it’s not over, I’m just getting started), was competing in my very first CrossFit competition in June of 2014. I can not even begin to describe the amount of pride and accomplishment I felt within myself after Thunderdome was over. I did that! I was part of the team! I lifted the heavy weights, I crushed my times, and I didn’t give up or back out!
Becoming a member at CrossFit Blaze has benefitted me in so many ways. I have grown to be a person I love, inside and out! The people who work out there are like a family. We support each other, cheer each other on, and I’m so proud to say that I’m part of the group. Do yourselves a favor, and come check them out. You won’t regret it!
Athlete of the Month is…. Susan Dono. Congrats Susan!
1. When did you start doing CrossFit? – It will be one year in August.
2. Favorite WOD? – Love anything with power cleans
3. Least favorite WOD? – Hate anything with wall balls !
4. Favorite lift? – Dead Lifts
5. Least favorite lift? – Back Squats
6. Tell us a little about yourself? – I’m a makeup artist for CHANEL at Nordstrom in the Waterside Shops. I’ve been in the beauty industry for over 10 years. I never in a million years thought that I would become an “active” person. Training each day has become a part of my daily life and I’ve never been happier.
7. What were you doing before CrossFit? – Before CrossFit I did nothing. Literally. I could barely even make it up a flight of stairs without feeling like I needed to call the paramedics.
8.What were your thoughts after your first CrossFit workout? – After my first CrossFit workout having trained with Kyle prior I was completely intimidated and exhausted. I left thinking, Well Kyle it was nice knowing ya! I knew I couldn’t let myself quit, and I’m so happy I didn’t!
9. What were your goals when joining CrossFit? – My goals when I joined CrossFit and still are to continue to lose weight, live a healthy lifestyle and become stronger every day.
10. Have you achieved any of those goals? – I definitely have become so much stronger then when I first started. Seeing what I can do only makes me want to do more and more!
11. Has CrossFit affected your life outside of the gym? – CrossFit has changed the way I look at life it general. I have so much more energy and such an appreciation for life and the world around me. I am not only healthier but overall a much happier person.
12. What are some of your best WOD times/achievements inside the gym? – An achievement I am proud of is : When I first started I could barely step on the smallest step up box. (I call them the baby boxes) Kyle stood on the other side of me and held my hands. The day I stepped up on 20 inches all by myself was a very proud moment for me.
13. What advice would you give a newbie just joining CrossFit Blaze? – Advice for a newbie? ONE day at a time. Stick with it even though you feel like you want to run away and never look back. It will be the best decision you ever made.
14. Something you may not know about me is? – Something you may not know about me? In the last year and a half I have lost 141 pounds and dropped 8 sizes. At my heaviest I was almost 400 pounds and now I am more than half that size. I am blessed to have a second chance at the life I always dreamed of but never thought was possible.
FN Thunderdome 2014, the first indoor CrossFit competition in SWFL, took place at Germain Arena in Estero this past weekend. Over 350 athletes from our neck of the woods gave it their all in a weekend fit for the memory books.
Blaze coaches, athletes and support staff volunteered, competed and experienced the amazing warmth of our CrossFit community.
A big thanks to CEO of Fit Nation Magazine, Stan Douge and his team for putting on this historical event. To the amazing volunteers who gave their time and effort to do the many tasks involved in order to make this a successful event. Coach Jason ran a smooth operation as Equipment Director making sure all was on point during each WOD. Coach Kyle ensured athletes were well briefed as one of the Athlete Liaisons. Liz helped keep all in check in the Operations Dept and Michelle supported our athletes as Team Coach. Athletes were escorted on to the floor and judged by Coach Julie. Tim, (Papi-Ratzzi Photography), spent both days in the arena taking more than 2000 photo’s!
Congratulations to all of our athletes who competed to the sounds of DJ Crazy X! Kettle bell swings, box jumps and deadlifts were just some of the movements done by newbies and experienced crossfitters alike.
Placements were all over the map. “Bros to Bar” took first place in the Men’s Scaled Team Division. The girls teams did an awesome job of working together and felt the camaraderie that encompasses CrossFit community. Individual RX Female, Scaled Males and Females, Masters and otherwise tested their fitness and learned lessons needed to improve their game for the next one.
Inspirational athlete Coach Steph Hammerman who has cerebral palsy attended and competed in the event. “The way I do CrossFit is a little different” says Hammerman. “A lot of movements you’ll see today are done from the standing position. When I compete I do all of my lifting movement from my knees.” She may be on her knees but her will to succeed, (and she does), can’t help but make you feel that you can accomplish anything.
Media coverage for the event was amazing! NBC-2, WINK & FOX were just some of the TV stations represented. 105.5 The Beat held a booth in vendor village. TEN (Trainers Elite Network) filmed numerous pieces of footage for their online outlet TEN News. Naples Daily News and the Ft Myers News Press also had a presence at the event.
Vendors lined the periphery of the arena. From soap to supplements to companies selling the latest CrossFit gear. The variety of goods to be bought was a reminder of a small community marketplace.
As Stan Douge commented to the media: “Our event is geared more towards the recreational athlete so a lot of individuals who entered CrossFit looking for a workout but want to take it a step further, this is the event for them. Fitness in general is doing a shift where we are seeing a lot more activities geared towards group fitness and my belief is it’s geared towards social connection”.
Social connection indeed. Get fit, healthy, make new friends and look good whilst doing it!
Our first week of classes are FREE!
Hope to see YOU at our box soon!
SCHEDULE CHANGE!!
The day is almost here! 3 days left until SW Florida’s first indoor CrossFit competition!!
Blaze athletes, coaches and support staff will all be partaking in this historical event.
Our facility will be CLOSED on Sat June 21st!!
Come on out and support your fellow athletes! Spectator tickets are $20 for one day, $35 for both.
The Community of CrossFit
“You want to meet good people, join a CrossFit gym. I always tell young people, ‘Don’t hang out at a bar. That’s stupid. Go to a CrossFit gym.” ~ Evelyn, friend of Lisbeth Darsh.
CrossFit is typically defined with words like intensity, movement, and fitness. But the defining driver behind CrossFit, and the sometimes overlooked definition is community. The reason CrossFit has developed such a following, and the reason it’s methods are so successful, is because of the people involved. Any positive CrossFit gym will offer an experience that involves encouragement, motivation, support and friendship. Without these key components, the intensity and rigor may overwhelm an individual.
What is CrossFit?
CrossFit is many things. Primarily, it’s a fitness regimen developed by Coach Greg Glassman over several decades. He was the first person in history to define fitness in a meaningful, measurable way (increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains). CrossFit itself is defined as that which optimizes fitness (constantly varied functional movements performed at relatively high intensity). CrossFit is also the community that spontaneously arises when people do these workouts together. In fact, the communal aspect of CrossFit is a key component of why it’s so effective. ~ CrossFit.com
We love our Blaze community! We love seeing our members supporting each other as fellow athletes, friends and in business. The power of community seeps through in every aspect of our box. From the new PR’s that come each day to the new found friendships to maybe even a wedding or two..
